The gentleness in his tone undoes me. Fresh tears spill down my cheeks. "I messed everything up."
"Seems that way." He passes me his handkerchief. "Want to tell me what really happened? The truth this time."
So I do. Everything spills out in a rush. The inheritance condition. My impulsive proposal to Colt after seeing him harassed on Main Street. The contract we made. Moving in together. And then, the part I hadn't planned for.
"I fell in love with him, Dad." The admission feels both painful and freeing. "Really, truly in love. And I couldn't go through with a fake wedding knowing my feelings were real."
"Why not tell him how you feel?" he asks, surprisingly reasonable for a man who wanted to arrest Colt less than three weeks ago.
"Because our arrangement was just business for him. Six months, then divorce." I twist the engagement ring on my finger, the one Colt crafted with his own hands. "I couldn't bear to see the pity in his eyes when he realized I'd fallen for our own lie."
My father is quiet for a long moment. "You know," he says finally, "for a smart woman, you can be remarkably blind."
I look up, confused. "What?"
"Those vows he wrote. The way he looks at you." Dad shakes his head. "That man isn't acting, Savannah. And he's not the person I thought he was."
Hope flutters in my chest before reality crushes it. "It doesn't matter now. I humiliated him in front of everyone. He'll never forgive me."
"Don't be so sure." He nods toward the window. "Looks like you've got company."
I follow his gaze to see Colt's truck screeching to a halt in front of the house. My heart stops, then restarts at double speed.
"I'll give you two some privacy." My father stands, straightening his uniform. "For what it's worth, I was wrong about him. And I'm sorry."
The admission stuns me silent as he walks past Colt at the door, exchanging a brief nod before disappearing down the porch steps.
Then it's just us. Colt filling the doorframe, tie gone, shirt collar unbuttoned, hair mussed like he's been running his hands through it repeatedly. He looks wrecked. Because of me.
"Savannah." Just my name, but the way he says it unravels me.
"I'm sorry," I whisper. "I never meant to hurt you."
He crosses the room in four long strides, dropping to his knees before me. "Then why did you run?"
"Because I couldn't lie anymore." I force myself to meet his eyes. "Not to everyone else, and not to myself."
"What lie?" His voice is rough, urgent. "Tell me."
"That this is just business for me." The words tumble out, unstoppable now. "That I could marry you, live with you, be with you for six months, and then walk away unscathed. That I haven't completely fallen for you."
His expression relaxes, something like wonder replacing the hurt. "Say that again."
"I've fallen in love with you." The truth burns bright between us. "And I couldn't go through with a fake wedding when myfeelings are real. When every moment with you these past weeks has meant everything to me."
His hands come up to frame my face, thumbs wiping away tears I didn't realize were falling again. "You think this is still fake for me? That what we've been building isn't real?"
"Our arrangement. The contract." My voice breaks. "Six months, then divorce. That was the deal."
"Fuck the deal." The intensity in his eyes steals my breath. "Savannah, I fell for you somewhere between you proposing in my workshop and berating my kitchen that first night. Every day since has just made me fall harder."
Hope blooms in my chest, terrifying in its fragility. "What are you saying?"
"I'm saying I love you." He says it simply, definitively. "I love your courage and your determination. I love the way you fight for what you want. I love how you see me, really see me, not just what everyone else assumes I am."
A sob escapes me, half laugh, half cry. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"Same reason you didn't tell me." His smile is rueful. "Afraid you were still seeing this as just business. Afraid of what happens in six months when our arrangement ends."
