Page 122 of Chasing Hope

And he doesn’t even realize the damage his words have caused.

Ten minutes after waking him and meticulously checking for a concussion—the irony of me having learned the signs from my brother not being lost on me—Matteo and I are quiet as we enter the apartment. The sexual tension is replaced by the heaviness my brother caused, and Matteo doesn’t even know the half of it. Doesn’t even know the words my brother threw in my face.

And he never will.

Matteo would never forgive Caleb for demeaning me like he did.

I’m silent, waiting for him to say he didn’t mean what he said and go after my brother.

After all, that is his best friend of twenty years.

And I’m just a girl he kissed in the elevator.

Instead, he leans against the kitchen countertop while I lean against the island, both of us watching each other like a hawk, both of us waiting for the other to run.

“I don’t regret it,” he says eventually. “I regret the way he found out, but I don’t regret it.”

I didn’t realize I was holding my breath until it leaves me in one fell swoop.

My body all but slumps into the island. Matteo moves forward, not even hesitating for a second before he wraps me in his arms and kisses the top of my head.

“I’ll always choose you,” he whispers.

“But Caleb?—”

“Will cool down eventually,” he cuts in. “The way he found out isn’t ideal. He may give me the cold shoulder for a while, but he will come around.”

“You sound so sure of yourself.” Shaking my head, I whisper, “You didn’t hear him after he hit you. He was beyond hurt. I don’t think he’ll ever forgive me.”

The warmth of his arms, the way our height difference makes me feel cocooned and safe, eases my heart back into a comfortable beat, while his scent—cedar and something distinctlyhim—works to settle my frayed nervous system.

“Once he realizes how much I care about you, I can’t see him holding a grudge against either of us. He just needs a minute to process it. I know him, Evie. He’ll forgive you. Headoresyou.”

You didn’t hear what he said, I want to whisper, but stop myself. Instead, I lift my head and place my chin on his chest. “We’re really doing this, aren’t we?”

The smile that lights up Matteo’s face makes butterflies swarm my stomach. “No getting rid of me now, Dove.”

“It’s going to be weird dating while in the same apartment though,” I confess. “How do we do this? And with Caleb back?”

“I think you’ll find it will come a lot more natural than you think. I’ve been waiting years to treat you how you deserve to be,” he whispers as he lowers his head, his lips hovering above mine. “But for the meantime, maybe we do something tomorrow, get out of the apartment.”

“Paddleboarding?” I suggest.

His lips lift into another smile. “Paddleboarding it is.”

His smiles are always rare but here he is, handing them out to me like it isn’t the most precious gift in the world.

Lifting onto my toes to meet Matteo halfway, our lips have barely touched when there's a knock at the door.

Groaning, Matteo mutters under his breath, “Every damn time.”

“Are you expecting anyone?” I ask, frowning at the door.

He shakes his head. “Maybe they’ll go away if?—”

Knock.

Knock.