Friend or More?

I have a friendship with a woman now for over 18 years. The relationship started as she was rep for a couple of years for my company, and the relationship morphed into a friendship of sorts over the years. We would get together on occasion throughout the years for drinks, lunch, dinner etc. – there was a certain level of “closeness” but we’ve never discussed it or crossed the line. A few years ago, I had decided that it was time to distant myself as perhaps my feelings that I was harboring for her were not warranted/or she didn’t felt the same. Fast forward about 2-3 years later I happened to bump into her at a café while she was there with a mutual acquaintance of ours – we hugged (whispering in my ear that she was happy to bump it me) hello exchanged pleasantries and then she asked me to go to lunch with her the following week – which I agreed. During our 3 hour lunch I felt the same connection with her as I had in the past, we chatted nonstop about everything that has been going on in our lives good/bad, at the end while leaving standing outside in a typical rainy day in London, we agreed that we would see each other more often than 3 years – at least once every 3 months (hard for me as I was traveling a lot), we hugged good bye and I as I walk away she says to me “hey I love you” – taken back from this, I respond quietly “me too.” To keep my promise 3 months later I had schedule a lunch date with her which she was not able to attend due to her being out of town – called me to say “sorry need to take a raincheck, I do want to see you, I miss you” – another one of those hmmm moments. We eventually got together for lunch it was slightly standoffish as compared to the prior time we met up, as we parted ways, she hugs me and says, “take care my love.” Covid hit and the meeting up part has been too difficult as she is deathly afraid of getting sick, we met up once which she was more than eager to do so, it was a short quick lunch and we have only exchanged a couple of phone calls, texts during the holiday, etc. while the last 10 months. Once we are vaxxed then I guess things can get back to normal. I just don’t know if I should tell her that I’ve had an attraction for her other than friendship, or leave it alone and take it for what it is and enjoy the occasional companionship/friends or once again distance myself? We both are married with kids, thus my reluctance to cross the line and perhaps hers as well.