We stared at each other. I knew where she stood with the studio. Despite the fact that everything seemed to be coming together, the idea of pulling the trigger still terrified her. Actually saying the words aloud. Telling her parents. Telling her boss. Committing to moving forward.
But I had a plan.
“I was going to wait until we were alone,” I said, pulling Delaney toward me so she stood between my legs. “But I’ve been thinking about it all day.”
“The usual?” Beck asked Delaney from behind me.
“Yes, please.”
I never took my eyes from her. Hair up in a pony, her cheeks flushed red from the cold still, she looked adorable. And tired.
“Thinking about what?”
It was a huge step. Agreeing to be exclusive was one thing. Saying “I love you” another. But this… it was a risk to ask. Just thinking about that night in Manhattan and the drive back to Cedar Falls, not knowing where we stood exactly, told me all I needed to know.
I loved her. Wanted to be with her. End of story.
“I know you’ll need room for storage and a workshop, in addition to the front room for classes, but there’s an upstairs to the wine bar building too. If I had a room that could be turned into an office, a home base for the construction company, we could split the rent. It’ll be less of a risk for you, especially as you build the business.”
I managed to shock her. If it was in a good way, or a bad way, I couldn’t quite tell.
“Are you serious?”
“Very. I talked to Mason about it, and he agrees I’ll need a space. At first we talked about using a spare room at the inn, but that would be temporary anyway. This is a more permanent solution.”
“There are two back rooms on the ground floor. You could take the bigger one. I’d use the other as a workshop and upstairs for storage. Of course”—Delaney talked quickly, her hands animated—“you would only be taking one room, so you would only pay a portion of the lease.”
“No.”
“No?”
“Half or nothing.”
Delaney cocked her head to the side. “Now why would you pay half if you only took one room?”
“Because according to my new stepmother”—the word was getting easier to say, but still grated—“I’m a prime candidate for the size loan I need. With one job, I’d be set for six months. The profit margins with log cabin homes are insane. It will all work out. I know it. Paying half of the lease will be a drop in the bucket.”
A band started playing at the other end of the bar, exactly why I’d planned to wait until later to ask her. But I hadn’t been able to help it.
“You’d be seeing a lot of me.”
“Another good reason to do it.”
“You’re serious?” she asked, smiling from ear to ear. I loved seeing Delaney so happy.
“One hundred percent.”
“Then I am 100 percent in.”
Grabbing her, I pulled Delaney into me, kissing her. Holding her. Forgetting that we weren’t alone until Beck yelled to us, “Get a room, you two.”
Delaney immediately pulled back, laughing. We spun around, and I patted the stool next to me. She sat and pulled her vodka soda toward her.
“Are Mason and Pia coming tonight?” I asked Beck, not having talked to him.
“I’m not sure.”
“I haven’t talked to her,” Delaney said.
