She looked at him—at the hope barely hidden behind his careful composure, at the vulnerability he was trying so hard to mask.
"I believe," he said quietly, "that for both our sakes, it would be best to keep this between us. Before sharing it with anyone else. After spending more time together... we can revisit this conversation. And decide."
Lori felt two things at once.
Disappointment—sharp and sudden, because a part of her had wanted him to sweep her into his arms and declare that nothing else mattered, that they would figure it out together, that the bond was enough.
And hope—warm and steady, because he wasn't rejecting her. He was asking for time. He was giving them both a chance to make an informed decision, rather than rushing into something that might collapse under its own weig
