Chapter 18
While I stood behind the front counter, halfheartedly sorting through a stack of newly arrived books, I cringed at the hot mess I’d created. Trust me to have a rom-com worthy epiphany that I was head over heels, crazy in love with Dax Granger...right after I’d friend-zoned him.
Talk about impeccable timing!
I’d spent so long convincing myself that Dax and I were just friends, two polar opposites—me with my dog-eared paperbacks and him with his fancy eReader—I never noticed how well we clicked despite our differences. How I had put up high walls to keep myself save, guarded. That my fear of being hurt again had closed me off to letting go and moving on. Now looking back, I must have been falling in love with him all along. I was just too stubborn to see it until now.
Dax had become my best friend and favorite person. He made me laugh like no one else could and accepted my quirks. Even when we disagreed, he always listened and respected my opinions.
Through our endless conversations about books, life, and everything in between, Dax had shown me the strength and value of opening up and letting someone in. We shared a bond that went beyond just two people who loved to read.
I paced back and forth. “How could I have messed this up so badly? How could I have been so blind? Too hardheaded to see what was right in front of me?”
Sushi lounged on a stack of hardcovers. “Meow,” she said as if to remind me that she’d known all along that I was too pragmatic.
I sighed, blowing out a breath. “I know, I know. I’m an idiot.”
And I had given him more mixed signals than a broken traffic light. So, if he only wanted to stay friends after all the confusion I caused, I wouldn’t blame him.
Sushi tilted her head, her green eyes narrowing.
Scooping her up, I nuzzled her soft fur. “I may be a hopeless romantic on paper, but apparently I’m clueless in real life.” Setting Sushi down, tears lined my eyes. “I owe Dax an apology for being so oblivious. And a thank you for being so patient with me while I figured it out…I have to tell Dax how I feel before it’s too late.”
Lost in thought, I barely noticed when the bookshop door swung open. Dax strode inside with an adorably nervous smile on his face. My pulse kicked into overdrive.
“Hi, um, how are you?”
He took a step forward. “I’m good. Really good.”
“It’s nice to see you, but I thought after our fight…”
“That I didn’t want to be friends anymore?” He smiled. “How can I end a friendship where we complete each other’s sentences? Now that’s rare.”
My heart did a little happy dance like it had just won the lottery and was now off to buy a lifetime supply of chocolate and books.
“So, you’re really not mad at me?”
“Of course not, bookworm. And I come bearing news.” He puffed out his chest. “I bought The Muscle Hut. You’re looking at the proud owner of a gym. Now I’m more than just a pretty face, I’m a businessowner.”
“Congratulations! I always knew you had it in you.” I moved around the counter and gave him a quick hug. And damn he smelled good.
Dax grinned. “I couldn’t have done it without your support and encouragement. You believed in me even when I doubted myself.”
“So, does this mean you’ll be too busy pumping iron and looking over accounting spreadsheets to hang out with little ole me?”
He moved a little closer. “I’ll always make time for you. Besides, I need someone to keep me humble amidst all the muscle worship.”
“Oh, I think I can manage that.” I gave his upper-arm a gentle squeeze. “Wouldn’t want your head getting bigger than your biceps, now would we?”
Dax laughed. I loved the way his face lit up when he smiled. It was a sight I could never tire of.
“Just promise me one thing,” I said. “Don’t go replacing me with some fitness influencer now that you’re a bigshot gym owner.”
“Never. You’ll always be the bookmark to my book, Paris.”
My heart started missing some beats and doubling others, unable to find a regular rhythm. “Aww, you really know how to charm a girl with bookish metaphors. Keep that up, and I might just swoon.”
“Well, lucky for you, I’m good at catching swooning bookworms.”
For a moment, I couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think of anything except the way Dax was looking at me as if I were the answer to a question he’d been asking his entire life.
He cleared his throat. “Look, I know you just want to be friends and I’m okay with it. And I know we come from different worlds, different tastes in books and all that. But the more time I spend with you, the more I realize that none of that matters. What matters is how I feel when I’m with you…as your friend. So, yeah, I’d like to keep being a part of your life, in whatever way you’re comfortable with.”
I gazed up at him, his hazel eyes glittering with flecks of gold in the light of the bookshop. “There’s something I need you to know…something I should’ve told you sooner. Before I met you, I was content living vicariously through characters in books, but you’ve shown me there’s more to life than hiding behind a stack of Austen novels.”
A slow, crooked smile spread across Dax’s face. “Is that so?” he murmured, his voice deep and husky.
Biting my lip, I tried to gather my thoughts. Being this close to him made my brain go fuzzy. “You’ve dared me to step outside my comfort zone, to take chances, and to take a risk on...” I trailed off, my cheeks heating under his intense gaze.
He stepped closer, looking down at me. “What, Paris?”
“Love,” I whispered. “I’ve been a fool, Dax. I’ve been so focused on our differences and my own insecurities that I didn’t see how perfectly we complement each other, and how much you mean to me..”
He gazed deeply into my eyes. “Are you saying…are you sure, bookworm?”
“I was too scared to take a chance before,” I said, my voice hoarse with emotion. “I know I can be a stubborn pain in the butt sometimes, but I can’t imagine my life without you. I’m sorry it took me so long to realize it, but I’m crazy in love with you. So, yes, I’m sure. I’m sure about us, if you’ll still have me.”
“Damn, it’s good to hear you say that.” Dax pulled me flush against his muscular chest. The heat of his body seeped through his clothes, and my skin tingled. “I’ve been falling for you since the moment we met, even when we were bickering about books,” he murmured, his expression warm with affection. “You’re the most passionate, intelligent, and beautiful woman I’ve ever known. I want to be by your side, to support you, and to make you laugh, if you feel the same.”
“Dax, I do feel the same way. That’s what I’ve been trying to say!” Tears blurred my eyes, and I blinked them away, not wanting to miss a moment of this. “You’ve shown me what it means to truly connect with someone, to share hopes, dreams, and to trust again. I never thought I could feel this way about anyone, but with you, it’s like...it’s like I’m finally home.”
He drew me closer, his forehead resting against mine, his breath warm on my skin. “You’ve taught me there’s strength in vulnerability and love is about opening your heart and letting someone see all of you, even the messy, imperfect parts. And I...” He swallowed hard, his voice dropping to a whisper. “I love every part of you, Paris. Every eccentric, wonderful, maddening inch.”
“I love you too, Dax.” I wrapped my arms around him, gazing up into his face.
Dax’s lips curved into a tender smile, and he leaned down, his forehead resting against mine. My heart swelled with a love so fierce, it stole my breath. My arms slid around his neck, pulling him down into a mind-blowing kiss. His hands slipped down my back to pull me impossibly closer as I leaned into his embrace. The kiss became more passionate and intense. My skin felt hypersensitive, every graze of his mouth and caress of his hands amplified my love for him.
As we lost ourselves in each other, surrounded by the aroma of books and coffee, my heart got all giddy. This moment, this feeling...it was better than anything I could have ever read in a novel. Because it was real, and it was ours.
When we finally parted, breathless and flushed, a smile lifted my kiss-swollen lips.
He kissed my forehead. “Is this what Emma would do?”
“I think she would approve. After all, even the most unlikely matches can lead to the most epic love stories.”
Dax lowered his head and I closed my eyes, loving the sensation of being held by him. Our lips met in another kiss and it was like we were discovering each other on the deepest, most intimate level. His arms, strong and firm, pulled me tight against his chest. I tangled my fingers in his thick hair, and deepened the kiss. His hands roamed my back, and I lost myself in the emotion and sensation, ready to surrender completely to the love and longing that had lain dormant within me for so long.
At that moment, nothing else mattered—not the bookshop, not the world outside, not even the purring cat watching us from the bookshelf.
When we came up for air, I glimpsed a future stretching out before us where our differences were not obstacles but opportunities, where the power of opposites attracting led to the magic that happens when two unlikely souls find each other within a judgy small town.
Dax grinned. “You know, bookworm, I’m starting to think that romance novels have gotten it right all along. Because with you, I feel like I’m living in one of those stories you love so much.”
I laughed, playfully swatting his chest. “Just wait until we have to deal with the dramatic misunderstandings and cliffhanger endings,” I teased.
He pulled me closer, his voice low and filled with promise. “I wouldn’t have it any other way. You and me, we’re in this for the long haul. No matter what plot twists life throws our way. Because that’s what real love is all about.”
I smiled, my heart overflowing with love and happiness. In my little bookshop, surrounded by the very walls that had brought two friends together, I’d found my happily ever after.