Chapter 35
DREW
Ipushed through the crowd, my eyes scanning for Kensey. The event was packed and it wasn’t even two o’clock yet. We had knocked it out of the park. But I couldn’t enjoy any of it. Not until I talked to Kensey.
I spotted Hollis at his booth, making green drinks for a gaggle of ladies in yoga pants. When he saw me, he waved me over.
“Drew! Come try a shake. It’s the perfect afternoon pick-me-up.” He handed me a drink.
I took a sip. “Damn, this is tasty.”
“Thanks, man. Your opinion means a lot to me.”
I glanced around his setup. “The booth also looks great.”
“It does, doesn’t it?” He grinned. Then his expression shifted to something more serious. “Hey, Kensey was looking for you earlier.”
My heart kicked up. “She was?”
“Yeah.” He gestured vaguely toward the crowd. “Stop hiding and talk to your woman.”
“I’m not hiding.”
“Finish your drink. You look like you need it.”
“Yeah, yeah. I’ll came back around later.” I made my way through the crowd in search of Kensey.
I was so damn glad she showed up. Now I just had to find her. My parents were near the Blackwell backdrop, posing for pictures with fans. Sebastian and Bernadette were browsing the jewelry section. But no Kensey.
Finally, I spotted her. She was standing near the edge of the plaza, away from the main crowd, looking up at the sky like she needed air. Even from a distance, I could see the tension in her shoulders.
I walked over, my pulse hammering in my ears. “Kensey, finally.”
She turned, and the expression on her face nearly broke me. Relief mixed with anxiety mixed with something else I couldn’t quite read.
“Drew,” she said with a sigh. “I’ve been looking for you. Every time I spot you, you fade into the crowd like a damn spy.”
“It’s been a crazy day.” I glanced around, making sure we had enough privacy. “Can we talk? Away from all this?”
She nodded and followed me away from the noise and the crowd. We stopped in front of a closed storefront that was out of the way.
“I talked to Briggs this morning,” I started. “About Edith.”
Kensey’s face went pale. “Oh God. Drew, you got the lawyer involved! You told him!”
“Stop.” I held up my hand. “It’s not like that. Just let me explain, okay?”
She pressed her lips together and nodded. “Explain quick.”
“Edith didn’t tell anyone what happened,” I said. “But she quit. Sent a resignation email to Briggs this morning, effective immediately.”
“She quit?” Kensey looked stricken. “Because of us?”
“Yeah. But I couldn’t let her go. Not like that.”
“Well, yeah. It wouldn’t be right.”
I nodded and met her gaze. “I agree. And that’s why I’m leaving the store.”
She stared at me like I’d just told her I was moving to Mars. “What?”
“I talked to the family this morning. Sebastian, Adrian, all of them. They’ve agreed to bring Edith on as manager.
She’s more than qualified. So I went to her place and offered her my job.
And my sincerest apologies.” I ran a hand through my hair.
“She’s sitting out today’s event, but she’ll be coming back.
The store will be in good hands with her. Better hands, probably.”
“Drew, you can’t quit.” She shook her head. “You can’t give up your job because of what happened. That’s insane.”
“I’m not giving it up because of what happened.
I’m giving it up because I don’t want to be here anymore.
” I looked at her directly, making sure she heard every word.
“This was a fun challenge for a while, but I think I might go back to my investment roots. The cousins even asked if I would help them out with the broader Blackwell investment portfolio. It’s something I can do from anywhere. New York. LA. New Jersey.”
The last bit hung in the air between us. Understanding dawned on her face, and tears sprang to her eyes. “I was looking for you because I need to tell you something.”
“Wait, please,” I said.
“But the store—”
“The store will be fine. Better than fine. Edith’s awesome.
As a manager. I’m still not a huge fan of her personality, but she’s way better than I am at keeping everything on track with the store.
She cares about every detail.” I squeezed Kensey’s hands.
“You’re the real thing. And I’m not losing you because I was too stubborn to make a change.
You love your job and I love anything that is important to you.
I’ll never ask you to walk away from that. ”
She was crying now, tears streaming down her face. “I was going to tell you I’m staying.”
“What?”
“I was going to tell you I’m staying in LA. I’ve been thinking about it all night, all morning. I can find another teaching job here. There are good schools and kids who need help. My parents are getting older and I want to be near them.” She took a shaky breath. “Mostly I want to be near you.”
I stared at her, my brain trying to process what she’d just said. “You’re staying?”
“I was going to stay,” she said, laughing through her tears. “I had this whole speech planned about how we could make it work and I wasn’t going to let the best thing in my life walk away just because I was scared.”
I couldn’t help it—I started laughing too. The absurdity of it hit me all at once. We’d both spent the night miserable and panicking, both coming to the same conclusion. We were both willing to upend our entire lives to be together.
“We’re idiots,” I said.
“Complete idiots,” she agreed. “But it seems we’re on the same page.”
I pulled her into my arms and kissed her.
Not the careful kiss of two people in public.
I didn’t care who saw us anymore. This was the kiss of two people who’d finally stopped running from what they wanted.
Her hands fisted in my shirt, pulling me closer.
When we finally came up for air, both of us were breathing hard, and I rested my forehead against hers.
“You’re crazy,” I said.
“I know.”
I kissed her again, slower this time, savoring it. My hands cupped her face, thumbs brushing away her tears. She melted against me. I had the sudden urge to find a desk.
Someone cleared their throat behind us.
I pulled back and turned around. My entire family had materialized while Kensey and I had been too focused on each other to notice.
Mom and Dad stood at the front, both of them grinning.
Behind them were Callum and Victoria, Hollis and Micah, Cleo, Beau, and Jeremy.
The New York contingent—Dash and Krista, Briggs and Mandy, Sebastian and Bernadette, and Adrian and Elizabeth—had gathered too.
Even Kensey’s parents stood off to the side, her mother with her hand over her mouth and her father looking pleased.
“Well,” Mom said, her eyes shining. “It’s about damn time.”
The entire group erupted in laughter and cheers. Hollis raised a green shake high in the air like it was champagne. “To Drew and Kensey! Finally pulling their heads out of their asses!”
“Hollis!” Mom swatted at him, but she was laughing.
I kept my arm around Kensey’s waist. She’d turned bright red, burying her face against my chest.
“How long have you all been standing there?” I asked.
“Too damn long,” Micah said with a goofy grin.
Kensey’s mother rushed forward first, wearing a pretty silk scarf. She pulled her daughter into a tight hug. “Oh honey, I’m so happy for you. And for me, because my baby is coming home.”
Her father followed, embracing Kensey and then extending his hand to me. I shook it, and he pulled me in for one of those masculine half-hugs that involved a lot of back-slapping.
“You take care of my girl,” he said quietly.
“I will. I promise.”
“I know you will. You’ve been taking care of her since you were kids.”
My own parents descended next. Mom hugged me so hard I thought my ribs might crack. Then she moved to Kensey and did the same. Dad clapped me on the shoulder, his grip firm and proud.
“I knew there was something going on,” he said. “Welcome to the family, Kensey. Officially.”
The rest of the Blackwells crowded in, offering congratulations and making jokes at my expense.
The celebration continued for another few minutes before people started drifting back toward the event.
There was still a sidewalk sale happening, after all, and guests were probably wondering where the Blackwell family had disappeared to.
Everyone else could take care of the event. Kensey and I were together. Finally, permanently, completely together.
And nothing else mattered.