“Good to know.” I walk over to her and pick up her scattered pens and notepads, a few recipes, and a single duck. So she did find one. I turn over the small box she added to her makeshift desk.
“What are you doing?”
“You’ll see.” I take her laptop from her and then gently settle it in the small box. I carry the box to the kitchen to keep it safe then go back to her office and stomp on the remaining box.
“Sean!” she screeches. “What are you doing?”
I hold a hand out to her. “Will you come with me, beautiful?”
“What is happening right now?” she asks, sticking her hand in mine.
“You’ll see.” I pull her out of the office.
“You’re infuriating, did you know that? First, you kiss me—”
“I thinkyoukissedme.”
“And then you just leave, saying you’ll talk to me later, but then you disappear for two days, and you don’t say a single thing before waltzing in and making a mess of things again.”
“Oh, I have lots of things to say.”
“Meanwhile, I’m thinking of every worst-case scenario. I also learned some interesting things from my dad about prom.”
I didn’t want to do this yet, but we’ve reached the point where we can’t not talk about it. I prop the door open with my foot, but neither of us walks through.
Her fingers play with the sticker on her prosthetic, a sad little rain cloud. “Why didn’t you tell me sooner what my dad did?”
I scrub a hand down my face. “The truth was, I didn’t even know I had stood you up until about three weeks ago. Even though I was too stubborn to admit it back then, I thought Trent was the better option for you. He was all the things I wasn’t. I didn’t want to say anything to you about the past, because I was afraid your dad was still right about me, that I’m not worthy of you. In fact, I know I’m not. I could live a thousand lifetimes and still never measure up to you but it won’t stop me from trying. You don’t have to believe me yet but I promise—”
“Sean…” She shakes her head, and a few tears slip from the corner of her eyes. I brush them away for her. “He was wrong. So wrong. I see you.”
“For the record, I look better at golden hour,” I grin.
Her eyes grow intent on mine. “You have a sun tattoo on your arm. Why?”
She saw it. I roll up my sleeve, turning my arm out until the two-inch sun on my bicep is visible. “It started as a bet gone wrong.”
“A bet?” Her expression falls and I hurry to explain.
“It was Lennox’s fault. Anyway, the first tattoo was a mistake. I didn’t know what I wanted to get when I went in to cover it up. But then I saw this and it was perfect.”
“Why?”
“Because you, Sunny, were the one that got away,” I whisper, dropping my arm and pulling her into me.
She tilts her chin up to me. “I came back.”
“Well, technically I did. I’ve got the scar to prove it.”
She shakes her head but smiles. “Always a competition with you.”
I brush my lips along her cheek. “I just know what I want.”
Her whole body shudders and it’s maddening. I move my lips over hers, hovering only momentarily before kissing her sweet, red lips. She tastes like apple pie.
I pull back. “Do you have pie in there?”
She laughs. “Yeah.”
