Chapter 38
HOLLIS
By the time we left the office, the sun had already set.
The celebration had gone on for a while, with champagne toasts and congratulatory calls from board members.
Juno’s father was already making plans for a proper launch party once production was underway.
I was exhausted but exhilarated. I still couldn’t believe all of that had happened.
I walked Juno to her car in the parking garage, holding her hand like she might bolt.
“You going to come over?” I asked softly. “Please. We still need to talk.”
She nodded. “I’ll follow you.”
At my place, she parked her car next to mine and followed me inside.
The house was dark and quiet, a stark contrast to the chaos of the office.
It felt different than it had when I left hours ago.
The man that left had been desperate. The man returning felt hopeful.
I flipped on a few lights and headed straight for the kitchen.
“Drink?” I asked.
“Please.”
I made us two drinks and handed one to Juno. We naturally walked out to the deck and settled into the comfy chairs. I exhaled and let it all wash over me. The day had gone a hell of a lot better than I had expected.
“I can’t believe you did all this,” she said finally. “You turned everything around in a day.”
I shrugged, but I could still feel the tension in my shoulders. “I had to do something. I couldn’t just sit around and watch everything fall apart.”
“Very impressive,” she said with a smile.
I took a drink, then set down my glass and looked at her directly. “I did it for you.”
She frowned. “What?”
“I couldn’t stand the idea that one of my mistakes would cause you so many problems. That your company would suffer because I was an idiot who didn’t think before acting.” I sat forward. “You’ve worked so hard for Young at Heart. It means everything to you. And I almost destroyed it.”
“That’s not entirely true,” she said. “But things were looking pretty grim.”
“Let me finish.” I took a second to collect my thoughts.
“I spent yesterday feeling sorry for myself. Convinced I’d ruined everything.
But then I realized that sitting around wallowing wasn’t going to fix anything.
So I had to try. Even if it didn’t work, even if Curly’s had laughed me out of their office, it was worth trying. ”
She blinked rapidly, like she was clearing smoke from her eyes. “You didn’t have to do that for me.”
“Yes, I did.” I reached over and took her hand. “Because I love you, Juno.”
She stared at me and panic threatened to take over. The woman looked like she’d just been smacked by a truck. Completely dumbfounded. Her mouth opened and closed. I’d rendered her speechless.
“I know it’s fast,” I continued, my voice rough with emotion. “I know we’ve only been together a few weeks. But I’ve never felt this way about anyone. You challenge me, you make me better, you make me want to be better. And when you told me we needed space, it felt like the world was ending.”
“Hollis.” Her voice came out as barely a whisper.
“I don’t expect you to say it back. I just needed you to know. I needed you to understand why I did what I did. It wasn’t just about saving the business. It was about proving to you that I’m serious. That you can count on me. I’m not going to bail when things get hard.”
She reached up and covered my hands with hers. “You really love me?”
“Yeah.” I smiled. It was the most vulnerable I’d ever been in my life. “I really do.”
“Good.” She sat forward and turned until her knees bumped mine. She leaned forward and kissed me softly. “Because I love you too.”
I pulled back just enough to look at her, my eyes searching hers. “You do?”
“I do. I think I have for a while, actually. I just didn’t want to admit it because it scared the hell out of me.
” She laughed, a single tear sliding down her cheek.
“I’ve spent so long putting business first, convincing myself that relationships were a distraction.
But then you came along and turned everything upside down. ”
“In a good way, obviously.”
Juno grinned. “In the best way.”
She kissed me again, deeper this time. I reached out and pulled her out of her chair and into my lap. It felt right. Perfect. Like coming home after a long journey.
When we finally broke apart, both of us were breathing hard. I rested my forehead against hers, my heart pounding so fast it made me dizzy. “Stay tonight,” I murmured. “Stay every night.”
She smiled against my lips. “That’s a big ask after only three weeks.”
“I know. But I’m done pretending I don’t want everything with you.”
I melted into her, one arm wrapping around her waist to hold her steady in my lap, the other sliding up her back. For the first time in days, the knot in my chest finally loosened.
When we broke apart, I kept my eyes closed for a second, just breathing her in.
“I was so afraid I’d lost you,” I admitted, the words coming out quiet. “I kept thinking—what if she never looks at me the same way again? What if I actually broke this?”
She winced. “I’m sorry about that. About the way I said it.
” She brushed her thumb along my jaw. I leaned into it like a man starved.
“I was scared too. Everything was falling apart and I went into survival mode. Business mode. It’s my default when things get hard.
I shut everything else out and just work the problem. ”
“I know. I figured that out somewhere around hour six of wallowing.” I tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “For the record, you being willing to torch us to protect your company? That’s part of why I love you. You don’t do anything halfway.”
“Even when it hurts you?”
“Especially then. It means you’ll fight just as hard for me someday, if it ever comes to that.” I kissed the corner of her mouth. “I just hope it never does.”
She was quiet for a moment, her forehead resting against mine. “Yesterday was one of the worst days of my life,” she said softly. “I cried on my desk. Mascara-everywhere crying. Kari brought me a burrito.”
I laughed, the sound surprising both of us. “A burrito?”
“A very unhealthy burrito. It was my small act of rebellion.” She pulled back enough to look at me, and her smile turned sheepish.
“And then I kept thinking about how I’d just thrown away the best thing that’s happened to me in years.
Over a burger. A burger I also wanted to eat, by the way. All those memes made me crave one.”
“It wasn’t terrible,” I said with a laugh.
“I hated how I handled it,” she continued. “I should have told you what I was feeling instead of just pushing you out the door. I’m going to be bad at this sometimes. The relationship part. The vulnerability part.”
“Good thing you’re dating a guy who’s also bad at it. We can be terrible together.” I ran my hand up and down her back. “We’ll figure it out. No more running when things get hard. Deal?”
“Deal.” She kissed me again, lingering this time.
This was it. This was what I’d been so terrified of losing. Not just the sex or the partnership or the chemistry everyone kept talking about. This. Her in my lap on my deck with me.
“What are you thinking?” she asked, catching me staring.
“That I’m the luckiest guy in Los Angeles.”
“Smooth.”
“It’s the truth. Yesterday I was one viral video away from losing my company, my reputation, and you. Tonight I’ve got a nationwide distribution deal and the woman I love sitting in my lap telling me she loves me back.” I shook my head. “Talk about whiplash.”
I held her, both of us content to do nothing else for a good long while.
She yawned and clapped a hand over her mouth. “Oh my God, I’m sorry. It’s not the company, I swear. I barely slept last night.”
“Me neither.” I ran my hands down her arms and felt her shiver. The ocean breeze had picked up, and she was still in her work clothes, no jacket. “Come on. Let’s get you inside before you freeze.”
I stood, taking her with me, and she laughed as she found her footing. I kept her hand in mine as we walked across the deck.
I followed her down the hallway. We both undressed and crawled into bed.
She curled into me immediately, her head finding its place on my chest, her leg hooking over mine like we’d done this a thousand times instead of a handful.
I pulled the blanket over us both and pressed my lips to her forehead. Then her jaw.
“I thought you were tired,” I teased.
“Not anymore. I need you.”
“You’ve got me.”
The next morning, I woke up before Juno and didn’t move a single muscle. My alarm went off and I reached out and tried to quiet it before it woke her.
Juno stirred and groaned into my chest. “Tell the bees to go away.”
“Sorry,” I said.
She lifted her head, squinting at the daylight streaming through the windows. “What time is it?”
“Six-ish.”
“Ugh.” She flopped onto her back and threw an arm over her eyes. “I should go home. Shower. Put on real clothes. Pretend to be a professional.”
I rolled onto my side and propped my head up on my hand, just looking at her.
“Or,” I said, “we call in sick.”
She peeked at me from under her arm. “We’re not sick.”
“I’m sick of everyone who isn’t you. That counts.”
A slow smile spread across her face. “My father will never buy it.”
“Your father is celebrating the biggest deal of the year. He won’t even notice you’re gone.”
She chewed her lip, and I watched the internal battle play out.
She grabbed her phone from the nightstand on her side of the bed and typed out a message to Kari. Not feeling well, need to rest, hold down the fort, don’t call unless the building is on fire.
Kari’s response came back in seconds.
Juno laughed and turned the screen toward me: ‘Sick’ with air quotes. Got it. Have a wonderful ‘illness.’ No fires, but if one starts I’ll let it burn.
“She’s onto us,” I said.
“She’s known since the beginning. She’s just been waiting for confirmation.” She put her phone back. “Your turn.”
I texted Toby: Under the weather today. Keep things running.
His reply was a single burger emoji followed by about fifteen cry-laughing faces.
I dropped my phone back on the nightstand and pulled her against me, tucking her under my chin. She sighed into my chest like she’d finally found the exact spot she’d been looking for her whole life. I knew the feeling.
“So what does one do on a sick day?” she asked.
“Well, first there’s a mandatory period of doing absolutely nothing.”
“How long is that?”
“As long as you want.” I kissed the top of her. “Then breakfast in bed.”
“That definitely sounds nice.”
“Then, we move to the couch. Put on something terrible. Fall asleep halfway through. Have lunch. Then go for a romantic walk on the beach.”
She tilted her face up to look at me, her eyes soft. “Say it again.”
“Say what?”
“You know what.”
I kissed her forehead, then the tip of her nose, then her mouth. “I love you, Juno Young.”
“And I love you, Hollis Blackwell.” She settled back against my chest. “Even when you cause national burger disasters.”