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“I shouldn’t have said that,” he told her. “You were right. It wasn’t fair. I was overly emotional and under slept—”
“But that’s okay. Because I love you when you’re overly emotional. I love you when you haven’t slept. I love you when you care so much that you say all the things I’ve been too afraid to say. I love you, Cole, and not only by half. I love you with my whole entire heart.”
“Mira,” he whispered harshly, eating the remaining distance between them to take her face between his hands, pull her close, and kiss her. And,god, she’d missed his lips, his strong fingers, his warm body against hers.
“I love you,” she said again between kisses, grasping the back of his shirt, her wish crumpling in her hand as she breathed in sunshine. “I love you so much I had to get my throat looked at.”
He tried to say something. Probably “What’s that?” But she kissed him again before he could, and he kissed her back, so deeply the world around them went silent, still. Until Ian grumbled, “Get a room,” walking hand in hand with Brendan up the sidewalk toward the bakery.
“Hey, Ian,” Cole said with a nod in her son’s direction. “Thanks for not blowing my cover.”
Ian nodded back, hiding a half smile before disappearing inside.
“He saw me when I first got here,” Cole explained at her quizzical expression, taking her hands in his. “I thought I might have to bribe him to keep quiet, but he’s a good kid.” He turned her right hand over, noticing the crumpled bit of paper in her palm. “What’s this?”
Giving him the paper, she watched him unfold it, smooth it out, read the words she’d written. “He will know how much I love him.”
“Ever since I was a kid,” she said, brushing her fingers over his cheek. “I’ve burned all my wishes. But I didn’t burn this one, because it’s for us. And I was going to make it come true no matter—”
Now it was his lips doing the interrupting, his tongue silencing hers while his hands cupped her face, her wish pressed between his palm and her cheek.
“Come with me,” he said after he broke their kiss. “I have something to show you.”
Taking her hand and leading her across the street to the storefront that used to be a laundromat, he pulled a set of keys out of his back pocket. Sliding the key into the lock, he turned the knob, pushed the door open, and said, “Welcome to Trax Montana.”
“Trax what?” she asked, stumbling over the front step.
“Montana,” he repeated, reaching out for her elbow, steadying her. “This is my new studio.”
Taking in the empty space, the plain white walls, the bare hardwood floors, the fantastic windows, she said, “Are you renting this or—”
“I bought it. Three days ago.”
“You…bought it?” Pinpricks of light danced through her vision, everything around her growing still, more vibrant. Every detail of the space, of Cole standing in it, his hair a little messy, jeans hanging low on his hips, white V-neck barely tucked in on one side, so clear in her mind she knew she’d remember this moment forever. “You bought this store, right across from mine?”
“Mm-hmm,” he answered calmly, running his finger through the dust along the front windowsill. “Needs some love, but it’s pretty sweet, don’t you think?” When he finally turned to face her, when his lips quirked, she silently expressed her deepest and most heartfelt gratitude for whatever force in their random universe ushered him through her bakery door, into her life, her heart. “Someone once told me there wasn’t anywhere in Red Falls for kids to take music lessons. And I thought that was a real shame. The arts are important to a community, Mira.”
“But what about your studio in Seattle?”
“Sold it to Benji, most of it anyway. I’m still part owner until he’s ready to buy me out all the way. But it’s what he’s always wanted.”
“What about Becks?” she asked. “And Ruby?”
“It’s okay, sugar,” he said softly, probably sensing her growing distress. “I gave Becks the house, and part of the studio deal was monthly use of Benji’s jet. Someone needs to teach that man how to negotiate.”
She wanted to laugh, but her brain was too busy trying to spiral in chaotic circles. “What about your boat? Your sailing. There’s no ocean in Montana.”
“Really?” he said, feigning confusion. “Huh, shoot.”
“Cole, be serious. You love your boat.”
“There might not be an ocean, but there are a lot of lakes. I’ll either leave her in Seattle or bring her here. Haven’t given it too much thought.” Taking a step toward her, he said, “To be honest, there’s only one thing I’ve given most of my thoughts to.”
She brought her hand to her throat, expecting that same painful lump when she swallowed. Only this time, it wasn’t there. “What’s that?”
His eyes glittered as he slid an arm around her back and tugged. “What kind of twinkly lights I should get for you upstairs in my bedroom.”
“You’d live over here, too? Right across the street?”
