Page 64 of Ardently Yours

Then I remember a word that almost stumped me this week during Word Search Wednesdays with the guys.

It was a word you don’t hear very often. A word that feels like it’s straight out of a classic novel.

The word was ardently.

That’s the word that pops into my mind now. Because when I think of Lizzie Bennet, a normal word wouldn’t suffice. My feelings for her are intense. Passionate. Like a conviction that’s been inside me all along, even when I tried to deny it.

“Ardently,” I say to her.

“What?” she asks, puzzled.

“I love you most ardently, Lizzie Bennet.”

I almost expect her to pull away from me. To tell me I’ve said too much too fast. But I say the words because I know they’re true.

I’ve loved her since the moment I met her, and I can’t deny it anymore.

“Most ardently?” she asks, looking at me with those big, beautiful brown eyes.

“Most ardently,” I say, confirming it. “I feel like I’ve been hiding my feelings for a while because we said we wouldn’t cross that line, but I can’t hide them anymore. I can’t pretend that I don’t care for you, Lizzie. I want to protect you, to hang out with you, to work with you, and to love you, if you’ll let me.”

“I guess you can say that I’m ardently yours.”

Her words are perfect. Cheeky. They seal the deal for me. And there we go, kissing again. But this time...she’s all mine for real.

Chapter Twenty-One

Lizzie

Istretch in bed, waking to Will’s scent. He isn’t beside me. His private suite is on the other side of the hall, while I’m staying in the guest suite.

But he let me borrow his old clothes. Wearing his big T-shirt and joggers makes me feel close to him. I smile as I sit up in bed.

My phone buzzes, but before I pick it up, I say, “Thank You, God, for waking me up this morning.”

Because I refuse to pick up my phone and get stressed out before I’ve had a chance to talk to God. When I pick up my phone, I see that I have lots of missed messages and calls. I’m not surprised.

I left in such a hurry last night that I didn’t get a chance to check in with anybody. First things first. I check the crew group chat because my girls have been blowing up my phone.

Their messages are a mix of: How is everything going? Please let us know you’re okay. Your family is kind of freaking out. What do you want us to tell them?

Me: Hey, girls. I am so sorry that I didn’t follow up last night. Will’s dad is in the hospital, and we’re staying at his family’s home in Chicago. I didn’t want to leave him here with everything going on, so I’m staying in the guest suite and really trying to be supportive. Not sure when I’ll be back, but can you two please put up a sign on the front door of the cafe saying closed for the day and sorry for the inconvenience?

Almost instantly, the replies start coming in. I double check the time and realize that it’s later than I thought. I don’t get to sleep in often because I’m always up early for the cafe, but it’s already 8:00 a.m., and the cafe is supposed to open at 9:00.

Hopefully now isn’t too late for them to put up the sign. I take a deep breath, realizing that my lack of planning has put them in a bit of a predicament. Just when I’m about to start stressing, thinking maybe I should rush back home, even though I’d be late getting there, just so I can still open the cafe, I read their replies.

Nic: No worries. I’m already at the bookstore, so I can get something typed up, print it for you, and head over there now.

Jane: And I can check in with Mr. Wolfsheim to let him know that the cafe will be closed for a bit.

Me: Yes, I think we’ll close it for the day, so please put that on the sign and let him know as well. Thank you both so much for your help. It’s been a little crazy, and Will and I stayed up late last night, so I’m trying to play catch up.

Nic: How is his dad doing?

Me: He had a heart attack. He was sleeping when we saw him at the hospital yesterday. Will’s mom seemed a little upset, but I met Will’s sister, and she was really nice. I’ll have to check in with Will today to see how his dad is doing, but from what it looked like, he wasn’t doing too well. On the bright side, Will and I stayed up late baking when we got back to his family’s house, and that seemed to lift his spirits a little.

Jane: Why were you up baking in the middle of the night?