“Like what?” I say,confused.
Livi shrugs. “Idon’t know. I don’t think it’s a big deal, but he told me to send you overafter work.”
“Okay, I’ll go seehim then I’ll meet you at your house. Cool?”
Livi nods. “Surething.”
The traffic isalways worse at this time of day when everyone gets off work. It takes me a fewminutes before I can safely jog across Main Street to Mason’s motorcycle shop.The sign on the door says closed, but I walk inside anyway. I’m related to theowner so the rules don’t apply to me.
The store is empty,and not even Travis is hanging around like usual. “Mason!” I call out as I makemy way toward the door in the back that leads out to the shop. “Mason! I’mcoming into the forbidden employees’ only zone!” I say, which is a joke becausehe used to tell me to stay out of here when I was a teenager. I always thoughthe was afraid I’d get hurt on the tools or something, but I found out muchlater that the mechanics who used to work here when we were in high school allhad a crush on me. He was saving me from guys he thought weren’t good enoughfor me.
I slip through theplastic swinging door and step into the shop, which is eerily silent now thateveryone has gone home. The rock music that usually plays is off, and there’sno more sounds of tools clanking together or motorcycles starting up.
“Mason?” I call outonce more. I walk up to a motorcycle that’s raised up on a lift. It’s shinyblack with pink pinstripes and I find myself thinking that if I ever got amotorcycle, I’d want pink pinstripes like these.
“Alexa.”
A chill runs up myspine. I turn around to face the voice. My breath catches in my throat, and I’msurprised even though I’d recognize his voice anywhere. It’s Gabe. Standingright here in front of me. Livi has the world’s best poker face. She knew allthis time that he was here and she played it cool to get me over here. I couldkill her. And hug her.
I’ve never beenmore excited in my life, and yet over all of the crazy amazing thoughts runningthrough me, I blurt out something stupid. “Where’s Mason?”
“He left,” Gabesays, taking one slow step toward me. “He said you know the lock code so we canlock the doors when we’re done.”
“Done?” I say. Whatexactly are we supposed to do in here? Tune up some motorcycles? I swallow, andGabe takes another step, closing the gap between us even further. Now we’rejust a few steps apart.
“I hope it’s okaythat I came here,” he says, his eyes watching mine so intently that I forget tobreathe. “I don’t know if your Facebook post was meant for me, but—”
“It was,” I say.“It was just for you, and no one else.” I want to apologize for Lee and explainthat it was all wrong and stupid and I never even wanted to have coffee withthat guy instead of Gabe. But my voice isn’t catching up with my brain rightnow. Maybe it’s because of how handsome Gabe looks against the backdrop of apegboard filled with Mason’s tools. Maybe it’s that amazing smell of hiscologne, the smell that lingered on my clothing long after I’d left him in hishotel that morning.
Maybe it’s because he’staking one more step toward me.
“I’m so glad you’rehere,” I say, my voice barely a whisper.
A slight grin tugsat his lips. He takes a step closer, and I do, too, finally closing all thespace between us. His arms part and I slip inside of them, feeling every nerveending in my body relax when his warm hands embrace me.
Gabe’s lips comedown to mine, and I tip my head back to meet them. Our kiss is soft at first,careful as it tiptoes over the fragments of our last time together. My mouthknows what to do on his, and soon our lips part and our tongues dance and I canbreathe him in, exactly the way I’ve been wanting to every single night since Isaw him last. We lose no time together, our bodies knowing exactly how we meltperfectly into each other. My hands tangle in his hair, and his beard ticklesmy neck as he kisses a trail from my ear to my collarbone, his hands holdingtightly to me as I turn to a puddle in his arms.
“This feels real,”he whispers against my hair. “You’re not a fling. You’re real.”
I nod, unable tospeak. I just wrap myself closer against his chest and revel in the feel of hisfingers sliding through my hair. “Go out with me,” he says.
I lift up and lookat him. “When?”
“Now.” He grins.
“I’m dressed like abaker,” I say, glancing down at my outfit of old jeans and a Sweets Bakery poloshirt.
He kisses myforehead, then slides his hands into the back pockets of my jeans. “I happen tolove bakers.”
Chapter 20
I reach for Alexa’shand and she laces her fingers through mine without a second thought. Shesmiles up at me and my whole world rights itself. This is how my life issupposed to be. Me and her. That smile and those eyes looking up at me, always.
We leave themotorcycle shop and Alexa locks the doors with her special code like Mason saidshe would. I’d thought it was crazy when he said he’d go home and let me waithere for her. He must have really trusted me to leave a total stranger in hisshop alone. Maybe he just trusts Alexa.
“I’ll drive,” Isay, leading Alexa down the road to where I’ve parked.
“This is not the kindof car I would have pictured you driving,” Alexa says.
