Kevin’s eyes widened in surprise and he pulled his hands away from me as if he’d suddenly realized he was grasping hot coals. “What?! I mean, uh....I ….are you sure?” he stammered.

I sighed and nodded. “Yes, Kevin, I’m sure.”

He stepped in close to me so that you bodies were nearly touching and placed a hand on my cheek. “Can I ask why? I mean, I thought you were-”

I pulled his hand away from my cheek and took a step back . “”I was, but....”

“Was?” he asked, looking dejected.

“Howie hasn’t talked to you, has he?” I asked.

He furrowed his brows in confusion. “Howie hasn’t talked to me about what.?”

I licked my lips and gulped in an attempt to wet my suddenly sandpaper-dry mouth. “About us. Howie and I. We’re.....we’re together, Kevin.”

His mouth fell open in disbelief. “Oh, wow. I....I didn’t know. How long?”

“It just happened earlier this week, so not long, but I....I feel like he at least deserves a chance. I mean, he’s always been so good to me.” He nodded and stuffed his hands in his pockets, then without another word, left the room. I gave him a couple minutes, then followed suit.

“There you are!” Howie, fresh from his shower, met me in the hallway and leaned in for a kiss. He smelled amazing. I couldn’t tell if it was his cologne or some fancy hair product I would probably be stealing later, but I love breathing him in. “I needed my New Year’s kiss,” he said with a wink. I smiled and snaked my arms around his neck, pulling him in for another one. “I’m wired from the concert,” he told me. “I thought you might want to come back to my place and watch a movie or something. I mean, if you’re not too tired....”

I caught a glimpse of Kevin and Kristin leaving hand in hand and turned my head towards him. “Actually, that sounds great.”

When Howie pulled his Mercedes into his driveway and turned off the engine, he turned to me and sighed. “I need to talk to you about something.”

“Um...okay?”

He ran a hand through his still damp locks and unbuckled his seat belt. Then, he turned so that his elbow was resting on the console. “About the other night.... It just kind of slipped out. I don’t want you to feel like I pressured you to say “I love you” too soon. I know I said we’d take it slow, but the truth is, Em....I do love you. I’ve loved you since the moment I met you. Sure, it started out as a friendly type of love, but it’s like one morning I woke up and realized what had been right in front of me all along. You’re everything I’ve ever dreamed of. I want to spend the rest of my life with you.” My heart started beating erratically and my eyes grew rounder and bigger. Was he proposing? “I’m not proposing,” he said quickly. How did he do that? “But I’m saying that I intend to at some point in the future. I’ve never been so sure of anything in my life.”

“Howie, I....”

“Ssh.” His index finger landed on my lips. “I know you’re scared. You don’t have to say anything. Like I said, I don’t want to pressure you. I just... wanted you to know.”

I could feel tears welling up in my eyes. This man seemed to know me like nobody else ever had. I couldn’t help but think of Danny. “I said it back, you know.”

“Huh?”

“I said it back. It was one of those things that just seemed to natural, that like you said, it just slipped out.”

He cocked his head to the side and squinted a little. “Go on.”

I took in a deep breath and let it out slowly, not really believing that I was about to do this. “I love you, too, Howie. How could I not?”

His eyes lit up and his face broke into a huge smile. “I was hoping you’d say it again. For four days, I’ve been agonizing over whether you really meant it, hoping and praying you’d say it again.” He closed the distance between us and cupped my face in his hands. “I love you,” he breathed as his lips grazed mine. He deepened the kiss and pushed his tongue against mine. Have I mentioned that he’s an amazing kisser? I couldn’t help but moan involuntarily against his lips as he trailed his fingers down my neck and to my back, then pulled me closer. I found myself climbing across the console and into his lap. I straddled his thighs and he wrapped his arms around my waist. After several minutes, he pulled away, breathless. “You think maybe we should to inside?” I bit my bottom lip and nodded.

When we were safely inside, he closed the door and placed one of his feet in between mine so that our hips were pressed up against each other. I could very obviously feel his arousal as his lips crashed back onto mine and his hands landed on my hips. “So about the taking it slow thing...” he muttered as his lips found my neck.

I gasped as I felt one of his hands inching up the front of my shirt. “I, uh....I think that’s already been thrown out the window, don’t you?”

I could feel his lips curling up into a grin. “That’s what I was hoping you’d say,” he panted as he pushed me towards the bedroom.