Exposed : My Mountain Man Protector(40)

“Both,” I said. “I like the nature, the calm of the trees and the open air, the stars—Lila, you have to see the stars here. I like being unplugged, not oozing away my life in front of the television, watching TV shows where other people live their lives.



“And yes, Lila,” I said, grasping Blake’s hand, “I like Blake too.”



Lila’s face was a full-on snarl, but I continued. “I like his quiet, considerate manner. I like how he enjoys the same things I do. I like how he looks at me when he thinks I’m not looking, how he strokes my hair. I like his sense of humor and his sense of adventure, how he doesn’t seem afraid of anything. He’s been there for me, Lila, through all of this.”



Already she was shaking her head. “You barely know him. You’ve jumped from one bad relationship into another.”



I shook my own head. “You don’t know that.”



She shrugged. “Maybe not, but I do know that you should have time to process your emotions, to find even ground, to figure out what really happened with Angelo, to make sure you aren’t just making the same mistakes again.”



I let go of Blake’s hand. Lila was right, but she was wrong too.



“Everything you said, I’ve thought of, Lila. But I’ve been processing it while I’ve been here. Being out in nature with the quiet and the slower pace, I’ve had time to really come to terms with what happened and the role I played in it. It’s not just Blake who’s different; I’m different too. I’m not making the same mistakes because I’m not the same person anymore.”



Lila was still shaking her head.



“Everything you’re saying sounds great. On paper, Claire. Just how Angelo sounded great on paper. You’re already in too deep. You’ve gone so far into this whirlwind of a new thing that you can’t see what everyone else is seeing—what even your parents are seeing.”



It was my turn to glare at her. “You spoke to my parents?”



Lila waved her hand in a dismissive figure eight. “I didn’t believe your mom when she told me. I told her no. No way would Claire get into another relationship just as her marriage was disintegrating. She knew better than that.”



She directed a disdainful look at me as our waitress put down several waters and scurried off.



I took mine, drank, and then said, “Lila, I appreciate your concern, but you have to trust me. I know what I’m doing this time. Blake is a good man, and I know it’s right this time, because it feels right. Because last time it felt wrong. I denied it, but it did. It felt wrong. Now I know the difference.”



My words washed over Lila as easily and uselessly as the water she was drinking slipped down her throat.



Still shaking her head, she said, “No. No, Claire. I won’t have it. You can’t stay here with this man you barely know, who’s much older and doesn’t have a job and doesn’t have much to his credit at all other than he helped you avoid being killed by your last mistake of a husband.”



“Lila…”



“Can I say something?” Blake said.



“No,” Lila said easily. Then, in a loud voice, she said, “I don’t want to hear anything you have to say. You’ve preyed on my friend when she’s vulnerable. You should be ashamed of yourself.”



The whole restaurant was now quiet, and several heads were turned in our direction. I resisted the urge to beeline for the bathroom.



“Well too bad,” Blake said in an even louder voice, “because I’m going to have my say whether you like it or not.” He rose and faced Lila.



“What happened between Claire and me has been nothing short of a miracle. I didn’t plan it; she didn’t plan it. It happened—because it was supposed to. I tried avoiding my feelings, tried dismissing them, ignoring them, but it happened. And ever since, my life has been unrecognizable in the best way. This woman—this fantastic, one-of-a-kind, miracle of a woman—I don’t have words for how she makes me feel. I don’t understand it. I was happy before, content. But the crazy kind of happiness I feel with her, I can’t explain, because I’ve never felt it before. She’s my best friend and my greatest love, and you can try to take her away from me, Lila, but I will follow you. I will follow you back to New Jersey, to anywhere you take her. I will follow you until you call the police and Claire herself has me thrown in jail. Because this woman is worth fighting for, and if I lose her I know I will regret it for as long as I live. I may not be America’s most eligible bachelor right now, I may just be a man with a cabin and some hunting skills, but let me tell you, I have a love like no other. That love will drive me to do whatever it takes to make Claire happy—go wherever she wants, be whoever she wants me to be—because I know that if she’s happy, I’ll be happy.”