Page 90 of Can’t Say No

Connor finally meets my gaze and he wordlessly opens his arms wide. I step into his embrace in an instant. It’s only been two weeks, but I’ve missed his touch more than I thought possible. And more than that, I missed the unconditional love he’s always given me.

Because heaven knows I wouldn’t be so quick to utter the words he speaks over me like a blessing:

“I’ve missed you.”

We stand intertwined, melting into each other, until Connor pulls back and takes my hand. He guides us through the foyer and into the living room, where we settle onto one of the well-worn couches in his living room.

Every inch of this place feels familiar, feels right. I can’t believe I ever thought I could leave when Ridgecrest holds so much of my heart.

He smiles that devastating smile that I love so much, the one that makes my heart race. “I’m so glad you’re back. But we really need to figure out how the hell we’re gonna make this work.”

A sly smile spreads across my face.

“I was hoping you’d say that.”

35

CONNOR

My Delaney came back.

And fuck, if I don’t feel like the luckiest man in this whole damn town. Maybe I should still be angry, maybe I should still be clinging to the hurt that she caused. But I’m having a hard time feeling anything other than the overwhelming happiness that she came back.

Delaney clears her throat as we settle side by side on my couch, twisting her hair up into a messy bun.

“I was scared to stay because I didn’t know what would happen if I walked away from who I was in L.A. My career had become… a runaway train that I didn’t know how to get off of. But it felt impossible to do anything else.”

There’s so much sadness in her voice, and a flicker of the shame I’d seen on her face earlier.

“I didn’t want to leave,” she continues, “But I didn’t know how to stay.”

She swipes open her phone, and a sly smile creeps onto her face. “But now I do.”

She passes the phone my way and I stare at it for a moment, trying to make sense of the series of slides on her screen.

The title reads: The Orchard, a Sanctuary for Young Artists.

“Delaney, what is this?”

Her smile continues to grow. “It’s a business proposal.”

She gives me a moment to look through the slides. This thing is thorough, and some of the jargon is honestly over my head. I look back over at her, and she’s practically vibrating with excitement.

“How would you feel if I bought out your dad’s portion of the orchard and you and I built something amazing together? A retreat for young musicians and artists, up-and-comers, a place to guide them and help them find their voice. It was something that I desperately needed when I was starting out.”

I’m stunned into silence.

“Lanie baby, that’s…” I look down at the screen again, then back at her. “That’s an incredible idea.”

She continues on.

“Working with the kids at Ridgecrest, I realized how much I like helping. So really, this is a self-indulgent project.”

She laughs a little at that.

“I know, I’m kind of a selfish bitch.”

“Lanie, no you’re not,” I interrupt.