Chapter 54
DEXTER
Iknew she’d like it. Sure, it was painfully corny, some might say outright ridiculous.
And for a second, I think I’ve overshot.
She’s standing there barefoot, hair loose, drowning in an oversized cream-white sweatshirt. She looks exhausted. She looks beautiful.
At first, she stares at me with huge eyes, and steps back.
But then she whispers, “Say it again.”
So I do, low, certain, meaning every word. And I watch her jaw unhinge, her cheeks brighten, and her eyes light up like fireworks.
And then she launches herself right at me.
I catch her mid-air, grinning. Told her. No ship, no ocean. Still flying.
She crashes into me so hard it knocks the breath clean out of me (and nearly takes us both down).
I have to take a step back to keep us both upright.
She melts into my embrace, her arms locked around my shoulders, tight—oh, so fucking tight.
All I can do is kiss her without pause. And with everything I have in my soul.
And just like that, I know. I’d give up everything for her. Every deal, every dollar, my whole damn business, just to be the guy she knocks over at midnight.
Sure, I could have walked into Swan at 10:30 a.m. sharp. Closed the deal. Caught the next flight after.
And it would have meant… nothing.
Because she’d be gone. And I’d have let her walk away thinking she came second. But that’s not how you win a girl like Holly. You do not ask her to wait until it’s convenient. You decide. You show up. You win the girl.
Because one thing is certain.
My life will never be complete without her by my side. Not because I need her to fill some gap in me. Because she’s the reason everything makes sense at all.
When we pull apart, we’re breathless. For several seconds, we just stare into each other’s eyes. Only hours apart, and it still feels like I haven’t seen her in years.
Her voice is small, disbelieving. “Dexter… wh-what are you doing here?”
“You told me to go win it,” I say. “So that’s what I’m doing.”
She’s staring up at me like she doesn’t know whether to cry or kiss me or take a swing at me for being here. Maybe all three.
“But… the pitch.” Her shoulders fall. “Didn’t you—”
“I ditched it.”
Her mouth parts. “You what?”
“Didn’t go.”
“But… Swan? Dexter, that was huge.”
“Not more important than us.”
I glance around. We’re still wrapped around each other on her sister’s front steps in the middle of the night. “Let’s find somewhere to talk.”
She nods, but doesn’t let go of my hand. “Yeah, yeah. Good idea.”