She bit her lip. Everything he was saying sounded so perfect she could hardly stand to hear it.

“You said back in New Orleans that none of this was about what you wanted,” he said, his voice that low, rumbly tone it got whenever she was upset. “What if it was?”

She froze, her gaze locked on his chest because she was afraid to look at him.

“You keep talking about everybody else. About the places we live, the jobs we do. I’m here because you haven’t said once that you don’t want me.” He shook his head, his voice so light, so gentle even now. “All you have to do is say it, Andra. I’ll go.”

Her hands knotted into fists. After everything her father had just thrown at him and everything he’d gone through to get here, she couldn’t lie about her feelings. But if she told him the truth, it would only hurt him more when the world tore them apart.

The silence stretched, every second clawing at her like the ragged edges at the beginning of a panic attack. Then LJ turned toward the door. She grabbed his wrist, hanging on with all her strength.

“I love you.” The confession burst out of her in pure, ugly fear, because she couldn’t bear seeing him leave. It was the only reason she had left first. But once the words were out, her whole body sagged. There was no reason to try to lie now, no way to hide it. “I love you so much,” she whispered, the words catching in her throat like a prayer that was almost too sacred to voice.

LJ took one rough breath and kissed her. His hands trembled where they cradled her face, and she covered them with her own, her heart pounding so hard it was like it wanted to break out of her chest and beat within his.

“God,” he gasped against her mouth. “That scared half the life out of me. I thought you were going to tell me no.”

She wrapped her arms around him and shook her head against his chest. “Never. It’s everything else that I’m not sure about. You’ve never been the problem.”

He kissed her forehead, her hair, laughing like it was the only way to handle the same relief that was making her giddy. “You just disowned your daddy over me, sweet girl. I think I might be the problem.”

“Because he’s a jackass.” She scowled, burying her face back in his chest to soothe herself with the scent of him. “Not your fault.”

“Well, it’s still something we’re going to have to deal with if we live here. And I think we should.”