Chance: A Small Town, Enemies to Lovers, Protector Romance (Ghost Ops Book 2)
Chance: Chapter 25

He’d said too much.Chance knew it as soon as the words were out of his mouth, but dammit, he couldn’t just sit there and let her tell him she wasn’t worthy of devotion. He couldn’t let her believe all the bullshit she’d told herself for so long was true. He had his own problems to deal with, his own guilt, but dammit, Rory was worthy of everything. He needed her to know it.

Her eyes widened as she stared back at him. Hope roared through him. But then she closed her eyes and shook her head and he knew he’d lost the battle.

“Don’t say that. You don’t have to say that.”

“I know I don’t have to,” he growled.

Her eyes snapped open again and she cradled his face in both her hands. Her touch set off a chain reaction inside him. Need, want, desire. All those things and more.

“Chance. I know you think you mean it now. I appreciate it more than you know. But you can’t love me. You barely know me. We had sex—great sex—and now we’re gonna have a kid. But that’s not love. Love takes time. It grows and builds, like a pearl inside an oyster shell. You’re in shock over the pregnancy. And I get it because I am too. But please don’t confuse the issue.”

He gaped at her. “Seriously, you think I’m confused? You think I just put my heart on my sleeve because I’m suffering from shock?”

“It’s understandable.”

Good lord, he wanted to bend her over this table and kiss the daylights out of her. Then he wanted to take her to bed and worship her with his hands and mouth until she fucking knew he meant business. He wanted her to believe she was worthy of the deepest kind of love.

“Is that what happens in those novels you read? People get confused and don’t know how they feel?”

Her cheeks turned pink. “That’s different. It’s fiction. Not real. Five men and one woman, remember? Not even close to realistic.”

“Not sharing you with anyone, kitten. You said we were free to date other people, but I’m telling you right now that’s not happening. I won’t share you with another man, and I damn sure don’t need another woman when I have you.”

“You’re crazy, Chance Hughes. Just crazy.”

But her voice was little more than a whisper and her eyes were wide. Plus she was still on his lap. He took that as a positive sign.

“Maybe I am. But I’m also crazy about you. Are you seriously telling me you read books about love and don’t believe in it?”

“I didn’t say that. What I said was that it’s fiction. Real life is messy, and I don’t think people fall in love at first sight or anything like that. Takes time to build.”

“You know what I think? I think it’s like anything else. There’s no single experience for everything. You don’t fall in love one particular way and that’s the only way it ever happens for everyone on this planet. It’s different for all of us.”

“Maybe so, but I still don’t think you look at someone and boom, that’s it.”

“How was it with Mark then?”

He felt her stiffen slightly. “It wasn’t love at first sight for either of us. But he kept pursuing me, and I finally said yes to a date. It grew from there. We were together for two years before he decided Tammy was more suited to his lifestyle.”

Chance tightened his arms around her for a second. “Already said so, but he’s an idiot.”

“I think you mean he’s a douchebag.”

“That, too.”

“What about your unrequited love? Did that happen right away or did it take time?”

He’d nearly forgotten he’d told her that. “Took a little time. Not as much as you seem to think it does. I saw her standing behind the bar of the Dawg and wanted to know her, but she didn’t like me. Then she liked me for about two weeks. Best two weeks of my life. But no, I didn’t realize how I felt until I saw her walking toward me with a pan of mac and cheese and knew that she made me feel like I’d found home.”

“Oh.” She sounded surprised. “You meant me.”

“Had no plans to tell you how I felt anytime soon, but then you wanted to know why I’d choose you of all people, and I had no choice. Need you to know how perfect you are. Anybody who couldn’t appreciate you the way you deserve is a douchebag.”

“Stop before you make me cry again.” She swiped her eyes. “I could do without this hormonal crap, I gotta say.”

He could hold her all night, but things needed doing. “Better finish your dinner, kitten. You dialed in those carbs and you don’t want to be under.”

Her smile trembled at the corners. “You really did research diabetes didn’t you?”

“Yes, ma’am. I want to know everything about you. Diabetes is part of you, and it’s not going away. Plan to know everything I can.”

Her brows arrowed down. “I appreciate you wanting to know more, but please don’t ever start thinking you know what’s best for me. I won’t be treated like I’m fragile by you or anyone. I’ve been navigating this reality for over twenty years now, and I know what I need to do.”

“I hear you, honey. I’m not saying I won’t ever do it, because I expect I will. Not worried you won’t let me know, though. You’re gonna chew my ass good if I do. It’s not in you to be silent when you’re pissed off.”

“Nope. That is most definitely not me.”

She got back into her chair and he slid his plate over rather than move away from her. She arched an eyebrow at him and he shrugged. “I like being close to you. No need to pretend I don’t now that you know.”

She picked up her sandwich but she didn’t tell him to move. “I appreciate that you think you love me, Chancey Pants. I’m all kinds of awesome, after all. And you knocked me up, which makes you feel responsible toward me. But I don’t believe you really love me. I think you believe it, though. But you’ll come to your senses. I have no doubt.”

“I was rather hoping you’d come to yours.”

“And that right there is why we are not meant to be. Can’t even agree on the basic stuff like I’m right and you’re wrong.”

He knew she was making a joke because she was uncomfortable, so he let it ride. But she was wrong. Dead wrong. And he was going to prove it to her.