I Saw Her Standing There Read Online Free Page B

it. And because Cameron and Will had just gotten together, and we didn’t want to steal their spotlight.”
    “Will and Cameron have been together for months now.”
    “I know.”
    “So how long are we going to continue to sneak around? I can’t even remember anymore why we’re doing that.”
    “Because,” Lucy said, feeling more anxious by the second. “We’re just having fun. We aren’t like them, so we don’t need to involve everyone. It’s just us, and we like it that way.” After a long pause, she said, “Don’t we?”
    “Sure.” He linked their fingers under the water and turned to face her, floating in front of her. “Well, no. I don’t think I like it that way. Not anymore.”
    “Colton—”
    “Hear me out, honey.”
    He made her feel swoony when he called her that.
    “I’ll admit that I’ve enjoyed the fact that everyone in my life wants to know what I’m up to and who I’m up to it with, but underneath it all, I’m not much of a mystery man. I’m more of a what-you-see-is-what-you-get sort of guy. And I want to share this, what we have together, with the people I love. I want to bring you to my home on the mountain, to my parents’ home for Sunday dinner, to my siblings’ homes. I want you to come to my sister’s wedding with me. I want us to be a real couple.”
    Lucy was taken by surprise when she realized how badly she wanted all the things he wanted. Except none of it was feasible. “We agreed. At the beginning. We set rules.”
    “Screw the rules, Lucy. That was back when we thought we might hang out for a while and it wouldn’t go anywhere. Six weekends later, it’s gone somewhere, and I want it to continue to go places. Don’t you?”
    “Where can it go?” she asked softly.
    “I don’t know. But don’t you want to find out?”
    “I don’t know. I’m afraid.”
    “What’re you afraid of?”
    He looked up at her with clear blue eyes and an open, honest expression that made it easier for her to confess her fears. “Of getting in too deep and not being able to get out. Of getting hurt.”
    “Aw, Lucy. I’m not asking for a lifetime commitment.” He brought her hand to his lips and brushed a kiss over her knuckles. “I’d just like to be able to tell my family about you.”
    She bit her lip as she thought about that. “If you tell your family, I’d have to tell Cameron.”
    “And that would be bad?”
    “No. Of course it wouldn’t. I’m just . . . I don’t think I’m ready to go public.” She couldn’t bear the disappointment she saw on his face. “That doesn’t mean I’ll never be ready. I’m just not there
yet
. Is that okay?”
    “Sure. Whatever you want. Are you starting to get wrinkly?”
    “A little.”
    “Let’s get out of here and move on to the next part of tonight’s program.”
    “There’s a program?”
    “Damn straight there is. Next up is ice cream in bed.”
    “Oh, I like ice cream in bed.”
    “Excellent.” He helped her out of the tub, kissed her nose and then her lips and wrapped a towel around her. “I’ll bring it in.”
    When he left the room, Lucy let out a deep breath and leaned her hands on the countertop, trying to get her emotions under control. She’d never in her life felt as much for any guy as she did for him. And it had been immediate. She couldn’t deny that, as much as she’d tried. That immediate attraction was what had her spending six weekends with him. She didn’t do things like that, well . . . ever.
    Lucy Mulvaney didn’t do serious. It wasn’t in her DNA. Or it never had been until Colton Abbott walked into a conference room and put her DNA into a blender and mixed it all up. The result had been someone all new, someone she barely recognized, someone who drove six hours to spend four days with a guy she couldn’t stop thinking about between visits. And now he wanted to go public. He wanted to tell people about them. He wanted to change their status.
    As long as no one knew, Lucy could