Chapter 296

HAD CARSON HEARD RYAN right?

Had he just said he loved her?

As in l-o-v-e?

She'd felt the deep moving waters of what she'd jumped into. It was different from anything she'd ever experienced. Bigger, more powerful, sometimes scary. But love?

When she'd been little, the people who told her they loved her hurt her. It had taken Mom and Dad years to change love from a bad to a good word. Carson had never loved anyone besides Mom, Dad and Frankie. Maybe Jessica. They had been friends for most of their lives. Carson didn't even know she was capable of loving a man like that. She'd never had a boyfriend that lasted long enough to get past that stage.

Love was a scary word, but she wanted to face that fear. She wanted to learn to love someone outside her family circle. She had to be certain about how she felt before she said it. Especially with Ryan. She'd hurt him so much already, she couldn't lie and tell him she had feelings she didn't know for certain were true.