I can’t help my automatic skepticism. “You do a little.”
He tilts his head to the side, accepting my clarification. “I do a little. I still need time alone now and then. But I think you’re right about Harry’s note. All this time, I’ve thought it was a criticism of my life. Maybe it was, on one level. But it was encouragement, too. To work out what I wanted for my future and go after it. And I think I finally have.”
He stares at me the way an astronomer watches the night sky.
“What do you want?” I whisper. I have a guess, but I really want to hear it.
“I want you, firefly.”
That deserves another kiss. More. All of the kisses.
When I finally pull back, I flash him a smirk. “And here I thought you liked blondes.”
He exhales a laugh, his fingers flexing on my waist. “It’s always been brunettes for me.” His hands skim up my sides until he’s cradling my face. “But the minute you walked through the coffee shop’s doors, every other woman disappeared.”
I go still, my smirk likely transforming into light shock. “That long?”
He strokes his thumbs over my cheekbones. “That long.”
Obviously, I have to kiss him some more.
After several delectable minutes, I draw away again. “I set some boundaries with my parents today. I told them I don’t want so much advice and criticism anymore. And that they need to move out of the house.”
His smile is like a little sunburst in my heart. “How did they take it?”
I slide my hands over his shoulders, shrugging my own. “About as well as you’d expect. They don’t understand, but they want to try.”
“I’m proud of you.”
“I’m proud of me, too.” I lean in for another quick kiss. Now that the floodgates have opened, I’m not sure I’m capable of stopping. “Are you sure you want to give me the coffee shop? I could just be the manager or something.”
Even that feels like a big step. But actually owning it? Seems unreal.
“That’s what I want.” He sifts his fingers through my hair, my nerve-endings humming on every pass. “I want to give you so many things.”
Go into detail, my big-hearted gargoyle.
“Maybe you should stay and tell me about all of them.”
His gaze heats, his irises almost winking out of existence. “I’ll stay as long as you want me.”
My smirk must be massive. “I want you for a good long while.”
epilogue
REED
Two monthslater
Perk Me Up has become my worst nightmare. In the best way.
It’s never been this crowded, with more people standing around making conversation than ones taking up the full tables. Every time I move, I rub elbows with townies wanting to chat. The back of my neck itches, and if I didn’t have a reason to stay, I’d already be gone. But everyone’s here after hours to celebrate Rose. I didn’t know “Under New Management” parties were a thing, but nobody deserves it more.
Fran sidles up to me, tugging Nora along behind her. “It must be tough not working next to your ladylove day in and day out anymore.”
She makes a show of looking across the room to where my gaze is stuck. Rose moves among the well-wishers, accepting congratulations on the shop’s successful change of hands. Paperwork’s still going through the legal process, but she’s had control of the place since I offered it to her.
First thing on her agenda was a fresh coat of paint. She chose something called “Dreamsicle,” an orange so pale it’s almost neutral. But it brightens up the place, complementing the white subway tile behind the counter and the dark wood throughout the rest of the space. Makes me think of sunrise and a new day dawning.
