Total pages in book: 38
Estimated words: 36185 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 181(@200wpm)___ 145(@250wpm)___ 121(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 36185 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 181(@200wpm)___ 145(@250wpm)___ 121(@300wpm)
“Come here,” Cruz says to me.
I practically float over and straight into his arms. He’s all smiles as he holds me. “Give me your mouth.”
“Oh God, really, you two need a room.”
Lexi walks out to the front of the store, and I giggle as I do what Cruz told me to do and give him my mouth. He kisses me softly, and my toes curl. When I pull away, I wipe at his lips. “Are you nervous?”
He shakes his head side to side, but I can tell he’s feeling a little unease.
I put my hands on his shoulders. “You shouldn’t be. Everyone loves the book. You’re going to change so many lives.”
He chuckles. “I’m not worried about it.”
I hear him say it, but there’s no hiding that he’s a little off today. Before I can get it out of him, he puts his hands at my lower back and holds me to him. “Are you happy?”
I tense. “Happy? With you, you mean?”
He nods. I wait for him to smile, laugh, or anything, but he looks so serious. “Are you for real? You’re about to do your first book signing, and you’re asking me if I’m happy?”
“Are you?” he asks.
I huff as the crowd gets louder. Everyone is mingling and talking, and Cruz is trying to have a serious conversation with me. “Are you breaking up with me?”
His forehead creases. “What? No, of course not.”
I put a hand on my hip. “Is this your way of telling me you’re tired of staying at my tiny apartment? I know we’ve been staying there a lot, but Valentine’s is tomorrow, and then after that, I promise we can start staying at your house.”
“This isn’t about how much time we stay at your apartment. I don’t mind it. You have to know I’d follow you anywhere.”
I start to feel a little more at ease, but I’m still not sure where he’s going with this.
“Okay, well, since you’re not going to answer my question, I’ll tell you how I feel. I love you, Tara Brooks. I love you more than I ever thought possible.”
I lean into him. “I love you, too, Cruz, and yes, you make me happy. You make me happy, and I’d follow you anywhere.” I clear my throat. “That’s why I’m going to go on your book tour with you.”
He’s staring open-mouthed at me, and I know I’ve shocked him. For months I’ve told him I couldn’t leave the shop, but when it comes down to it, I knew I didn’t want to be away from him for a month. When he’s just staring at me, I’m hoping I didn’t get this all wrong. “I mean, if you still want me to.”
He crushes me to him and then picks me up and swings me around. “Yes, of course I want you to go. I thought about canceling because I didn’t want to leave you.” He stops twirling and leans back to look at me. “How? What about your shop?”
“Well, I’m paying someone to run it while I’m gone so—”
Before I can finish, he cups my face. “I’ll pay whoever, however much it costs to have you with me. Fuck, Tara, you’ve made this night perfect.”
I lean into him and let him hug me before I pull back. “Okay, so go out there and sign some books, meet your fans, and then we can go home and celebrate.”
Lexi peeks in. “Come on. Everyone’s waiting. Let’s go.”
Cruz threads our fingers together. “Ready?”
I try to pull from his hand. “This is your night. Go on out there, I’ll be in the audience.”
He just shakes his head. “Right.” He pulls me with him, and as soon as we step into the room, the applause breaks out.
Cruz waves to everyone, and I wait for him to go behind the desk, but he stands where he’s at, our hands interlaced as he waits for the commotion to die down. “Thank you, everyone, for being here. It means a lot that I get to do this here with my family, my friends, my teammates, and my community.”
The room is packed full, but all I can do is stare up at Cruz with awe on my face. I’m so proud of him I could burst.
There’s more clapping, and Cruz is soaking it all in. “Okay, so I know you came to hear me read an excerpt and to sign a few books, but I’m hoping you’ll indulge me a little bit. I thought since everyone I know and love would be here today, it would be a perfect opportunity to do this.”
Cruz lets go of my hand, and I start to move to the side, but Lexi blocks me as Cruz grabs my hand. “Oh no, you’re not going anywhere.”
Everyone laughs, and I’m frozen in my spot as Cruz drops to one knee. “Tara Brooks, I love you, and this last year has been the best year of my life. This time last year you agreed to be my Valentine, and now I’m asking you to be my Valentine for the rest of our lives. Please, will you do me the honor of marrying me?”