Page 78 of From Grumpy to Forever
“You are all warmth and light and without a doubt the most beautiful person I’ve ever met. And you’re pretty cute, too.” I smiled at her because that’s what she did. She brought it out in me. “You make me a better man, Avery. Just being in your presence makes me feel good. You walk into a room and people feel it. It’s an energy that gives people hope. Like this world isn’t as hard as it felt a second ago.”
“Reid, I don’t?—”
“You do.” I took her hand in both of mine and held it against my chest. “You see the best in people, even when they don’t deserve it.” I jerked my head to the side where I knew Jacob must be fuming. “You see possibilities where other people see nothing but rubble and ruins. And somewhere along the line, your sunshine slipped through the cracks of my grumpy crust and lit up something inside me that I didn’t even know needed to see the light of day.” I couldn’t keep the smile off my face if I tried. My heart pounded, and I was sure she could feel it, but I didn’t care. I wasn’t trying to hide anything from her.
I was completely and totally lost to her. I was hers. In every way. I just hoped like hell she’d let herself be mine.
“I love you, Avery.” My voice was rough but steady. “Not because of this mess we’re in. Not because of the inn. Or because of anything else but the simple fact that I cannot imagine waking up in a world where you are not beside me. I love you because you are the sunshine and second chances and everything I never knew I needed in my life. And I will spend every single day of the rest of my life proving it to you, if you’ll let me.”
“Reid.” Her voice hitched. Tears streamed down her face now, but I refused to let go of her hands.
“I don’t want to just be the man who helps you rebuild the inn, Avery. I want so much more than that. Maybe it’s selfish of me, but I don’t care because I want to be the man who gets to build the life you want. The life you deserve. I want to be the man who gets to love you for the rest of our days.”
“Reid…”
“Tell me you want the same thing. Tell me I’m not crazy and I didn’t just make a fool of myself in front of half the town.”
She exhaled sharply, and the smile I’d been missing for the last few days, finally, mercifully returned to her face, filling my heart with the love that’d been missing since she walked away from me outside of the Sprout n’ Shout.
Avery didn’t answer me. Instead, she pulled her hand free of mine, grabbed the front of my shirt, and pulled me down into a kiss that was anything but pretend.
The entire world fell away as I pulled her close, taking everything she was willing to give me.
The crowd erupted, cheers and gaps filling the air around us, but it barely registered over the pounding of my heart. Avery let out a breathless laugh, her hands still gripping my shirt like she was afraid to ever let go.
When she pulled back, her eyes were shining, but they were no longer filled with sadness. I vowed to never let that happen again. Not if I could help it.
“Reid?”
I dipped my head in a nod and waited.
“I love you, too.”
The words melted the little bit of doubt still left in me. I cupped her face in my hands and used my thumbs to wipe the tears from her cheeks. “I can’t tell you how happy that makes me, sweetheart.”
“You don’t have to. I can see it on your grumpy, handsome face.” She laughed, dropping her head back. “This is not how I saw today going.”
I laughed. “Me neither, to be fair. But I had full intentions of not letting you walk away from me again without making sure you knew exactly how I felt about you.”
Her hand slipped to the back of my neck. She held me firm as she looked into my eyes. “Well, I know now.”
“Good.”
“You don’t really think this is going to fix anything though, do you?”
“Unfortunately, no. But whatever it is that’s going to happen next, I’m not going to let you face it alone.”
She threw her arms around my neck and hugged me again.
I meant it. I didn’t know what was going to happen. If it meant she lost the inn or I lost the wood shop, as long as we didn’t lose each other, Avery was all I needed.
I closed my eyes and let myself savor this one moment with my girl before reality crashed back in. It wasn’t long enough before a strong voice broke through.
“I can tell you what will happen next.”
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Avery
