Page 126 of Danger

There isn’t one.

“She showed up,” I continue. “She wanted to talk about Fisher, and then she fell asleep on the couch. I left her in the living room. She must have grabbed my hoodie off the rack on her way out.”

Winnie swallows but doesn’t give me relief yet. “You didn’t sleep with her? Why didn’t you just tell me that?”

“I’m a mess,” I say. “I’ve been a mess since I was old enough to throw a punch. Everything I touch, I break. And I wanted to keep you safe from that.”

She doesn’t try to interrupt and I can't tell what she’s thinkin’.

“My whole life,” I say, picking up the bottle on the floor before setting it in the crate. “I had to learn to fight for myself. I learned early that no one was ever coming to save me. Not me, not my mom, not my brothers. I learned not to trust anyone, to keep everyone at a distance. I let Rylee in once, and look how that turned out.”

Winnie uncrosses her arms, her fingers twitching at her elbows like she wants to reach out.

“Danger, I’m not her.”

There’s a whole universe somewhere inside those perfect blue eyes. I could live there forever if she let me.

I softly grab her wrist, and she doesn’t pull away. Her pulse is wild, matching mine.

“I know,” I say quietly. “You’re the woman who changed every damn thing for me.”

Her breath catches, but I keep going because if I stop now I might never say it.

“You came into my life, walkin’ around with that tray in your hands… like you weren’t about to turn my whole damn world upside down. Next thing I know, you’re on my ranch… and somehow my boy likes you more than he likes me.”

Her eyes soften, but I don’t let myself off that easy.

“Before you, I figured life was just something you survived. Keep people far enough away, break them before they break you, and maybe you get through it without losing too much.”

I shake my head.

“When that accident happened…” My voice roughens. “When they told me you might not wake up… Winnie, I would’ve let you break me a thousand times over if it meant I got to keep you for just one more day.” I pull her to me. “So, if you think any part of this was fake—” My thumb brushes her wrist. “You're wrong. It wasn’t. Not for me. Not for a single second.”

“Danger, I—”

It surprises us both when the cat meows then darts between us.

“What is she doing?” Winnie asks as we watch her paws batting at something that glints in the dim light.

I know Winnie sees it. It's one of those adjustable cord bracelets, sliding across the floor under the cat’s paw. Dangling from it is a tiny heart-shaped charm.

The cat spins with it, completely entranced. Bats at it until it lands right in front of Winnie’s shoe.

She picks it up, and I watch her eyes widen, fingers trembling slightly as she reads the engraving on the heart:

I love you backwards. - D.

I almost bought her something nicer. Gold. Diamonds. Something expensive. Then I saw this bracelet. It looked like something she'd actually wear.

I dropped the bracelet when I grabbed the bottle off the floor hoping the cat would bring it to her. Hell, I didn't think it'd actually work.

Maybe Winnie was right all along. That they know more than we think.

I fight the urge to drag her into my arms and say the words out loud myself.

But if they come from me, she might not believe it.

So, maybe she’ll believe it if it finds her a different way.