Chapter 22 #2
“I’ve realized that I have wasted years being in love with you and not doing anything out of some sort of misguided principle that doesn’t even make sense.
And I think part of the reason I was so upset at Luke and Mia for getting together was because I felt like they had crossed boundaries that they just weren’t meant to, to protect their friendship.
And when they got together, I realized that maybe I was being a fool.
Maybe I had wasted time spending so many years not wanting to cross those boundaries because of some sort of honor.
And I regretted it, but I just didn’t know how to get around it, how to let you see that I was interested.
I knew you were hurt. I knew you were upset.
And I knew you were really trying to distance yourself from me.
And it hurt me because I felt like we had a pretty good relationship before that night. ”
“I mean, yeah, but it was obviously based on the fact that I was spending a lot of time with you because I had a crush on you. And you hurt me when you turned me down.”
“I know, and I’m sorry. I’ll never do it again,” he says. “You know that, right?”
“I hope so.” I stare at him. “Is it crazy? Are we crazy?”
“If we’re crazy, we’re crazy together.”
“You know what’s funny?” I say to him.
“Oh, what?”
“Do you remember that time we went and got photos at that fair and it was just you and me? And then we were staring ahead, and you turned to me, and you gave me a kiss on the cheek, and I kind of blushed, and we laughed, and you made a comment to me?”
“Oh, what did I say?”
“You said something like, Maybe the next time we’re in this booth, we’ll have fallen in love. Do you remember that?” I ask him.
He shakes his head. “Not really.”
“You’d had a couple of beers, and I always wondered if you had said it because you meant it or you’d said it because you were drinking.”
“Fine,” he says. “I do remember.” He grins. “And I didn’t say it because I was drinking. I said it because I was hoping you’d say, I’m in love with you already.”
“What?” My jaw drops. “I didn’t know that.”
“Yeah. I was hoping that I’d say, Maybe next time, we’ll fall for each other and then you’d say, But I’ve fallen for you already. And then we’d kiss, and everything would just be cool, and, well, obviously, that’s not how it went.”
“I didn’t know that,” I say, grabbing his hands and kissing him lightly on the lips.
“You have nothing to be sorry about, Juniper. We have the rest of our lives to make each other happy, and we have a date to go on, hopefully tonight.”
“What’s the date?”
“You’ll see.” He grins at me.
He looks down at his watch and groans. “But I should head back to work because there are a number of animals waiting to see me. And I think Sarah is going to quit if I keep taking time off and disappearing from the office.”
I start laughing then. “I should head down to Salty Pages and make sure Sage and Rosie are doing okay.”
“Your cousins are all right, you know?”
He squeezes my hand as we go walking.
“What do you mean?”
“They kind of convinced me that I needed to man up, and I’m glad they were so direct because they were right.”
“Wow, I didn’t even realize that.” I stare at him. “Damn. They’re good girls.”
“They are. They’re crazy, but I love them.”
“Yeah.”
“They are crazy.” He laughs. “But I’m sure they are going to be absolutely fantastic in whatever they decide to do next in life.”
“I hope so.” I grin at him.
I decide not to tell him that their plan is to move to a rich town and meet billionaires because maybe then he’ll think they’re gold diggers, and I don’t want him to think that.
“Anyway, what’s the date you have planned?”
“It’s a secret, darling. If I told you that, well, then I’d have to kill you.”
I hit him in the arm, and he bursts out laughing.
“Kill you with kindness, I mean.”
“Very funny.”
He stops then and pulls me into his arms. He leans down and kisses me hard, and I reach up and run my fingers through his silky hair. I feel his hands running down the sides of my body as he brings me into him. I can feel his heart racing as he kisses me. Our tongues intertwine.
“I can’t wait until tonight,” he says, whispering against my lips. “I can’t wait to make you mine one more time.”
“One more time?” I say, raising a single eyebrow, and he laughs.
“Well, maybe not one more time.” He chuckles. “And maybe one billion more times.”
“That’s more like it.” I laugh.
“Or maybe one billion and one.”
“Or maybe one billion and two,” I say. And then he lightly presses his fingers against my lips and I want to melt into him. There’s something comforting about being with Rafe. He’s my safe space. My home. My love. He’s everything I’ve hoped I would find in a partner and yet, it doesn’t feel unreal.
“I love you, Juniper Meadows. I love you more than I’ve ever loved anyone in my life.”
“I love you too, Rafe. I think this is the happiest I’ve ever been.
” My heart thuds as he lightly touches the side of my face and stares into my eyes.
His fingers trace a line from freckle to freckle and then he kisses each one.
My heart explodes with love for this man.
And I know that what we have is the height of bliss.
We are the two luckiest people in the world.