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Clicking on the login button for her Insta account was the last thing she needed to be doing, but her fingers moved across the trackpad almost of their own accord. Her thirst account popped open, showing photo after photo of Carter on the set, doing interviews, and out living his life. It was a bittersweet punch to the gut because while she didn’t want to let go, she knew that she had to move forward. She’d had her chance and she’d fucked it up. The best thing she could do now was hit the delete button.
Her hand hovering over the trackpad, she took one last lingering look and that’s when she noticed the new posts. That was wrong. There shouldn’t be anything new since she’d deleted the post that had almost outed Carter on the cruise. Adrenaline made her hands shake as she clicked on the posts, enlarging the photos. They were casual shots, the kind of fun-in-the-sun photos that the ship’s official photographers had been snapping throughout the cruise. In the first pic, Carter had his face to the camera as he smiled at Aubrey who had her back to the camera. In the next, they were on the private island shopping in the souvenir huts and once again only Carter could be identified. The final picture was of her standing behind him, blocked by his body, as she reached around and taught him how to play shuffleboard. She hadn’t put these up. She didn’t even know where they’d come from.
Heart hammering against her ribs, she clicked on each post, trying to figure out who had gotten into her account and posted them. Even though she knew she’d never see Carter again, she couldn’t stand having him think she’d done it again. The bell on the bakery door jingled as panic gripped her lungs tight.
“Crullers on the counter, gentleman,” she said as she glanced up, expecting to see the rest of the coffee klatch.
But there in the middle of the bakery was Carter. He’d shaved off his scruff and had ditched the ridiculous Iowa farm boy on a cruise clothes but it was him. Aubrey couldn’t breathe. She couldn’t think. Seeing him in person was the best worst thing that could have happened and she had no idea what to do.
“I didn’t come for a donut,” he said closing the distance between them. “I came for you.”
Carter hadn’t planned beyond finding Aubrey and apologizing. He definitely should have done that because now he was just standing here like a dumbass, inwardly cringing that he’d just said he wasn’t here for a donut.
For.
A.
Donut.
“Aubrey.” He let the door fall closed behind him and started toward her, having to shove his hands into his pockets so he didn’t reach out and pull her into his arms when she probably was ready to deck him.
“Don’t look!” Eyes wide, she slammed her laptop closed but not before he spotted the photos on it. “It’s not what you think. I have no idea who—”
“I did it.” That had been the first part of his plan. “I contacted the cruise ship people and bought every photo their photographers took on the cruise.” Unable to stop himself, he crossed to her, needing to at least be close to her even if this might be the last time he saw her. “Then, I went through and looked for any that had us in the background or the casual shots we hadn’t realized people were taking. I cropped them down so you weren’t recognizable because I didn’t want to out you as the woman I fell for without your permission.” The need to protect her from some of his more aggressive fans had been instinctual and visceral. “My brother Byron knows someone who knows someone who owed someone else a favor and that’s how I hacked your IG feed.”
“Why?”
“Because it was the only way I knew to show you that I’d lied that night.” Oh fuck it. He reached out, cupping her face with his hands. “What’s between us, it means something, it’s special.” He sucked in a shaky breath, everything was riding on this moment. “Aubrey, I’m sorry I was an asshole.”
“Language young man,” one of the old men in the corner table called out.
“Earl,” another one said. “They’re adults and you worked construction for fifty years. I’ve heard you say worse on poker nights. Relax already.”
Aubrey looked over at the four men sitting at a table in the corner, watching unabashedly as they drank their coffee. Then, she grabbed his hand and pulled him into a storage closet so small there was barely enough room for the two at the same time. But he wasn’t about to let her go, not now that he was face to face with Aubrey again. To say he was enjoying the close confines would have been the understatement of the century.
“What are you doing in Salvation?” she asked, her hands fluttering across his chest as if she couldn’t help but touch him either.
“Begging for you to forgive me.” He took her hands, holding them to his chest above his heart. “I messed up. I should have listened to you when you tried to tell me you were the one behind the post.”
“I should have insisted that you listen,” she said, her gaze going hazy as she licked her full lips. “I just kept getting distracted.”
“Because I kept kissing you.” And he did it again, pressing his lips to hers and making every promise he’d do whatever it took to keep. “I promise to make up for it—for all of it.”
“How are you going to do that?”
Ideas? Oh yeah, he had lots. “Do you have anywhere with more room than this storage closet?”
She grinned up at him, reaching behind her for the closet door. “I live right above the bakery.”
“I’m starting to love small towns.” So much so that he was already making a mental note to have Byron check out farms for sale in the area. Other actors had places in Idaho or Montana, Salvation might just be even better.
“Me too.” She opened the door and they spilled out of the closet. “Mr. Lucas,” Aubrey said as they hurried hand in hand through the bakery toward the front door. “Please change the sign to Closed when y’all leave.”
“Where are you two going?” The old guy who’d called out Earl asked.
Neither of them answered, they were already all but sprinting out the door.
They made it up the stairs attached to the side of the bakery in record time. She’d never been so happy to live in a small town where no one locked their doors more in her life because that meant no fumbling for keys. Instead, she threw open the door and dragged Carter inside. She was ready to head straight for her bedroom, but he had other plans. Tugging her in close, he gave her a hot, brief kiss before swapping their positions so her back was to the closed door.
