“Just enjoying the view,” she said. “And all the plants. Irises, daffodils, tulips, hydrangeas, pachysandra…” She hoped the name-dropping would distract him from the truth, which was that she was struggling to keep it together.

He looked around the tiny yard, its brick patio ingrown with weeds, the unkempt garden in need of some TLC. “Looks like the garden’s in about the same shape as the rest of this place.”

He knocked elbows with her.

That simple, playful gesture slayed her. She was suddenly filled with a longing so intense she felt it might crush her. For love. For a family. For a life.

“What if I told you I wanted people off my case for a while?” she asked.

“Why are people on your case?”

She rolled her eyes. “You know why.”

If she and Leo married, everyone would back off. They’d be happy for her instead of calling her Ice Princess or whispering behind her back. She’d be…normal.

“Screw people,” he said. “Who cares what they think? What matters is what you want.” The intensity of his gaze burned through her, sharp and assessing. “What do you want, Tessa?”

“I don’t want to be trapped here anymore. I want…out.” Her voice cracked a little, containing emotion she couldn’t manage to hide. “But I have to fix our business before I can do what I want.”

“Then that might entail taking a risk.”

She wanted to tell him that she was a risk-taker. That she was ambitious and bold. But she wasn’t. Not anymore. She was beaten down and…stagnant. But she didn’t want to be that way.

“Can we talk terms? I don’t expect comfort. Or friendship. Just a partnership.” She didn’t want him feeling sorry for her. “Zero expectations. We save our families’ businesses and then part ways, clean and simple.”

“Business all the way,” he said, his hands in his pockets, staring at a little stone statue someone had left in the garden. “What is that thing? An elf?”

“I think it’s a garden gnome.” It had a pointy hat and a red jacket, and it was sitting on a mushroom. On his face was a mischievous expression, like he’d just snuck all the cookies from the cookie jar.

A quick glance behind his back revealed…sure enough, he was hiding a chocolate chip cookie behind his back.

That made her smile. It was like a good omen. An elf with baked goods. A sign.

“It looks like something from Lord of the Rings.” He turned back to her. “This is just my opinion, and you’ll probably cut me down to size for saying this, but sometimes overthinking isn’t good.”

“Leo, for God’s sake, it’s marriage.”

“I’m not going to lie. It’s a leap. But sometimes if you don’t jump all the way, you’re left hanging from the cliff. You know what I’m saying?”