Total pages in book: 59
Estimated words: 54852 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 274(@200wpm)___ 219(@250wpm)___ 183(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 54852 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 274(@200wpm)___ 219(@250wpm)___ 183(@300wpm)
Taking his hand, I stroked his palm. “I like my store. I like working with my mother. I like my employees. I like the slower pace of life here. And I like you. A lot. I want to stay.”
“I’d like that.” He offered me a tentative smile that wasn’t his usual cocky grin but was all the sweeter for it. “And you can’t make guarantees about your health. I’m okay with that fact, so I need to get okay with other uncertainties.”
“Exactly.” I stopped playing with his hand and squeezed it tight. “There are no guarantees. You told me that. But I’m planning my birthday party. In Vermont. At the wine bar, and I want you to be there. I am staying. I need you to not always assume the worst. If I screw up again, you can’t leap to the conclusion I’m leaving or pining for my old life.”
“You’re right. I wasn’t being fair.” Finn squeezed my hand back. “You should be able to go somewhere without me making assumptions. I could simply ask you.”
“Yes. But I still should have told you about today’s trip.” I hadn’t needed my mom’s opinion to know I’d been letting my fears steer the ship. Yeah, I’d tried to frame it as protecting Finn, but really, I’d been protecting me, and that hadn’t been fair to either of us.
“Yeah, you should have.” Exhaling hard, Finn quirked his mouth. “And I know the farm takes a lot of time and energy, but I do have space for you. I’ll make the room. I want you in my life, even if that means more juggling.”
“Good. And you can work on trusting me there too—I know you need to juggle a lot of responsibilities. And I’m okay with that. All I want is to be the place you land after you’re done catching all the balls you have in the air.”
“You are.” Leaning closer, Finn bumped his forehead against mine.
“I like that.” I shifted, and he put the invitation on the coffee table and slipped an arm around me.
“But you can be that place regardless of your physical health, okay?” He squeezed my shoulders. “You’re more than your heart.”
“Yeah, well, it might not be mine anymore anyway.” I tried for a tease, but it came out hesitant and soft.
“How so?” Finn was back to sounding perplexed.
My face became as warm as one of Finn’s chick incubators, and my voice lowered even further. “It’s kind of yours now.”
“I’ll take good care of it.” Finn gave a pleased smile right before he claimed my mouth.
The kiss started gentle, but quickly heated up, chasing the last of my doubts away. We could do this. We could make this work. We’d said the hard things, and now it was time for a reward.
“Finn?” This time I got the tease right, voice flirty, catching him right before he went in for another kiss.
“Yeah?”
“I’m done talking.” Sighing happily, I leaned more into his embrace.
“Thank goodness. Me too. I’ve got a better use for our mouths.” Finn kissed me again, more purposefully now, tongue tangling with mine, hands pulling me closer. Breathing hard, he broke away long enough to point at the loft. “Upstairs now.”
“Yes.” It was time to let our bodies do the speaking.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Finn
“How do you want me?” Harrison looped his arms around my neck as soon as we were upright in the loft.
“Here. With me.” The moment I’d seen him in the farm stand parking lot, I’d known for sure that I’d been too quick to let him go. I’d given up on something special, and I wasn’t going to do that again, especially with Harrison making such an effort.
“I am.” Harrison gazed deeply into my eyes.
His birthday party invitation had been a nice touch, a tangible reminder that he was trying to look ahead, and if he could do that, then the least I could do was try to do the same.
Grinning rather wickedly, Harrison plucked at my shirt. “I’d rather be here with you with less clothing, though.”
“That can be arranged.” Not waiting on him, I pulled my shirt off before reaching for his. And then we were kissing, bare chests brushing. I was a little fuzzier, but Harrison still had enough chest hair to provide a delicious texture against my skin. I sipped at his lips until I was half drunk on him and desperate to get him the rest of the way naked. At last, unable to wait another second, I released him exactly long enough for us to strip our pants off.
“On the bed.” Faking sternness, I pointed.
As I’d hoped, Harrison smiled as he complied and arranged himself in the center of my bed after stashing his glasses on the headboard. “I knew you’d get bossy again.”
“And you love it.” After adding my socks and boxers to the pile of our clothes, I joined him.