AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I want to believe him but, without the crinkle, there’s no way I’m buying this.
“Adam…”
“Nova, really. Everything’s fine.” He checks his watch. “It’s almost time. We need to hurry.”
He takes my hand and leads me through the side gate. I gasp when I see the backyard has been transformed with string lights, star-gazing equipment, and a brand-new porch swing.
“Rowan helped set it up,” Adam informs me, looking boyishly charming as he sinks both hands into his jeans. “He wanted to join us tonight. I had to promise him that we’d all go star-gazing another day before he stopped begging.”
“Star-gazing? Is that what we’re doing?”
“I figured since your name is Nova, it would be right to end the day with us taking a good, long look at the sky.” He nods to the swing. “I made that. It’s got cup-holders, cushions and a foot rest that rises at the touch of a button.”
It takes a lot to restrain my smile.
I touch his arm and whisper for his ears only, “Thank you. I really,reallylike it.”
Adam’s effort today has not gone unnoticed. To be honest, the first two surprises he had were on a grand scale. But this tiny offering of quiet relaxation, the fact that he and Rowan set it up together, the fact that he built the swing Adam-style, it all tugs at my heart.
“My pleasure.” He stares intently down at me.
“Is it really? It looks like a lot of work.”
“Doesn’t feel like work if it’s for you.” He studies me. His voice is deathly serious. “As long as I’m alive and breathing, Nova Delaney, you will always be the most important woman to me. And if you asked me to pluck one of those stars from the sky, I’d tell you you’re crazy and then I’d find a way to build you your own galaxy.”
I chuckle and hold him tighter. “Did you come up with that yourself?”
“I pieced it together after watching a couple of your favorite movies.”
“A couple?”
“Okay, all of them,” he admits and then he slaps his chest twice. “I’m comfortable enough in my masculinity to say that romance movies are fun.”
Laughter shakes us both.
After a beat, I go quiet and stare at him.
I’m dating my boss. The chances of me regretting this later? They’re about a hundred percent. But I can’t think beyond how good it feels to finally give into these feelings.
My white flag is flapping in the wind. I’m Rapunzel who let down her hair—quite literally—and allowed the prince to climb up the tower and rescue her.
I’m not as scared as I thought I’d be, even though this is, quite literally, a war on my heart. Adam is stepping into the hidden parts I’ve kept locked away for years. He’s building shelves and making himself a room, making himself comfortable.
I should feel the loss of control more deeply.
But I don’t feel fear. It’s quite the opposite. I feel bolder, stronger for having found the courage to be honest. Even though I gave up my armor and broke down the walls, I don’t feel as if I’ve lost. Only that I’ve gained more than I could imagine.
Is that what love is?
I wrap my arms around Adam and give him a hug. He seems surprised by the embrace and I guess that’s fair. I spent seven years pumping the brakeshardevery time he so much as hinted at caring about me. Now, I’m like Lula tearing down the road, clunky and awkward but gunning at a hundred miles an hour.
I rise on my tiptoes, ready to latch onto his mouth and give him a proper kiss, when an explosion nearly rips my ears open. I yelp, cover my ears and look up. Brilliant colors are filling the sky.
“Oh, wow.” The gorgeous display sends me skittering back. Bright pinks, blues, greens and yellows dash across the horizon. They splash over the faint clouds and brush against twinkling stars.
The colors go dim again before another explosion breaks out and sends more streaks across the velvet night. It looks like jewels lighting up the sky.
“Is that…” I step out of Adam’s arms, my neck wound back and my chin up. “That’s my name! How is it doing that?”
