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"I…don't understand."
He looks at me. "You read a ton of romance, right?"
"Yeah."
"I wanted to give you something like that, something like what you'd read in a romance novel."
My chest comes alive with butterflies, and I swoon. I freaking swoon. "Are you serious?"
He drops his head and nods.
"Branum, that is so sweet."
"I messed it up, though."
"No, you didn't… Okay, actually yes, you did. But it's okay. The idea is amazing."
"The execution, not so much."
"Hey. Stop beating yourself up about it. I thought I'd said or done something wrong, and that's why I asked. If I'd known you wanted to make the moment special, I would have happily waited. Trust me, I've waited my whole life to meet someone who doesn't run away the second they find out about me."
Branum frowns. "What do you mean?"
"Look at me. I'm a nerdy, neurodivergent librarian. My hair is fire-engine red. My eyes aren't the same color. I have these gross freckles all over my face. And I'm so tiny you could probably lift me up with one arm."
The line on Branum's forehead fades. "Why are you listing all the things I like about you?"
I tilt my head. "I can't tell if you're being serious or not."
"I'mserious." He moves closer and wraps his giant paw around my tiny-in-comparison fingers. "PJ. I've never met anyone like you. I love that you're nerdy and neurodivergent. It makes you smart and unique. I keep wanting to reach out and run my fingers through your hair. You have the most beautiful eyes I've ever seen. Your freckles aren't gross, they're fucking adorable. And I'm not mad about you being tiny, either. I like the idea of being able to pick you up."
I blink. "Wow."
Yep, that's all I've got, folks. Hey, at least I'm not goingreally?
"You intrigue me, and the more I discover about you, the more I want to learn. I've been beating myself up about my non-kiss mistake for days. I'm sorry I made you think it was about you. It wasn't. It's me." He plucks at his shirt. "I'm a simple guy. I don't know how to do romance."
"Is that why you're wearing cologne?"
"I bought the most expensive one I could find." He grimaces. "You don't like it?"
"No, no, it's…fine. It's just…not you."
"I was trying to impress you, like a leading man in a romance novel."
This. Guy.
"You don't have totryto impress me. Believe me, I'm all aboard the Branum train."
"So I haven't fucked things up?"
"You haven't." I lean over and stroke his thick beard. "Wow. This is so much softer than I thought it would be."
He smiles shyly. "I bought some fancy-ass beard oil, too."
"That can stay."
Our eyes meet, his smile grows.
