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“It needs to be here. Right here. Trust me.” Ethan opened up his wallet and pulled out a hundred, pressing it into the shocked grandmother’s hand. “Here you go. Sorry for the trouble. You’ve done your part for the course of true love today.”
“What? What true love?” The woman shuffled away and Ethan pressed Lauren down into the seat, making her sigh. “Ethan, I thought we’d finally reached an understanding. We’re great as friends, and I want—no, I need—you in my life, but not like that. I understand you’re a little infatuated with me, but it’ll pass. Really, I’m not even that hot.”
When she finally stopped talking, she realized Ethan was grinning down at her. “Confidence looks good on you, Bryant.”
She blinked, confused. “I don’t think I understand what’s happening.”
“No. That much is clear. But you will.”
“You’re being really weird—” A thud at the window had her whipping her head around and she turned to look, letting out a gasp.
She had to be seeing things.
An apparition.
An oasis in the desert, not unlike the image of water seeming to appear for those who were dying of thirst.
The most beautiful, wonderful man she’d ever seen, pressing himself against the glass with a handful of wildflowers in one fist and a picture in the other.
His daughter? Someone else? She didn’t know. Didn’t care.
Letting out a screech, she shoved the clipboard off her lap and ran to the window, pressing her hand against his on the glass like a complete moron.
Behind her, at least half the room started to say “aww” and clap.
Clearly, she’d decided to star in her own Hallmark moment. And damn it felt good, even if she didn’t have the foggiest clue what was happening.
“You know, there’s a door,” Ethan said drily. “As lovely as this display is, he can come in or you can go out.”
“Good point.” They must’ve gotten the same idea at the same time, because she charged to the door at the same instant West tucked away the picture in his jeans pocket and sprinted for it on his side. She yanked it open and he stared at her for all of ten seconds before threading his hand through her professional braid and wrecking it all to hell. “I can’t see the pink,” he whispered, pulling it apart.
“We’re in public. I have to wear clothes,” she whispered back a second before her mouth met his.
He was already laughing. “Not that pink,” he said between kisses. “Although fuck. Now I can’t concentrate.”
“Oh.” She flushed and touched the side of her head. “You mean my hair.”
“I’m more focused on the other right now, but yeah. Your hair. I like it down. I’m used to seeing it all wild and crazy over your shoulders.” He touched it, rubbing it between his fingers. “God, I’ve missed feeling it. And the smell. Christ.” He leaned in and took a long breath. “I can’t even go grocery shopping anymore without getting a boner in the produce section. Damn pineapples.”
She tipped back her head and laughed. It felt so good to laugh again. To have him against her, her flowers crushed between them.
Her flowers. Oh no.
She let out a yelp and stepped back, softly stroking their purple and white petals. “For me?” she asked. “They’re so beautiful. West, I didn’t need flowers.”
“Yes, you do. You absolutely need flowers. I need to take you on dates. And I need to do everything slow and right. I can’t screw this up, Lo, any more than I have already. You’re worth so much more.” He brushed his fingertips against her cheek as her eyes filled. “I’m worth it too. We deserve the fucking storybook romance, don’t you think?”
She grinned and leaned up on her tiptoes to press her mouth to his. “As long as the storybook romance includes lots of fucking.”
“Oh, no doubt. No doubt at all.” She took the flowers from him, holding them tight to her chest so he could cup her face in his hands. “Michael had his baby. I mean Chloe did. Hope. She’s beautiful. You have to come meet her.”
“Oh God, is she okay? Are they both okay? Yes, yes, I want to go. I’m sorry I missed everything.”
“Yes, they’re fine. They’re all fine. I’m sorry too, but much as I hated it, it was necessary for you to leave for me to get my head on straight. I’ve been so messed up for so long.” He hissed out a breath. “I didn’t even realize how much.”
“You’ve dealt with a lot.”
“So have you.” He stepped back and read the words on the window. “You can’t do this. You don’t want to live your life in a box. Me either. It might be weird to live on a bus. Hell, we might be weird, but we’re us.” He stared straight into her eyes and she saw so much more than she’d ever expected to see shining back at her.
