I Love You More Than I'm Afraid (Our Forevers #2) by Rebel Hart (the first e reader .txt) 📕

I would forever wonder what could have been if I’d invested in our relationship instead. I’d told Tristan about the recurring dream I’d had of coming back ten years later and finding that Hannah and I still had just as strong feelings for one another as we did before, but I didn’t want that.

I didn’t want to lose ten years with Hannah if I didn’t have to.

“Don’t you go wishing that she turns me down now,” I said.

Aria shook her head. “No. I would never. I know how much you love her. I still really hope that she comes through and that you guys can start this love story you both so obviously deserve, it’s just… I don’t know, it feels like you giving up something so huge for it is just already starting off on the wrong foot.”

“I don’t know the alternative,” I said. “Hannah’s not going anywhere. She’s committed to a college here already.” I put my hand on Aria’s. “Don’t worry, mama bear. If Hannah and I can just get to that place again, I’ll figure the rest out after that. There’s nothing we won’t be able to get through together after surviving all this.”

Aria smiled and nodded at me. “Yeah. That’s true.”

In my pocket my phone buzzed and I pulled it out. “It’s Hannah.”

“Tell her I’m dealing with my mom and Tristan lauding over me enough, I don’t need her to do it too,” Aria said.

My heart jumped up into my throat when I opened the text. “She’s not checking on you,” I said.

“Oh?” Aria said, sitting up a little straighter in her bed and trying her hardest to crane her neck over to see my phone screen. “What is it?”

A huge smile crossed my face and warm, fuzzy feelings filled me from the tip of my toes up to the top of my head.

“An address,” I replied, then looked up and met Aria’s gaze. “She just dropped me her location.”

24

Arden

Knowing good and well that Hannah wouldn’t be inviting me to her parents’ home, I was curious where her location was taking me. I almost entered the address into a navigator of some kind, but I kind of liked the element of surprise and didn’t. Instead, I just followed the roads on the map on my phone and used my natural compass to direct me closer and closer to the pin that she’d left me. Even though she hadn’t provided any context in her text message, the act itself was enough for me to know the news I was about to get was good. Shared locations had been something of a relationship symbol for us, and the fact that she sent me hers to ask to meet up felt significant.

Still, I tried not to get my hopes up. It could have just been an absent-minded decision or Hannah trying to be considerate and keep a bond between us in spite of all the toxicity that had developed between us. There was still so much at stake for her. She wasn’t out yet, and her parents would definitely kick her out if she came out. Much like mine, her entire future was hinging upon whatever decision she made, and I didn’t want to overestimate her ability to give all of that up for me.

After all, she couldn’t do it before.

The address that Hannah sent me took me a little outside the main city to a small country cottage. I didn’t recognize it as any place of interest, but I could see Hannah’s car pulled up the long driveway and knew I was in the right place. I had to imagine she wouldn’t invite me to the middle of nowhere to turn me down, but again, I wasn’t getting my hopes up just in case.

I parked my car behind Hannah’s and walked up to the door of the place, noticing that the front door was open. Assuming it was left open so I could just enter, I opened the screen door and walked in. There was a small living room to the left and a dining room to the right that looked like it continued northward into a kitchen that eventually spiraled around and reconnected with the living room. Directly across from the front door was a staircase with a small room next to them that opened to a quarter bathroom.

“Hannah?” I called out.

“Arden?” she yelled back. “Come upstairs.”

“Uh, okay.”

I shut and locked the front door, kicked off my shoes, and climbed up the stairs. At the top, there was a door directly to the right that was shut, and then the landing wrapped around, passing another full bathroom, and leading down to a bedroom that the door was open and I could see Hannah wasn’t in it. Looking to my right, I grabbed the handle and opened the door, freezing in my tracks when I did.

There were flowers all over an adorable bedroom, including flower petals sprinkled on the bed, and a star globe had been set up and was casting a rolling display of glowing stars across the ceiling. In the middle of the room, dressed in a white dress with her hair done in beautiful waves, and proudly displaying her stunning, natural, brown eyes, was Hannah. She was fidgeting nervously and butterflies fluttered through my stomach at the sight of her.

She took a breath and said, “Um…” Then she looked backwards at the bed and brought her gaze to me. She tried several times to say something before finally just pressing her lips together and smiling at me.

That was as much of a go-ahead as I needed.

I crossed the room and cupped my hand behind her head and pulled her to me. She pressed her lips to mine, looping her arms up around my neck, and I stepped backwards until we fell down onto the bed. Her tongue skipped forward from between her lips, playfully requesting entrance, which I quickly granted. I could feel her skin heating up under mine and felt