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I press my hands to my chest. Lucas has the world’s biggest heart, always looking out for others. I bask in his prideful grin. He’s a special man.
The twinkle in his eyes continues to sparkle. There’s more. I take a deep breath and prepare.
His palm lands on the top of my hand. “Before I came over just now, I sent an email to the consulting company back east. I accepted their offer.”
I nod. It’s the job he is made for. It’s the one he wanted. The one he deserves. “I’m happy for you, Lucas. You are going to crush it there.” I wish my voice carried the joy he deserves to hear from a best friend, but it’s the best I can muster after visions of having him home full-time still fill my heart. This isn’t a homecoming; it’s just another pit stop for him. “How long do we have you?”
His hand lands on my knee, a gentle squeeze. “The rest of our lives.”
I’m confused by his answer.
“I negotiated eighty percent remote work. I’ll only have to travel one week per month. I told them I have a Mesa girl who has been waiting for me for too long. Her patience has worn out.”
I barely capture his golden smile as he shakes his head. “When I left Mesa before I thought I needed to see the world. I thought I needed to see all the goodness, beauty, and treasures the world had to offer. Do you know what I discovered?”
I lean onto the tips of my toes, my lips parting, waiting for his reveal.
“I realized I had seen my best friend toss her head back and snort out an uncontrollable laugh after sharing an inappropriate joke.” His finger lands on my thigh, his pinkie slipping underneath the edge of my shorts. “I had seen you in cut off jeans and an orange tank top climb a boulder on a ninety-five-degree day.”
I clamp my lips together as butterflies swarm in my stomach.
“I had felt the woman of my dreams brush past me for no reason in a hallway wide enough for it not to happen.” He twists slightly and places his hands on his lap, palms up and my hands slip into his without thought.
“I had tasted you on my lips one time, a memory that still echoes in my heart. There will never be a reason to ever leave again because anything in the world I had ever thought I would need is here with you. You are my world, Adrienne.”
I can’t believe my ears. I leap at him, climbing on top of him.
I straddle him and shove his broad shoulders, my hair dropping into his face. His loud chuckle echoes off the walls His hands land on my rear, no hesitation, no pretense this time. He flips me, my shoulders knocking the pillows off the bed.
“I love you, Mesa girl,” he says and presses his lips to mine.
Breathless groans escape, and I’m not sure if they are mine or his. It doesn’t matter, for we are one. “I love you, Lucas. I’ve always loved you. I always will love you.”
He pushes a tendril of hair from my face, his penetrating eyes stern and focused on me. “I’m here. I’m home. I’m yours.”
We share kisses in waves. Warm waves of love that take us out far into a world we’ve only dared to dream about. We have years to make up for, yet we don’t rush. Our kisses last more than seven minutes.
We lose track of time. It no longer has any meaning. Not when you hold the one you love.
My hands fist on the edge of his T-shirt and pull on it, lifting it up. His brow lifts with an are you sure look of respect and kindness.
I nod and push up, placing a kiss on his incredible abs. He tosses the shirt across the room and leans down to steal another kiss.
We both pause and cherish the moment. Everything is about to change for us, and we can’t wait. I give him one final kiss and nod, offering him the permission he seeks.
“It’s time.”
The End
