Chapter 11
Chapter Eleven
“You’re not coming? Again?” he asked a month later.
She knew he wasn’t happy with her plans to skip her trip to see him, but…she just couldn’t swing it. And honestly, she was a little miffed that he was copping an attitude with her over it. Other than the one weekend when he came to Fort Lauderdale, she was always in Sweetbriar Ridge. Hell, she’d used all the travel points she could scrounge up and flew up to see him the following weekend. It wasn’t like she wanted to keep score, but if she did, it was three to one in her favor. And as much as she tried to get ahead on her work, her boss was being a stickler about her not leaving early or taking any more time off.
She hated her job more and more each day. Will kept giving her leads on clients that would love to use her skills, but…she still wasn’t feeling confident about taking that step. Plus, everyone he referred her to was in Sweetbriar Ridge. Not that she didn’t appreciate it, because she did. And the people were great—the few that she met that she wasn’t related to—but she was a stickler about wanting to make some connections in a big city.
Will argued that Sweetbriar Ridge was big—not Fort Lauderdale big, but big enough—and how it was all in her head about needing to be successful in her home city. Was it? Was she psyching herself out over something so trivial? Wouldn’t getting started in a small town help her build her portfolio of work? Wouldn’t…?
“Sloane?”
Oh. Right. “I know you’re disappointed about this weekend, Will. I’ve just got a lot on my plate right now and I need some downtime at my own place to take care of some things. Laundry’s piled up, the refrigerator is empty, and I haven’t been able to do all the things I normally do on the weekends because I’m away by you. All the flying back and forth is just getting to me. Plus, it’s expensive. You understand that, right?”
He sighed. “I guess. I just…I feel like…” He paused. “I don’t know. I guess I feel like you’re backing off and I don’t understand why. Did I do something wrong?”
It was weird to be on the receiving end of this conversation. That was a line she knew she’d used on previous boyfriends when they pulled away.
“Long-distance relationships are hard, Will. Especially when…” She stopped herself. Not wanting to open that can of worms right now. The last thing she wanted to do was fight with him. “They’re just hard.”
“No, you had something else you were going to say. What’s going on?”
“Will…”
“We’ve always been honest with each other, Sloane. Always,” he added softly.
And then she was. Honest. Sort of. She told him about her frustrations about the traveling being fairly one-sided and how it was wearing thin. Then she talked about all the things that were a draw for Fort Lauderdale and how even though she didn’t love everything about it, it was still her home and that it would only be fair if he gave it as much of a try as she’d given Sweetbriar Ridge.
“I don’t know what to say to all of that,” Will said when she was done. “I guess I thought…I thought you enjoyed coming here.”
“I do. I really do. But…sometimes I need to take care of things here. My job is here. My friends are here. My family is here.”
“They’re also here,” he murmured.
“I know that, but…” She sighed. “With everything moving forward with the body shop, it sounds like you’re going to need to be spending even more time close to Sweetbriar Ridge.”
He let out a long breath too. “I will…I mean, I have to. The shop, the expansion…well, it’s important to me, Sloane. But you’re important to me too.”
“And you’re important to me, Will. Maybe…maybe we just need a couple of weeks apart to re-evaluate things.”
He was silent for so long that Sloane began to worry. She was about to say something when he gruffly said, “Yeah. Maybe we do.”
“Let’s take a few days without talking,” she said, and it made her feel miserable saying it out loud.
“Sure.”
“Okay then. I’ll talk to you over the weekend. Bye, Will,” she said, her voice trembling slightly.
“Bye, Sloane.”
And even though she knew it was the smart and logical decision, it still felt incredibly wrong because she wasn’t completely honest. The truth was, she was scared. Her feelings for Will were so strong and overwhelming that…that she knew if she spent too much time with him, she’d end up blurting out the truth.
She was in love with him.
Hopelessly and completely in love with him.
It wasn’t lust. It was different from anything she’d ever felt—she knew that now. But it was scary nonetheless.
They were opposites in so many ways, but she found that she kind of enjoyed it. And the things that they had in common were amazing. He cooked for her. No man had ever done that for her before. And when they were together, he made her feel like she was the most important person in the world—something else no guy had ever done for her before.
So why was she balking?
Why was she freaking out and backing down?
Why…?
She sighed loudly, her head resting on the arm of her sofa. Her conversation with her mother came to mind. The obstacles she was putting up had nothing to do with Will or with them as a couple. She’d spent a lot of time analyzing it and it wasn’t like her issue with cars was going to go away overnight, but she was working on it. Of course, she’d yet to have a conversation with her father about it, but it was only a matter of time.
The small-town life thing? Well, that one was going to be a little harder to get over. Just today she had happily gone all over the city running errands and shopping and it was comfortable. It made her feel alive! She loved all the people, the options, the chaos, and the energy. How was she supposed to just turn that off?
Forcing herself to get up, she padded to the kitchen and poured herself a glass of water before going to her bedroom and changing into her pajamas. Before she knew it, she was sitting on her bed, feeling…numb. Sighing, she allowed herself to fall back against the pillows. Tears rolled down her face and she didn’t even realize she’d started to cry.
“What am I supposed to do? What’s the right thing to do?”
It was time to have a serious talk with someone who knew her—really knew her. She needed someone who could straighten her ass out and make her see things clearly.
It couldn’t be Hailey. Her sister might be her best friend, but she was too sweet and empathetic. Plus, she’d been a little hormonal since having Layla.
Her mother was out of the question. That one conversation they had on the subject had been very eye-opening and although she appreciated it, she needed someone with another perspective, someone who kind of knew both sides—of her and Will.
That left only one person: her straight-talking, no filters, no-holds-barred cousin.
It was time to call Ashlynn.
“I think I need to break up with Will.”
“Wait…what? Clearly I’m hearing you wrong because this can’t be my cousin Sloane. The cousin I know was all smiley and happy and pretty much gaga over Will. What the hell happened?”
Sloane sighed as she grabbed her water and walked back out of her bedroom. Back in the living room, she sat down on her couch, where she tried to get comfortable again. Conversations with Ashlynn were rarely quick and she had a feeling that now that she was finally coming clean, they’d be talking for a while.
“Oh, come on,” Sloane began. “Will has mentioned the gossip grapevine in Sweetbriar Ridge on several occasions. You can’t honestly say that this is brand new information to you. I’ve met half the people in town. No one’s noticed that I haven’t been around or how pissy Will’s been acting?”
Ashlynn made a non-committal sound. “Which still doesn’t answer why you think you need to end things with him and why you’re calling me about it.”
“At first, I didn’t think I’d ever really find him. But then I did, and it was better than I imagined, and for a while I thought everything was going okay. And…might I point out…you knew who he was all along and you never told me. Maybe if we’d met sooner, things would be different. I don’t know. I just…” She sighed. “It was fun and exciting in the beginning, and I wanted to see where it could lead.”
“And?” Ash prompted anxiously. “Where did it lead?”
Ugh…where did she even begin? “I’m crazy about him. Like…I think I’m in love with him.”
“Really?” Ashlynn cried giddily. “That’s awesome! This means we’ll be seeing more of each other, and you’ll be around so much more and no more sneaking around during the festivals…oh, Sloane! This is great!” Then she paused. “Wait. Now I’m confused.”
“Join the club.”
Her cousin was quiet for a moment. “Okay, so in one breath you say you need to break up with him, and then the next, you’re crazy about him and in love. You understand how that makes no sense, right? You need to sit and really think about this. It’s no longer a game, so…is that part of the problem? You enjoy the chase and now that you’ve got him, you’re bored?”
“You know, for three years you’ve basically encouraged me to kiss and run, and like an idiot, I listened!”
“Oh, no…you’re not putting this on me. You had a weird thing with festivals and kissing booths long before I got involved. And that’s all in the past. We’re talking about the here and now. So stop thinking about how it all started and focus on what you want right now.”
“The here and now is so freaking hard,” she whined. “So much harder than I thought it would be. Now I’m kind of wishing I never pursued the whole thing. It was completely selfish.”
A sigh was the immediate response. “Okay…here’s the thing,” Ash began, her tone mildly cautious. “At first, you weren’t looking for a new relationship. You were just looking to have fun and I was more than happy to goof around with you. I had no idea you were going to go so crazy over one kiss from Will.”
“He’s a fantastic kisser…”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah…so you’ve said. For years. Anyway, I wanted you to see that you can be fun and flirty and not have to jump into a relationship. And then…I don’t know…it was just a fun thing that only we did. I enjoyed having something that just the two of us knew about. Maybe it was childish, but…I kind of enjoyed it.”
Sloane sighed again. “At the time? It was. But it was humiliating to have to admit that to Will.”
“Was he mad?”
“A little, I think. From what he’s told me, it became— he became—sort of the town joke. I feel horrible about that.”
Ash chuckled. “Don’t feel too bad; he took it like a champ and—from what you’ve said—it seems like he’s over it. So, are you coming to town this weekend?”
“No.”
“Oh…how come? Is Will coming by you?”
“No.”
Now it was Ashlynn’s turn to sigh. “Seriously, Sloane. I’m going to need more than single syllables here. What is going on?”
“Okay, this is why I think I need to break up with him. I’m sort of…kind of…I’m having some doubts.”
“About Will? Why? He’s a great guy. That’s what you’ve been rambling on about for the last fifteen minutes. Did I miss something?”
It took every ounce of strength she had to not go off on her cousin about all the time she lost with Will because she didn’t know what a great guy he was and remind her whose fault that was! So after mentally counting to ten, she explained about the traveling back and forth, Will’s schedule, and his reluctance to come to her and…
“And I hate cars.”
“I’m sorry…um, what?”
Every time she said it out loud, she realized how stupid that sounded. “I hate cars. I hate talking about them. I could not care less about how they run or what kind of engines they have or all the ways you can enhance the horsepower. I mean…who cares?”
“Um…most people?” Ash suggested. “How can you hate cars? You own a car, right?”
“Why are you like this?” Sloane said wearily. “Yes, I have a car, but…it’s just a car. A means of transportation. I don’t need to talk about it all the damn time. And trust me, Will talks about cars all the time. And now he’s a partner in Devin’s shop and they’re going to do auto body work and…”
“I heard! Everyone’s really psyched about it. I think it’s great! Will’s great with cars and I’ve heard he has some serious skills in the auto body department. He’s going to do some work on a classic car that belongs to one of Reid’s friends and…”
“Focus, Ash !”
“Fine. Whatever. So…you’re telling me you’re thinking of…what…breaking things off with Will because you don’t like cars? Wow. Shallow much?”
“Ugh, I know. I know. But…I don’t know. Maybe the timing’s off. Maybe I waited too long. He’s going to be busy with the business, and I’m stuck here with this crappy job and trying to figure out my own shit.” She paused. “It was fun while it lasted, I guess.”
Silence.
And more silence.
And still more silence.
“Uh…Ash? You there?”
“I am so disappointed in you.”
“Excuse me?”
“Like beyond disappointed.”
Yeah. Sloane couldn’t argue with her. “Me too.”
“Then why? What’s really going on?”
Sloane cursed under her breath before she even tried to get her thoughts together. After a minute, she said, “Do you remember why we started this whole thing with the kissing booth?”
“Uh, yeah. Duh. We’ve been talking about that this whole time,” Ash said, her voice laced with sarcasm.
“Yeah, well…then you know how I am. I jump in right away and then end up…you know.”
“Oh,” she said slowly, thoughtfully. “Okay, so you’re second-guessing all of this. Like you’re thinking that you’re not really in love with Will. But you are.”
“How can you be so sure?” Sloane said wearily. “Just a few minutes ago you thought I was treating this relationship like a game.”
“Sweetie, please,” she replied with a chuckle. “I have eyes. I spent time with both of you at both parties at The Ridge and then at the festival, and so did a lot of people. Do you think word didn’t spread around town pretty much immediately? It’s all everyone’s been talking about—how cute you guys were and how in love you both looked. Actually, we’re all kind of a little bummed that we’re not going to see what stops Will was going to pull out at the Halloween festival to get you to stay.”
Unable to help herself, Sloane growled with frustration. “Seriously, Ash! This isn’t helping! If anything, you’re just confusing me more!”
“Okay, okay, you’re right.” She paused and sighed. “Let’s talk logistics. Would you consider moving here?”
“Please don’t take this the wrong way, but…I think living in such a small town would kill me. Like…I don’t even know how you stand it.”
The bark of laughter wasn’t the response she was expecting, but that’s what she got.
“That’s kind of funny and yet I’m not surprised. You really should talk to Levi and Marcus. They both had the same attitude as you and now they’re both here and loving it. Now that’s not to say it would be the same for you, but…it’s not like there’s nothing here.”
“And I get that, but if I want to go to a mall or to a movie, it’s a hike. I love the convenience of a big city.”
“Do you think Will would consider moving to Florida?”
“He just invested in the garage. I couldn’t ask him to give that up. It’s been his dream.”
“Wow. So…”
“So…?”
“This is something only the two of you can answer, Sloane. But from where I’m sitting, it looks a little hopeless. All relationships require at least a little compromise, but I think that would be way too much. Neither of you is willing to do that. And you know what that means, don’t you?”
It was a good thing they weren’t having this conversation face to face because Sloane was certain she’d end up strangling her cousin. After several awkward, silent moments, she finally caved. “I have no idea, Ash! That’s why I’m talking to you!”
Ashlynn’s groan was loud. “You’re crazy about him and he’s crazy about you! But neither of you is willing to move! Sheesh! I thought it was obvious!”
“Okay, but if logistics weren’t an issue,” she snapped. “How do I know…how can I be sure that I’m not…”
“Jumping in? Being rash?”
“Exactly.”
“Only you can answer that.”
“Well damn, Ash. That wasn’t what I wanted to hear.”
“Only you can make that decision, but I will say this…there are no guarantees in anything. Not in relationships, not in life. It seems to me you were happy with Will. Why would you deliberately choose to be unhappy without him?”
Good question.
After taking a few days to just not talk, Will caved and called her. She sounded happy to hear from him, and after that, they talked almost every night. It was like the break never happened and Will tried to tell himself that it was enough—that everything was fine.
But it wasn’t.
Her tone was a little different, and neither mentioned when they were going to see each other again. The whole damn situation was foreign to him. He was used to being the one with some sort of control. He was used to being the one who was okay with things being casual—no commitments.
It really sucked to be on the receiving end of the blowoff.
Okay, maybe that wasn’t fair. It wasn’t as if Sloane was really blowing him off. They lived a thousand miles apart, so getting together wasn’t as easy as he’d like. Stupid logistics. He rolled his eyes as he thought about it. Maybe this was why he’d always dated girls from Sweetbriar Ridge. Then again, that didn’t make any of those relationships stick, either.
He sighed—almost growled with frustration. It had been more than a month since they’d seen each other, and just thinking about it was enough to up his frustration level. Again.
“You could save yourself a whole lot of time and energy if you just went online and booked a flight to Fort Lauderdale,” a voice said from the door on the far side of the bay he was working in. Will looked up from the engine of the ’04 Toyota he was working on and frowned at Ashlynn Donovan. Nope, Ashlynn Baylor now.
“Is that right?” he murmured and then waited a beat. “Customers aren’t allowed back here in the garage.”
“Devin gave me a free pass,” she said saucily and slowly started walking toward him. “Is it always so…dirty back here? I envisioned it being a little cleaner.”
He twisted off a spark plug and shook his head. “Working with engines is a dirty job.” Going back to his task, he silently prayed that she’d give up trying to have a conversation and leave.
It was stupid, really. He liked all the Donovans, but Ashlynn was pricklier than the rest of them and had a reputation for being a bit of a smartass. If Jade or Billie or Chloe showed up here, he’d be thrilled, and would have asked about Sloane already. But the look on Ashlynn’s face made his defenses go up.
She was probably the cousin who kept bringing Sloane to the festivals and encouraging her to run.
He wasn’t sure why he felt so confident in that line of thought, but he did.
“You know…” she began, “it seems like all everyone can talk about around here is this new addition to the garage. Personally, I’ve never needed to get any body work done on my car, but that’s just me. I suppose it’s going to be an asset to the town.”
“It will.”
“Mmm…maybe.” She stepped up beside him and looked at the engine and then took a step back behind the yellow safety line Devin had painted on the floor. “It’s not going to matter how successful the place is if you’re hell-bent on scaring the customers off.”
Straightening, Will wiped at the sweat on his forehead and glared at her. “Clearly I’m not scaring anyone off. You’re still here.”
She chuckled and then let out a full, throaty laugh. “But you’re trying,” she said lightly.
It killed him that she was right. Devin had mentioned how surly he had become, but Will had just blown it off. Clearly, that wasn’t working either. Leaning against the car, he faced her. “What’s going on, Ashlynn? Why are you here?”
Shrugging, she mimicked his pose—arms folded, cocky stance. “I’m just trying to figure out why you’re killing yourself here when you don’t have to.”
He looked at her with confusion. “What do you mean that I don’t have to? We’re expanding the business. That doesn’t happen on its own. It takes work. A lot of work!”
She shrugged again. “Seems to me most of what’s going on is structural and has nothing to do with you. Tools and equipment can’t be delivered until the building is done and cleared for moving in. And…knowing Devin…everything else is planned out meticulously. So, I’ll ask you again—why are you killing yourself here when you don’t have to? Sloane would love for you to come and see her.”
And that was like a knife to the gut. He wished he believed it to be true—that she missed him as much as he missed her. But their conversations over the last week had been…stilted and almost a little forced.
“That’s not the impression I got,” he said belligerently.
Now she rolled her eyes. “Oh…my…God!” She sighed dramatically. “The two of you are trying so hard not to put pressure on each other and not talk about the things that are genuinely important that you’re making yourselves miserable. You’re exhausting!” She turned to walk away, but he reached out to stop her.
“What are you talking about?”
“Sloane knows you’re busy with the shop, so she doesn’t want to be a distraction by being here, but she also doesn’t want to ask you to come visit and take you away from it.”
“I’d kill for her to be a distraction!” he snapped. “I want her here! I’ve always wanted her here!”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah…I get that. But instead of directly asking her to be here, as in moving here permanently—which we both know is what you really want—you keep dropping hints about people who would hire her so she could work if she were here more. For crying out loud, Will! Shit or get off the pot!”
“Shit or…?” He growled with frustration. “Sloane didn’t seem all that interested in moving here or spending any more time here than she already was and then she stopped coming! She hasn’t been here in weeks! I can take a hint, you know.”
“She has a life too. Don’t you get that? It’s not easy—or financially responsible—for her to keep flying up here a couple of weekends a month. And if you don’t get that, then you’re selfish. She’s been here far more than you’ve gone down there.”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about…”
“Yes, I do. She’s my cousin, and, unlike you, I’ve had the uncomfortable conversation with her. Maybe small-town life isn’t her thing! Have you even thought about that? Personally, I think she’d like it if she gave it a chance and stopped comparing it to her precious Fort Lauderdale.” Rolling her eyes, she chuckled. “I get that we can’t compare to that, but we have other things to offer.”
“Exactly! Look at all the new businesses that have opened up in the last few years! If she would just…”
“It can’t be all her, Will. If you really have feelings for her, you’re going to have to give a little too.”
“How?” he demanded. “What exactly am I supposed to do? I’m committed to the garage and working with Devin. This is something I’ve wanted for years, and yeah, I’m crazy about Sloane and I want us to have a future, but I’ve got to get this settled here and she has to understand that.”
“You are so damn stupid,” she murmured with disgust. “I swear…it was kind of comical watching you at all the festivals. You’d get all flustered and worked up every time Sloane kissed you and ran, and then you came up with all these goofy ideas to find her. It was sweet. Cute. But seriously, I think it’s just that you’re stupid.”
Will didn’t believe in violence against women, but he was starting to have a change of heart on the subject. He took a step toward Ashlynn, but she held up her hand to stop him.
“Talk to Sloane, Will. Stop tiptoeing around and talk to her about how you feel and what you want. This isn’t good for either of you.”
And before he could respond, she turned and walked away.
Dumbfounded, he just stood there. It wasn’t until Devin walked over that he finally snapped out of it.
“You okay?”
Shaking his head, he walked back over to the Toyota and got back to work. “No.”
“Sorry I didn’t give you a heads up. Ashlynn’s a scary woman when she wants to be and…well…I owed her a favor. Again, sorry.”
“It’s fine.” Head down, he kept working on tuning the car up.
“Look, Will, I know we’ve talked about it—hell, we’ve argued about it on more than one occasion. I thought the tough love approach would work, but…you need to go and see Sloane. Rip off the bandage or whatever. This living in limbo thing isn’t working for you, and I highly doubt it’s working for her. Hell, it’s not working for any of us. One of the guys will finish the tune-up. Take a few days and just…just go.”
He wanted to be the kind of guy who didn’t need to keep taking time off to go and see his girlfriend, but right now, that’s exactly who he was.
Once the decision was made, there was no stopping him.
The universe must have agreed, because everything he needed fell into place. MacKenzie booked his flight while he ran home to shower and change. It was a non-stop flight which put him landing in Florida around dinnertime.
It would have been cheaper to get an Uber to Sloane’s, but he felt better renting his own car. As he drove through Fort Lauderdale, his emotions wavered between anxiousness and excitement. He hadn’t called to tell her he was coming. He was hoping the element of surprise would work in his favor. Then that little devil on his shoulder had him wondering how he’d react if she wasn’t happy to see him, if Ashlynn and Devin were completely wrong in encouraging him to come here.
He took the exit off the highway and knew he’d be at her place within ten minutes. “Either way,” he murmured, “I’ll deal with it.”
The entire situation was so foreign to him. Ever since he was twelve, he’d never been the one to chase after the girl. Girls always chased after him. And he had to admit, he kind of felt shitty for the way he’d treated some of them looking back on it all. It was pretty damn awful when the person you wanted most in the world didn’t want you.
Then he rolled his eyes at his own thinking. He had to stop immediately going to the negative. So, he had to work at this—at their relationship. That wasn’t a bad thing at all. New, yes. Bad, no.
And…the more he thought about…the more he realized that Ashlynn was right. He’d suggested, hinted, and done everything except come right out and ask Sloane to move to Sweetbriar Ridge—to him. And that’s what he wanted more than anything. It didn’t matter that it was fast. It didn’t matter that they each had issues with their jobs. At the end of the day, Will wanted Sloane with him all the time, not just on the weekends.
Pulling into the parking lot of her apartment complex, he saw her car and felt a sense of relief. Being that he hadn’t called, there was a chance she wasn’t going to be home when he got there.
Obstacle one cleared.
He parked and grabbed the ratty duffel bag he used for overnight trips—that he had thrown clothes blindly into in his haste to get to the airport—and made his way to her door.
“Will?” Sloane said excitedly when she opened the door. Then she launched herself into his arms. He barely had time to drop his bag so he could catch her. And before he could even ask if she was happy to see him, she was kissing him—wrapping herself around him.
Obstacle two cleared.
Will kicked his bag through the front door and then followed it in. With the door slammed shut behind him—compliments of Sloane’s foot—he felt his world right itself. Turning, he pressed her back to the door and simply enjoyed getting reacquainted with the taste and feel of her.
“I missed you,” he finally said when he raised his head to catch his breath.
“I missed you too,” she replied breathlessly.
Slowly, he lowered her to her feet and rested his forehead against hers. They sighed in unison. “I hope you don’t mind that I showed up unannounced.”
She looked up at him and smiled. “Are you kidding? I love that you did that!” Then she took a step to the side and gently grabbed his hand, leading them over to the couch. “Are you just here for the night? The weekend? I’m so excited that you’re here, but I know it’s only Thursday, so do you have to be back at work this weekend?”
He chuckled softly, enjoying the feel of her hand in his. “I’m off until Monday. I can’t say for certain, but I think I had an angry mob chasing after me to make sure I actually got on the plane.”
She looked at him curiously as he explained about how much he’d been missing her and how he’d thrown himself into work at the garage and how Devin and pretty much everyone—including Ashlynn—had told him to come to Florida to see her.
Instead of her looking pleased, she actually looked a little…defeated.
“What?” he asked gently, squeezing her hand. “What did I say?”
“So…it wasn’t really your idea to be here. It seems like you needed to be kicked out of town to come and see me.”
Dammit. “Sloane,” he began, “that’s not it. Not really.” He cursed. “I’m not good with this sort of stuff. I…I was really trying to give you space. After that conversation a few weeks ago, I figured you’d see that as a good thing. Then I got wrapped up in everything going on at the shop and I’m trying so damn hard not to screw up that I think I’m overdoing it.”
“Sounds like you’re out of balance,” she teased. “Too much effort on one thing and not enough on the other…”
“I know, I know. And I’m sorry. I really am. I sort of felt like you were…”
“Pulling away,” she finished for him. “I was.”
He stiffened, not really grasping what she was saying.
“No, no, no!” she cried after she got a look at the stunned expression on his face. “That didn’t come out right. I mean…okay, here it is. The first time we met? That first kiss?”
He nodded.
“Well…. I never intended it to turn into what it did. I tend to make bad decisions in relationships. That’s why Ashlynn encouraged me to keep coming back to the festivals to see you and kiss you. Actually, it didn’t start out as you specifically. But after I kept going on about how good of a kisser you were, then she made sure it was always you in the booth. Either way, it was to prove that I don’t have to jump into a relationship. Fast forward a few years and…” she shrugged.
“We jumped into a relationship,” he stated.
“Exactly.”
They sat in silence for a few minutes until Will let out a weary sigh. “So, where does that leave us?”