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“There were times I didn’t give you a real reason to. I thought I was doing what you wanted, so I kept my mouth shut when I should have been telling you I didn’t want to be without you. Not now, not ever. Can I come with you to California?”
“Sure, but …”
Fear flashed behind his eyes. “But …”
“Mom had a thought that I wonder … I wonder if Olivia would let me work from here? Because I don’t want to leave. This … this is our place, our home. Doesn’t feel right to go anywhere else, does it?”
His arms flexed in his surprise, bringing me closer. “Do you think she’d …”
“I can ask.”
“And we could stay?”
I nodded. “We could stay. Even if she says no, we could stay.”
“But your business. Your dream.”
“Dreams change. Now I know what I want more than anything is you.”
“Kiss her, dummy!” Somebody who sounded a lot like Bettie said from below.
We laughed in their direction, then in each other’s.
“Better not keep them waiting,” he said against my lips.
“Been waiting long enough.”
His flickering smile faded as his lips connected with mine. A breath, and what was a brush of lips became a seam.
I couldn’t hear the cheering over the beat of my heart, over the searing brand that kiss left on me.
But he didn’t need a brand.
I’d been his, always.
And I always would be.
30
Can't Help Falling In Love
SEBASTIAN
The last few days felt like a never-ending party.
Presley’s crashed goodbye party led into a big celebration at the park the next day—which had only been heckled by yellow shirts a little bit—which brought us to today, Abuela’s ninetieth birthday party.
She’d made us promise not to make it a surprise party so she could have a shot at a ninety-first birthday.
As far as I was concerned, the party could keep on going. Because I was the happiest man on God’s green earth, and celebrating felt like the only thing to do.
Presley and I had tucked ourselves in a corner on the fringes of the party where we could still watch Priscilla but didn’t have to converse with anyone in passing. We much preferred to talk to each other.
“I still think the Victorian with the wraparound porch is the winner,” I said.
“I know, but what if Sylvia won’t sell it to us? She’s a yellow shirt, and I’m pretty sure she knows we’re blues.”
“Abuela said she’d handle it.”
One of her brows rose. “Should I be worried?”
“Only for Sylvia. Either Abuela has something on her, or she’ll bribe Sylvia with carnitas. Either way, if Abuela says she’s on it, we can probably take it to the bank.”
She laughed, leaning into me as we looked out over the party. “You don’t think it’s too soon to move in together, right?”
“I’ve been waiting for you forever, and I won’t wait another day. Anyway, the way I see it, we’ve paid our dues. Plus, we already told Cilla, and I don’t think she’ll take no for an answer. She’s decided we’re gonna be together forever, so that’s that. It’s been decreed.”
“Good thing we have her to tell us what to do.”
“It’s nice not having to make decisions, isn’t it?”
“If only we could get her to pay rent. Stupid child labor laws.”
I chuckled, finding Priscilla in the crowd. She was dragging Daisy around to talk to everyone who would listen about the roly-poly she’d found near death in a concrete seam of the patio.
“We could always take her on the road. She’s entertaining, that’s for sure,” Presley said.
“Takes after her mom.”
“They’re gonna miss me at Bettie’s. Aggie and I had a whole ‘Shake, Rattle, and Roll’ bit that was really raking in the dough.”
“Guess you’ll have to save it for karaoke.”
We fell into comfortable, contemplative silence for a moment, and my mind wandered across the now-waning summer and all the changes it’d brought. Coming home. Being a father. Finding my way back to Presley. The axis of my world had shifted, its center point right here in Lindenbach where my family lived. My family. My child. My Presley.
Someday, I’d marry this girl. Someday soon, I hoped.
The newspapers had gone ballistic with Mitchell’s Goody’s scandal, but only turned on him for a hot second before he got his hooks back in them with his donor money. The town was now divided so deeply, I didn’t know how we’d ever stitch ourselves back together. Change was coming, whether it was a new mayor or a new city council, we didn’t know. A couple people suggested I run for mayor, but that wasn’t where I wanted to be. I wanted my boots on the ground, not in an office pushing legislation. It’d be a job better suited for Evan, though he got the same look on his face I figured I did whenever somebody suggested it.
Everyone wanted to know who the rat was—who’d turned on Mitchell? He claimed he was hacked, but I knew better.
