“Is it a done deal? Or do you have time?”
“It wouldn’t happen until next year. I have time to figure things out. I’m not a blind optimist, but I’m holding out.”
“Hope ain’t a bad thing.”
“The kids are going to be crushed. I finally got the parents to show up at our reading hour. The next step was to introduce them to drag story time. They’re not scared of change, but they move at their own pace. Can you imagineit? Drag queen strutting through the library, pointing out their favorite books.”
I chuckled at the image. “Mabel would love that.”
“Next was getting the adults involved in murder mystery nights.”
“Mabel would also love that. Maybe you just need a drag queen to host every event.”
“In a town where the best thing to do is sit in a tree house with a cute guy, they need some excitement.”
“I don’t know. This is pretty exciting to me.”
I flashed a smile. His ability to care warmed my heart. After thinking about passions for the last few days, Tyler had found his. Amidst the stacks of books, he wanted nothing more than to bring stories to the people of Firefly.
My hand slid closer until it wrapped around his. It had been a long time since I witnessed somebody pour their heart into a project. I was equal parts excited and jealous. As the emotions flared, pouncing on one another. I did the only logical thing I could think of.
My finger brushed over the indentation on his ring finger. There were more stories to be told, parts of Tyler that had me curious. For now, I set aside the past and lived in the present.
I kissed Tyler.
Or… I tried.
I missed his lips and kissed his cheek. Damn Olsen curse. Kill me now. The movies made an impulsive gesture look easy. I hovered, waiting for him to turn his head. Themoment passed, and I leaned back, wondering if I had overstepped.
“Sorry,” I mumbled. I had ruined a perfectly?—
“Don’t be. I’m just shocked.” Huh? I would have thought that after the bar, we had skipped all the awkwardness. “That was the worst kiss ever.”
Tyler laughed hard enough that I swore the treehouse shook. I don’t think anybody had ever roared like this from a kiss. However, the longer he laughed, the harder I found to resist joining in. Okay, I admitted it wasn’t my best attempt. My embarrassment turned into amusement.
“If you’re going to kiss somebody out of the blue, make sure you hit the mark.”
He turned, hand resting on my cheek as he leaned closer. His lips hovered inches from my face, close enough I could feel the warmth of his breath. I closed my eyes, drifting forward until our lips touched. He tasted like rum, and I would have gladly spent the night drinking him in.
Our kiss didn’t drip with passion. It held an edge of intensity mixed with longing. For a moment, I thought about standing on the green, hearing the fireworks as we exchanged our first kiss. He had improved over the years, and as he pulled away, I chased, wanting to prolong the moment.
When I opened my eyes, he had a smirk on his face. “That’s how you do it.”
“Yes, it is,” I whispered.
“Is it time to head back?”
I was surprised to find I didn’t want to jump the shirtlessman. Something about the moment was different, charged in a way that didn’t lead to my cock. Logic said to pump the brakes. For safety, I should nod my head, pack up and head home. That’s what I would have done a week ago.
“Let’s stay a little longer.”
I shimmied closer until I rested my head on his shoulder. Holding out my hand, he laced his fingers through mine, giving me a firm squeeze. I closed my eyes, listening to the hum of Maine. I had warned Tyler that whatever happened came with an expiration date. Maybe those words weren’t meant for him? There was no point in starting something just to see it come to an end.
Yet…
Maybe this was the adventure I needed? He moved slowly until I heard him kiss the top of my head. I pushed the conclusion of our story out of my mind. For right now, I wanted to focus on the journey with this handsome, burly bear.
HER LEGACY LIVES
