Chapter 45
Wade
She left with Ethan.
The words replay on a loop as I stride through the dark parking lot.
But she’d never just leave without telling me. Would she?
The row of parked vehicles comes into view. My head is on a swivel, looking for Ari, hoping that I’ve caught her before…I don’t even know what.
When I finally see her, standing beside what’s probably Ethan’s car with the passenger door open, relief hits so hard my knees almost give out.
Ethan stands by the driver’s side, holding something in his hands. They’re just talking. And suddenly, all the courage I spent the last ten minutes building threatens to disappear. What if she’s already figured out Ethan is the better bet than I am?
The thought physically hurts.
“Ari!” I kind of hate the desperation in my voice.
Both of them turn.
I run toward her. “Ari, don’t go.”
Her forehead wrinkles. “What?”
I’m out of breath by the time I get to her, which for a part-time P.E. teacher is quite embarrassing. “This isn’t how I planned to do this.”
My voice sounds rough.
Unsteady.
Nothing like me.
Good.
Because none of this is like me.
This is the better version of me that Ari brings out.
“Your dad said you were leaving with him.” I look at Ethan. “Sorry, bro. You seem cool, but she’s with me.” My eyes dart to her. “At least, I think she’s with me, but then, I’m not sure why she’d leave with you.”
Confusion flashes across her face. “Wade, what are you—”
“I don’t want you with any other guy.” Now she’s staring as my heart bangs against my ribs. “Because…”
The words don’t come immediately. I’ve spoken in front of thousands of people. Led assemblies. Handled angry parents. Interviewed with school boards. But none of it compares to this.
Because none of it mattered like this does.
“Because…” I breathe out. “I love you.”
The confession is simple but true.
“I love you, Ari.”
Ethan looks between us, smartly deciding this isn’t his conversation. He takes several steps backward, but I barely notice.
My entire world has narrowed to one woman.
This one woman.
“I thought I’d just casually date for the rest of my life because it felt safe. Nobody expected too much from me. There was nobody to disappoint. But then I got comfortable with you and, for the first time, allowed myself something that I’ve been withholding for years—my true self.”
Her lips part, but I keep going before I lose the nerve.
“I didn’t know when we started all this that I’d end up here. Actually”—I shake my head—“I think a part of me did. Part of me has always known that I’d end up loving you. I’m just glad you moved back to Autumn Ridge so I had the chance.
“So I don’t care about that guy.” I step closer, waving Ethan away. “Or what anyone else in the town says or thinks. I only care about you and me.” Everything inside me relaxes because, finally, the truth about how I feel is out. “So, yeah, I love you. I hope that’s okay.”
Silence stretches between us.
Then, Ari looks to the side at whatever Ethan has sitting on the hood of his car.
I follow her gaze.
Washable window paint.
Streamers.
Tin cans.
“I just came out here to get the stuff from Ethan to decorate Jaxon’s car.”
“Ohhhh.” I glance around, my brain fully catching up.
Ethan laughs. “I offered to bring the decorations for Luke and Tate. I wasn’t stealing your girlfriend.”
“Oh, good.” I backpedal. “Glad we cleared that up.”
He points toward the wedding reception. “I'll give you guys a minute.”
He immediately disappears, leaving Ari and me standing alone in the parking lot.
She takes a step toward me. “So you love me?”
I laugh softly. “It appears so.”
Another step. “And how many other women have you said that to before?”
“You’re the first and the last.”
Her brows lift. “The last?”
“Yep.” It’s my turn to step toward her, closing the distance. I cup her face in my hands. “And you got my last first kiss too. I meant it when I said I saved the best for last.”
She smiles softly. “That feels like a big accomplishment.”
“Not an accomplishment.” I rest my head against her forehead. “Just the honest truth.”
“Would you like some honest truth from me?” She pulls her head back, looking into my eyes. “I love you too.”
I smile, loving the way those words somehow give me confidence and set everything right in my life.
“I’ve loved you for a while, actually.”
“Yeah?” My smile grows.
“Yeah.”
“Same for me.” I pull her into my arms, kissing her tenderly. She comes willingly, like she could live there forever.
And with Ari in my arms, forever doesn’t sound like this big scary thing anymore.
It sounds exactly like what I want.
Ari
THE WEDDING is over.
The guests are gone. The getaway car successfully escaped beneath a storm of cheers and sparklers.
Only a handful of people remain beneath the giant white tent.
The cleanup crew.
Which mostly consists of family members pretending they’re helping while actually standing around talking.
I stand near the edge of the dance floor, holding a stack of centerpiece boxes, when a hand appears and steals them from me.
“Put me to work, Miss Langford.”
My smile appears immediately. “Still calling me Miss Langford after you just told me you loved me?”
“I mean, I have to maintain a certain level of professionalism.”
“Ah, yes. Professionalism.” I smirk. “And where was your professionalism when you kissed me under the rafters during homecoming?”
“The second you walked into that dance in that dress, all professionalism flew out the window.”
I laugh as the speakers crackle unexpectedly, then a soft song starts playing. Wade sets the boxes on a nearby table and holds out his hand.
“I didn’t get to dance with you once tonight.”
“I was busy, but I think I can squeeze you in now.” I place my hand in his, and he pulls me gently toward the middle of the empty dance floor.
One hand slips over my hip. The other remains linked with mine. We start swaying beneath the lights.
No audience that we’re performing for.
Just him and me.
I rest my cheek against his shoulder. His chin brushes the top of my head. Neither of us says anything. We don’t need to.
We sway until the song ends, forcing us apart.
“What are you doing tomorrow?”
“Probably teaching high school English all day.”
His thumb brushes my side. “You obviously have to eat lunch with me. And you probably need to bring those strawberries again. I could use another round of seduction from you.”
My expression goes serious. “In the name of professionalism, I’m going to have to decline. You barely made it out alive last time.”
This makes Wade laugh. He pulls me closer, kissing the soft spot below my ear.
“What if we save that for a time when we’re alone?” His whispers tickle my skin. “Because unlike our very public, fake-dating relationship, I plan to spend a lot of private time with you from now on.”
“Deal.”
His arm tightens around me. “Now let’s talk about my mustache.”
“Your mustache?”
There’s a glimmer in his eyes. “You secretly love it, don’t you?”
I fake indifference. “It’s alright.”
“You’ll come around eventually.” He nods as if he’s convincing himself more than me.
I smile. I’m already there.
But it’s fun to keep him guessing.
“If you really mean that, I’ll shave it just for you.”
“Don’t you dare!” I swat his shoulder.
“Yep, just like I thought. I knew you found my mustache wildly sexy.” He smiles as he moves in for a kiss.