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Do I love Stone?
Sure, I care a lot about him, and he’s made this grand gesture by showing up here to prove to me how much he cares about me. I’ve only been in love twice in my life––the first time was with my high school boyfriend, and the second time was with Clint. When I think of how I felt both of those times, how do my feelings for Stone compare?
They don’t.
Even in the short amount of time I’ve known him, my feelings for Stone are already stronger than I’ve ever felt for another man. That must mean…
I take a deep breath. “I love you, too.”
His hand stops moving. He smiles, and I can’t help but smile, too. “You do?” he asks, his voice full of optimism.
I nod. “Yes, I do. I really do. Before everything happened last night, I knew what I felt for you is strong, but I thought it was too soon to admit it yet. I realize now, though, that I’ve never had such strong feelings before. You’re different, Stone. You and I are different. I love you.”
Stone doesn’t say a word. He just pulls me close and kisses me.
Several hours later, Stone and I sit to eat at Mo’s, a well-known seafood restaurant in town. After we got out of bed and dressed, we went for a walk along the beach. Then, we decided to go wine tasting at one of Seaside’s local tasting rooms, followed by a walk along the esplanade. It’s been a nice day, just enjoying each other’s company.
We look over the menu. Then, out of nowhere, Stone says, “Maybe I should buy a beach house.”
My eyes dart up to meet his. “What?” Is he talking about moving to Seaside?
He shrugs a shoulder. “I mean, I wouldn’t be opposed to having my own place over here. Then, I could visit anytime I want.”
“Okay… but you could always save a few hundred thousand dollars and stay with me when you visit, too.”
He laughs. “True. And I have no objections to that at all. But… Tacoma is far away. What if I want to see you more?”
Is he really considering this? Having a second house in Seaside just to be closer to me? “Are you being serious right now?”
“Am I scaring you?” he asks, cocking an eyebrow. “Am I moving too fast?”
“Well… I mean, kind of,” I reply honestly. “Don’t get me wrong––I want to spend more time with you and have you closer. You living in Seaside would definitely make things easier for us. But what if we break up? That’s a huge investment for you!”
He nods. “I completely agree with everything you said. But I’m willing to take the risk. I don’t want to be four hours away from you all the time. Sure, I’ll still live in Tacoma part of the time, but having a beach house would be an awesome investment. If we break up, I’ll turn it into an Airbnb.”
He winks, and I laugh. “It sounds like you’ve already thought this through.”
“I actually have, and not just today. I thought about it over the past several days. When I drove back to Tacoma last week, the drive seemed to take forever! I thought it would be a great investment to find a beach house of my own. Of course,you’rehere, but just having a beach house to escape to would be awesome, you know? I love the beach… I love you… You’re here at the beach, so I should be here as often as I can, too. I mean, I’m lucky to do what I do, and I can work from anywhere. It’s not like I have a job holding me down in Tacoma full time.”
Smiling, I reply, “Okay, then. Let’s find you a beach house!”
He reaches across the table and takes my hand in his.
As crazy as it sounds for all of this to be happening––for our relationship to be progressing at the speed of light––everything feels completely right. I’m at ease with Stone. He makes me feel wanted and loved. As corny and cliché as it sounds, I feel as if I’ve found my other half.
Four days later…
Stone’s visit to Seaside was a short one. He had to fly to New York on Thursday for another book signing, so he drove back to Tacoma Wednesday night. It’s now Saturday. We’ve texted each other multiple times each day, as well as talk on the phone each night. I miss him and can’t wait for him to get back. He’s planning to drive back here on Monday, since his flight gets into Seattle late Sunday night.
I’m helping Anni with a wedding cake today. She needed an extra hand since her family took ontwoweddings scheduled for today. She’s in charge of one of them, and she asked for my assistance, which I was happy to do.
The cake we’re working on is fairly simple with only two tiers, but the clients want elaborate flower decorations, which is what I’m helping Anni with. I’ll also help her deliver the cake to the venue since she doesn’t like to do that all by herself. She worries about accidentally dropping the cake.
As we’re working together in her bakery, I tell her everything going on with Stone. We haven’t talked much lately, so I have a lot to fill her in on. When I get to the part about him telling me he loves me, she stops what she’s doing and looks at me in disbelief.
“Are you serious? What did you say?”
Shrugging a shoulder, I reply, “At first, I didn’t know what to say. But the more I thought about it, I realized that I love him, too.”
