41. Will
CHAPTER 41
Will
“ W ill, wake up.” Millie moves my shoulder back and forth to shake me awake.
I do my best to swat her hand away and mumble, “Five more minutes.”
We went over the to-do list for today last night, and I’m not looking forward to it. The event in general? I can’t wait for that. Mostly because that means I get to find out about the grant today and tomorrow is the day I get to move into Millie’s house.
But all of the items we have to do to get ready? I’m ready for a nap.
And of course Millie won’t have us being late, not when she has each task time stamped to the hours of the day. She pulls the sheets, but I hold them tighter. I grunt, but ultimately I let her win, letting go and laughing when a thump from her being caught off guard comes from the other side of the bed.
“Ugh, William,” Millie groans as she stands and tackles me on the bed. Well, it’s more of her laying on top of me, less actual attack.
“We don’t have time for this, Mills, we have a long to-do list,” I say .
Her ass is in the perfect spot, so I squeeze her cheeks. She squeals and jumps off me.
“I wasn’t making a move, Will,” she stammers. “And don’t make fun of my to-do lists. They keep us on track.”
My legs reach the floor as I move to sit and turn to the left, facing Millie. She’s already dressed for the day and ready to go. Her hair is pulled back into a low ponytail, likely to keep it out her face while we run around. She has a black thermal shirt on and blue straight jeans. Over her shirt, she wears a light pink puffer vest.
“Beautiful.” I don’t mean to say that out loud, but even dressed casual, Millie is a sight to behold. I’ve always thought that, not only right now, and not because she was naked in my bed last night.
Millie’s cheeks turn a shade of red, a lighter shade than her hair, and the corners of her lips curl into a smile. “Don’t try to sweet talk your way out of this,” she says softly.
I stand and grab her hands, bringing them to my lips for a soft kiss. “Never. You and me? I’ll do a million to-do lists with you.” I take her wrists and put them behind my waist so I can pull her into a hug. “And you are beautiful. And sexy. And mine. The more I envision us, the more I’m afraid I’m seconds from waking up from a dream.”
She leans her head into my chest as her arms snake around me, reciprocating the tight grip. “I’ll hold you to the to-do lists, babe. Let me get that on record.”
I chuckle and grab her butt again, which makes her yelp.
Millie leans back and playfully swats my chest. “I know what you mean,” she says and briefly stands on her toes to kiss my cheek. “Sometimes I wake up and roll over, expecting to be alone, and I find you there instead.”
I grab her face and bring her lips to mine in a single, slow kiss. “Sometimes I wake up and find you stole all the blankets.”
Her face goes slack. “I do not! I would know when I woke up in the morning,” she rushes out .
I chuckle and kiss her forehead. “Well, I hate to break it to you, Rose. But you are indeed a blanket stealer, but I tug them back and snuggle with you to keep you warm instead.”
“Are you complaining?” Millie asks.
I shake my head. “I mean, it’d be nice to not wake up in the middle of the night freezing…” I drawl.
She grabs my side, which has me twisting and laughing.
“Kidding, kidding. Okay, come on, let me get dressed so we can tackle our list.”
“You’re the one distracting me,” Millie says, slipping out of my arms.
She walks into the kitchen and holds a coffee mug in the air, silently asking if I want some. I nod. There’s no way I’d make it through lunch if I didn’t have any caffeine.
“Thank you,” I say when she hands me a mug filled to the brim with steaming, black coffee.
She gives me another kiss on the cheek and says, “Of course,” then walks to the couch, takes a seat, and pulls out her laptop. “I’m going to go over the list one more time and text a few people to make sure they will be there today while you get ready.”
‘There’s no rest for you, is there?” I tease.
“No.” Millie smiles, and I’m groaning to myself because I’d love to lay her out on the couch and have my way with her.
Thirty minutes later I’m ready to go. I decided to take a quick shower before getting dressed, knowing that there’s a possibility that I’ll be called onto the stage in front of the entire town later. I’d like to appear presentable.
“Is it warm enough to wear my leather jacket?” I call out to Millie.
It’s a lucky charm for me, having gotten it from the Rose family as a gift one Christmas a decade or so ago. It’s worn in from me wearing it any chance I get.
“Wear a sweatshirt underneath and you’ll be fine,” she yells back.
Perfect. I pair black jeans with a sweatshirt and a leather jacket. In case it’s extra windy today, I add the smallest amount of product to my hair so it’s not in my face all day.
“Okay, how do I look?” I ask when I walk out of the bathroom and into the living room, where Millie is still on her computer.
She shuts it and stands, walking over to me. “Delicious,” she comments as she drags her hand to the back of my neck and pulls my lips to hers.
Fuck, this girl. She’s testing me this morning, and she knows it. The way she glides her tongue across mine, the way she moans without meaning to, melting into me with each second that passes, it’s enough to have me wishing we had a spare twenty minutes.
“You sure we don’t have time?” I grunt as she tugs on my hair.
“We would have earlier,” she sing-songs. “Not now, but later today I’m sure we will have something to celebrate.”
“Don’t jinx it, Mills. We don’t know what will happen.”
She withdraws from me but interlaces our hands together, tugging me toward the door so we can put on our shoes.
“How much do you need again?”
“Too much.” I release a big sign. “We need at least fifteen thousand to pay back the debt, but twenty thousand would let me do that and keep the lights on for a few months as I figure out what to do next.”
Millie nods in acknowledgment. “Okay, got it. Well, fingers crossed. And if not, we will figure it out.”
“Together.” I squeeze her hand.
“Because we are endgame.” Millie winks, and I chuckle.
“Endgame.”
“Okay, so remind me what I’m supposed to do?” Grant asks.
After we left Millie’s house, we went to Miss Jane’s to snag coffee and breakfast for the volunteers before we checked in with the company in charge of tables, chairs, and tents for the event.
“Did you grab your welcome packet?” Millie asks.
My girl went all out for the people helping today. This is the first event she’s done that isn’t a party or small celebration for someone. Millie has had volunteers in the past, but nothing like today. So, she figured it’d make it easier for everyone if she made a packet with the schedule and things to do.
“He got one,” I comment, throwing Grant a glare. “He’s teasing you, love.”
“I liked you two when you were separate and not ganging up on me,” he huffs. “I left it on the table over there.” He points to one of the random tables on the far side of the street.
“Well, go look at it and you’ll get your answer,” Millie answers with a sassy grin.
I laugh as Grant walks away, knowing he’s also chuckling to himself.
“You’re bossy,” I say low enough that only Millie can hear. “Maybe you can bring some of that to the bedroom tonight?” My lips hover over the shell of her lips, her chest rising at a rapid pace.
Miss Jane calls Millie’s name in the distance. She’s got a cart full of things that need to go to one of the tables.
“Go,” I tell her. “I’ll check in with Florence’s parents and make sure they are all set and get the music running.”
“Okay.”
We closed the main strip for the event tonight, and I envision we will have a decent turn out. There’s plenty of parking on side streets if we have more people than we expect. Having Florence’s family here will draw people from the city, and this is also a family event.
Millie’s mom and Kristie are working her flower booth outside of the store, and they will have activities for all ages. From building bouquets to bookmark crafts, they will be a hotspot. There’s someone doing face paint and balloons. There’s plenty of food and drinks. One of the booths is a hot chocolate bar, which I know will be a hit.
And through the street there are various clothing and arts vendors from multiple people around town. It’s an event to highlight Willow Pines and all its glory. I’m proud of what we accomplished in only six weeks. It takes a village for an event like this, and we are lucky to have so many people help us.
Grant, Jeremy, Florence, Ava, and Riley were the first ones to volunteer. We would have expected their help regardless, since it’s a requirement for being our friends, but as soon as we put out a call for more volunteers, their names were on the list.
Every business on the strip has played a role with the event, whether they are sponsoring a booth or helping pay for the lights to something as small as letting their restrooms be used by the public.
Millie’s new business cards came in, and her business name, Rose Events, is front and center on the banner for the event, letting everyone know the mastermind behind this amazing festival if they want to book her.
I’ve already told her a million times that I’m proud of her, but I’ll keep telling her because it’s true.
During my final walk through of the tables before I break for a small lunch, I stop by the record store because Grandpa is working today.
“Hi, Grandpa,” I say as I enter the front door.
“Be right there!” he yells from somewhere in the back room.
As I wait, I walk around the store, perusing the vinyl. It’s something to keep me busy, even though I’ve already seen every record in this store a hundred times. If I stop for too long, I’ll agonize over Grandpa, and it’ll put me in a sour mood.
“Okay, sorry,” he huffs as he comes out of the back room carrying a box larger than his head.
“Grandpa, let me help,” I say, trying to take the box away from him .
“I may be forgetting things, but I didn’t forget how to carry a box, Will,” he jokes, tearing it away from me and setting it on the desk. “I talked to Tracy this morning.”
“Tracy?” I haven’t had time to talk to him about what I talked to Millie’s dad about, but I don’t know any other Tracys.
“From the center in the city.”
“From the center in the city…” I say slowly.
“Why are you repeating what I say?” he asks, looking at me like I’m confused.
And I am.
“How?” This is the only word that comes out of my mouth, even though a million other questions race in my mind. Like, what did you talk about? Was it good? Do you remember why?
“She called the store, let me know who she was, and we talked for a solid hour.” He shrugs like it’s no big deal. As if talking to a person about what’s happening to him is something he was expecting, and not some secret that I was trying to keep, to do this by myself so he didn’t have to worry about it. “You know, we can talk about it. I want to talk about it.”
“I…” I trail off, not knowing what to say or how to say what’s on my mind.
How do I tell the man that raised me how it breaks my heart to see him in a state where he doesn’t remember what we talked about?
Or how do I tell him how scared I am about what happens next? Both with him and with the store that he’s worked his entire life for.
Grandpa comes from the other side of the counter and puts his hand on my shoulder, looking me in the eye. “I’m so proud of you, Will. You know that, right?”
Fuck, for someone who doesn’t cry that often, I’ve been a mess lately. Tears prick my eyes as I stare at my grandpa. “Yeah, I know.” I let the tears fall, knowing there’s nothing I can do to stop them.
He tugs at my shoulder, pulling me toward him into a hug .
“I should have talked to you?—”
I interrupt him and say, “No, it’s personal. I get it.”
“No,” he says and takes a step back so he can watch me while he talks. “I mean, yes, it’s personal. But you’re practically a son to me, William. I shouldn’t have hid this from you. To be honest, it’s hard to know when it’s happening because I often forget. There would be instances where I’d know that I forgot something but I couldn’t place it. It was something simple at first, like forgetting to put my dinner away but thinking that I did. Or it was finding myself somewhere and not knowing how I got there.
“And there were a few times when you called and asked me questions that I knew the answer to, I could feel them on the tip of my tongue, but when I went to answer, the words weren’t there. When you came to town, I was so happy you were here. The late bills and loan for the store…” He pauses and shakes his head. “I never wanted it to fall to you. I’m trying to find a way out of it. I promise. You don’t need to deal with all of this, it’s too much for one person.”
I use my arm to wipe the tears from my face. “I applied for a grant.” He raises his eyebrows at that. “The other day, I tried to tell you. But…you had a small episode, so I figured I’d tell you some other time. But today, they will announce the winners of the grant. You’ve been here for me, for my entire life. It’s my turn to be here for you.”
“Will, you don’t owe me anything,” Grandpa says.
“I know. But I’m staying here. I’m, uh, moving in with Millie,” I say, getting shy all of a sudden talking about my relationship to my own grandpa.
He smirks. Of course he already knows that I’ve been in love with Millie for most of my adult life.
“And the truth comes out,” he jokes. “I’m happy for you, Will. And her. I love that girl.”
“Me too,” I say. “But I’ll help you figure out what’s next, okay? We both will, Millie and I. You can’t argue with her about it. She’s already started making a to-do list.”
He laughs again. “Okay. Speaking of Millie, shouldn’t you be meeting her for lunch?”
I peek at the clock on the wall.
“Shit, yes. Okay, text me if you need anything, okay? Grant should be stopping by later too, he’s helping run the sound table.” And by helping I mean making sure it doesn’t turn off mid-song, because it’s essentially self-running.
Grandpa grumbles and shuts me out of the store before I can ask him more questions about how he’s feeling and I head toward the flower shop, knowing that’s where I’ll find Millie.
And sure enough, she’s leaning over a table of individual flowers, all separated into small baskets for the activities later. She’s taken her hair down, and it’s now hanging over one side of her shoulder.
I don’t register I’m staring until she screams and jumps, her hand shooting to her chest.
“Jeez, Will, why didn’t you say something?”
“Sorry.” I laugh. “I was admiring the view.”
She rolls her eyes and saunters over to me. “Lunch time already?”
“If you have time?”
Millie smiles and says without hesitation, “I always have time for you, Will.”