Page 88 of Always Be Mine
“You know I want to tell the whole world about us, don’t you?” He slid a hand up her leg and squeezed her thigh.
She shrugged.
“I do.” Craig looked her straight in the eyes, and she could see the honesty there. “I really do, Lucy. Every moment I spend with you is amazing. But it’s not enough. I want to spend all my time with you, without hiding from anyone. And I really want to make sure you know how I feel about you.”
She swallowed hard. “How?”
Craig scooted closer to her on the blanket until she sat between the V of his legs. He cupped her cheek and rubbed his thumb gently over her soft skin. “I’m falling for you a little bit more every day.”
Her stomach somersaulted.
She leaned toward him. “I feel the same way.”
“You do?”
Lucy nodded. “You make me feel things I’ve never felt before. With you, it feels…” She exhaled slowly. “Real.”
“Very real.” He agreed with a nod. “Lucy, I can honestly say I’ve never felt this way about a woman before. Not even close.”
They kissed, and for the first time, Lucy didn’t worry about who might see them. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer, unwilling to ever break their connection.
It was Craig who pulled back first. “I can’t wait to tell the world about you. Aboutus.”
Her heart soared with the idea that they could finally be open about their relationship. “Really? So we’re going to talk to Meri about?—”
“I will talk to her.” He cupped her cheek tenderly and kissed her softly. “Soon. I promise. But I can’t rush it, Lucy. She’s never had to share me with anyone before. I need to make sure it’s right, and I still haven’t had a chance to talk to her about her birth mother. It’s going to be a lot.”
Itwasgoing to be a lot. The last thing Lucy wanted was for Meri to be upset.
“And I think it’s important for Meri to be the first to know.”
Lucy swallowed hard and nodded. She didn’t disagree with that. Meri and Craig were a team. And over the last few months, the three of them had also become a team of sorts, too. It was important to make sure Meri felt included.
She blew out a deep breath, and Craig captured her lips with his again.
“Thank you for being patient,” he whispered, his breath hot on her lips. “Just a little bit longer, I promise, and then the world will know how I feel about you.”
After Ross, Lucy had vowed to never again be someone’s secret, but this was different. Itfeltdifferent. And it wasn’t forever. Just for a little longer.
She just needed to keep reminding herself of that.
ChapterTwenty-Two
Craig beamedwith pride as he scanned the crowd that had packed into the Sugar Shack for the official launch of the chocolates. If he was being honest, he’d have to admit that he’d been a little nervous about putting pressure on Mya to be ready for the open house.
But his little pep talk must have worked because not only were the display cases packed, but dozens of purple—Meri’s choice—little boxes stuffed with each of the five new chocolates that Mya had decided on were stacked in perfect pyramids.
Tasting trays were being passed around by the summer employees, who were all more than happy to work a little overtime for the party, and everyone seemed to be enjoying the samples.
“What did I tell you about this?” Chase handed Craig a glass of champagne as he joined him. “The chocolates are going to be a huge success.”
“I have to agree, brother.” They clinked their glasses in a toast. “Thank you for your help on this one and finding Mya and…well, all of it. You were right.”
“I like to hear that.” Chase laughed. “It turns out I do know a few things about business after all. Diversification is key. And the orders that have come in already look very promising.”
Craig couldn’t disagree with that. Based on early projections, the Sugar Shack was set to have the best year they’d ever had. By a lot. He definitely had his brother to thank for that.
And Lucy.
