Total pages in book: 45
Estimated words: 42882 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 214(@200wpm)___ 172(@250wpm)___ 143(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 42882 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 214(@200wpm)___ 172(@250wpm)___ 143(@300wpm)
Shit. Had he felt the super un-casual wreath was a breach of our agreement? Had he felt pressured despite my best efforts? Did he really want to do this in public?
I took a step back, but he kept coming closer, the crowd parting around him like they knew something big was about to happen.
“How could you leave this on my doorstep?” he demanded, holding out the wreath I’d made him. “What in the world were you thinking?”
My mouth went dry, and my face heated to a million degrees. I’d worried about him taking it wrong, but I hadn’t imagined he’d be quite this angry about it.
“I… I…” I swallowed hard. Even angry, the man was the most gorgeous thing I’d ever seen… and since I’d spent my whole life experiencing the wonders of the Thicket, that was saying something. The way I felt for him was beautiful too, even if he didn’t feel the same. “I was thinking I wanted you to know how much I care about you, Lane Desmond. But it’s okay if you don’t feel the same,” I hurried to add. “I swear. I don’t expect anything—”
“Well, maybe you should.”
Lane pulled another wreath out from his back pocket and held it up. The thing was crooked and messy as hell, not like it had been thrown together haphazardly, but more like it had been overworked and re-twined by clumsy fingers until it was mangled.
He thrust it toward me, and my heart stopped. “I made you this,” he said. “It’s not as beautiful as yours, but it’s the best I could do. The very best, because you deserve my very best, Jay, and I want to give it to you. Even if you did leave a wreath on my doorstep instead of giving it to me in person.”
“Lane,” I breathed. I stepped toward him to take the wreath from his hand. It was made with the thin, whippy vines, the ones you had to source weeks before the Entwinin’ before they were all gone.
And it was in the shape of a piece of bow tie pasta.
“This is the most perfect thing I ever saw,” I said, meaning every word.
“Good. Because…” Lane cast a quick glance around, aware of everyone’s eyes on him. He cleared his throat and stood up straighter. “Because I love you, Jaybird Proud, and this Entwinin’ wreath represents what I love about you most: your generous spirit and the way you care for others. You are the epitome of love, Jay. You might not say it, but you show it. You display your love like peacock feathers. You live the spirit of the Entwinin’ every day of your life.”
There was a mix of gasps and awws from the people around us.
Lane blushed harder. “I love how much you love working at the Suds Barn. I love that you give yourself wholeheartedly to everything you do. And I love the way you take care of people. Whether it’s taking extra care with Penelope Jackson’s wheelchair ramp at the car wash, checking on Skeets Miller’s moody furnace, leaving Italian Gentleman on my doorstep after I’ve had a long day, or letting a bunch of peacocks take over your yard, you are always looking out for others. You are everything good in the world, and you deserve to have someone looking out for you too. I want you to expect things from me. I want you to Entwine me. I want you to…” His face was red all the way to the tips of his ears. “Go steady with me, Jaybird.”
I stared at him. He’d said a lot of words, and I hoped I’d remember them all, but to be honest, my mind had short-circuited after the first and most important bit. “You… love me?”
Someone in the crowd muttered, “I didn’t know you could leave someone gentlemen from any country on their doorstep. Is that Instacart or Uber Eats?”
Lane shot me a grin that said he’d heard the comment and wanted to share his amusement with me. Like he enjoyed this town and its wacky residents as much as I did. “I do, Jay. So much.”
I turned the wreath over, studying the intricate knots. Suddenly, the little nicks and cuts on Lane’s hands these past few weeks made sense. I couldn’t believe he’d been working on this, for me, for so long.
The wreath swam in front of my eyes a little bit, and my cheeks felt damp. “I can’t… I’ve never… Are you sure?”
Lane seemed to understand what I was asking. He stepped closer and lowered his voice so only I could hear. “Baby, I’m positive.” He lifted his hands to my face, and his thumbs brushed away my tears. “You’re enough, Jay. You always were, and you always will be. I’m the one who’s worried that I’m not enough for you.”