Swallowing past the lump in her throat, she moved her hands to grip his wrists.
“Then what are you doing here?”
“I’m here for you. I’m here because I want to be wherever you are.”
Her fingers tightened on his wrists. “What does that mean?”
He smiled. “It means I love you, Presley Ayers. I love you in a way I didn’t know was possible. Definitely not after a week. I don’t care if you don’t like the outdoors, if you never want to fish, if you want to stay here in the city or move to California. Wherever you are is where I need to be. I didn’t say goodbye because I didn’t want to. I don’t want to. I don’t ever want to say goodbye to you, Presley. I want to say good night and good morning every day. But never goodbye.”
She couldn’t wipe the tears trickling over her lids because she couldn’t release her grip.
“What about Smile? Your family? Your bike shop?”
He shrugged. “You tipped the scales. You matter most. The rest of it—it still matters, but not the way you do. I can work around all of that, but I don’t work without you. I love you.”
Her heart may have flatlined for one second, but it came back witha vengeance, beating strong and loud. She let him go so she could wrap her arms around him.
“I love you, Beckett. I didn’t think you felt the same. These last few days have been hollow. Nothing looks or feels the same without you.”
Beckett’s lips moved against her cheek, kissing her teardrops, one cheek, then the other. Then his mouth found hers and he kissed her, held her close in a way that she’d dreamt about for the last five nights. She kissed him with the same passion, clinging to him, running her hands through his hair, wanting this moment to never end. Wanting the kiss to never end.
Even when it did, they didn’t pull back from each other. They spoke with their faces so close, they shared the same air.
“What now?” she whispered.
“I’ll open the second shop here for Brian.”
“You’d move here for me?” Her heart puffed up.
“I’d do anything for you.”
She grinned. “Clearly, you would. You came all this way, booked a reservation and a personal concierge, all not knowing how this would end. You went on Instagramlive.Willingly.”
He pulled her to the bed, down onto his lap. When he brought her hand to his lips, he kissed each finger. “I just focused on it not ending. We’re not over. Whatever you need for us to make this work, I’ll do it.”
He meant it, she realized. She’d always been the one to bend, accommodate, adjust. She stared at him, running her hands over his strong jaw, the subtle rasp of a few days’ growth.
“You know what I want?”
“God, I hope you say me.”
She nodded. “Definitely you.”
She saw the hesitancy in his gaze. “Done. What else?”
Taking a deep breath, she let it out, realizing she’d known since the minute Gramps helped her onto the dock, maybe even before that, what she wanted. It had definitely not been part of the plan.
“I want to go home. With you. To Smile.”
His gaze widened and he sucked in a breath. “What about your job? Your promotion? Your life here?”
Holding his face in her hands, she smiled at him, love and energy coursing through her body in a way she’d never known. “My life is where you are. Where your family is. Where there are colorful surprises at the end of winding paths. Where we can see the stars at night. Where we can be part of the lodge and make your bike shop thrive. The truth is, I fell in love with you, Beckett Keller, but I’m also pretty fond of where you come from.”
“They’re your family, too, Presley. They miss you. Everyone misses you.”
Little cracks that had formed in her heart at a young age, when she had realized she wasn’t the most important person to anyone, filled with Beckett’s love. With knowing she’d found a place to belong.
“Then let’s go home.”
