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My workers and I had busted our asses to get everything done, Melanie had gone above and beyond, and I’d begged for favors from everybody I could think of that could help make the coffee lounge grand opening a success. Screen printing, newspaper ads, word of mouth, social media advertising.
I figured, worst case scenario, she’d find out before the surprise, but I’d gotten lucky.
When she went upstairs, and I tried to reproduce the serenade scene fromSay Anything, I thought it would end with her in my arms, maybe laughing about me doing something goofy and romantic.
Instead, when she asked what I was doing and I told her I was wooing her, she looked happy but confused. “Is that your favorite song?”
I heard Sean bark with laughter somewhere below me. “She’s never seen the movie. Oh my God.”
I shouted up. “John Cusack?Say Anything? The iconic boombox serenade scene?”
Sav shook her head.
“You’ve really never seen it?”
“I guess not?”
I repeated Sean’s “oh my God” and put the boombox on the counter. I could only imagine how strange it all looked. I never even considered the possibility that she hadn’t seen the movie.
I took the steps up to her two at a time and took her by the shoulders. “I’d have serenaded you properly, but I was afraid that if I begged you to take me back after scaring you with my off-key screeching, it would run you off forever. And holy hell, Sav, we’re going to watch that movie on our next date. I think it’s illegal for someone your age to have never seen it.”
Her grin softened. “Our next date?”
To my relief, she wasn’t protesting. Instead, she looked at me with a dreamy expression on her face. I pulled her close. “Sav, I’m sorry. A thousand times, I’m sorry. I will do my best to never give you reason to doubt me again if you’ll give me another chance.”
She swallowed hard, and Sean’s voice echoed in my head.You’d better shoot your shot, Warner.
I cupped her face in my hands. “I’m so in love with you, Sav. Can you find it in your heart—”
Sav kissed me, her arms going around my neck. I held her tight and kissed her back, nearly sobbing with relief, until she leaned her face away from mine.
“I’ve missed you so much,” she whispered. “I’ve made so many mistakes . . . but I can’t stand being without you.”
“It makes me so happy to hear you say that.” I kissed her again, and when we parted, she put her hands on my chest.
“I know I hurt you when you asked me if I trusted you. I do, Chris. As much as I can trust anyone. It’s just . . . sometimes . . . I think about the past . . .”
“It’s okay, baby. Trust isn’t black and white. It’s earned. And if you take care of it, like a plant you water and feed, it grows. I should have known that, because I’ve had my trust betrayed before too. I didn’t think I’d ever be able to trust my heart with anyone again.”
I touched her beautiful face. “Loving you helped me realize I could. So if you have doubts, talk to me. We’ll figure it out together.”
Her cheeks were damp with tears I brushed away with my thumb.
“I love you, Chris.” Sav threw herself into my arms and kissed me again. I didn’t want to let go. The relief that she still wanted to be with me, thatshe loved me, made me feel almost drunk. I kissed her deeply, holding her close, trying to make up for the last several days when I couldn’t.
Until someone cleared his throat. I looked down to see Jackson and Sean, their hands behind their backs, while they looked everywhere but up at us.
“Ribbon cutting?” Jackson said.
“Right, right.” I took Sav by the hand and led her down the stairs and outside, where I had a couple of my guys stringing a wide red ribbon across the door that we had to duck under.
A nice crowd for a Saturday morning showed up for the little ceremony, with many people eager for a coffee and to be able to say they were there on the day the coffee lounge opened. Lots of people would be getting free coffees in the next month, and the hustle and bustle inside the store made Sav so happy.
One of my worker’s girlfriends worked part-time at a Starbucks, and I’d paid her to come in and help since it seemed like there’d be a pretty big demand for coffee. The second machine I’d purchased helped, too.
When the busiest time seemed to have passed, I stepped behind the bar with Sav. “Are you happy?”
“It’s amazing, Chris. Better than I’d hoped for.”
