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“Like a whole lot,” he said like it was an apology. “Like I’m kind of obsessed with you. I’ve tried to talk myself out of it. Clearly, I’ve failed.”
She pressed her lips together, not sure whether she was going to cry or laugh. “Jasper Deares, I think you just beat Cal on the romantic speech.”
He smiled, as unsure of himself as she’d ever seen him. “Yeah?”
“Yes. God. Stop looking like your puppy died. I want to be with you. You want to be with me. That’s…pretty fucking wonderful.”
His mouth hitched at one corner, some light coming into his eyes. “Yeah, it is, isn’t it?”
“It’s the literal best.” She shifted, tucking her legs under her, and put her hands on his shoulders. “You know what we need to do?”
He lifted his brows, some of that Jasper playfulness coming back in his expression. “Kiss to seal the deal? Make sweet, dirty love on the picnic blanket?”
She laughed. “Yes to the first. Only if we move the blanket indoors on the second. But what I was going to say is we need to stop thinking of ourselves as bad choices. You know what I see when I look at you?”
He wrapped his arms around her waist and guided her to straddle his lap, her dress fanning out around them. “A hot piece of ass?”
She grinned. “Obviously. But I also see a smart, talented guy who’s working his butt off for his dream. I see a guy who is kind to his friends and honest with me. I see a guy who wanted to help a stranger at work when he saw she was struggling. I’m not looking for someone to beef up my bank account. Or someone who has it completely together. Lord knows I don’t have it completely together. I’m looking for someone who I can have fun with on the journey to figure all that stuff out. A travel companion. Not a tour guide who already knows all the answers. How boring would that be? I want the man, not the résumé.”
His expression softened. “See? This is what I’m talking about.”
“What?”
He pushed her hair behind her ears. “How am I supposed to not fall for you when you say stuff like that? I’ve got no shot.”
A warm, sweet feeling filled her chest. She tipped up her chin. “I apologize for being completely irresistible.”
He smiled. “Narcissist”
She touched her nose to his. “I learned from the best.”
His hand slid to the back of her neck, gripping her there. “Ready to do this? For real this time?”
She lowered her head to his, her lips hovering over his. “Once more, with feeling.”
“Hollyn and Jasper, sittin’ beneath a tree, K-I-S-S-I—”
She kissed him before he could finish, sweet and soft at first and then deepening it when he threaded his hands in her hair. The whisper of the leaves, the children laughing in the background, the birds singing—all of it faded into the background—as they lost themselves to the kiss, no rules between them this time.
Just feelings.
And hope.
A new beginning.
