59. That’s what you’re leading with?
Fifty-Nine
THAT’S WHAT YOU’RE LEADING WITH?
Luke
The sky showed no sign of sunrise on the horizon.
Trotting down the stairs through the dark cottage, I clicked the coffee maker on—which was prepared the night before—then hopped in the shower.
I had already packed a few essentials to get me through a couple of days, hoping and praying Liv would want me to stick around at least long enough to figure out if there’s a future for us.
Dressed and ready, I pull out my travel mug and stare at the coffeepot, waiting for it to finish its final drips.
I tap my fingers impatiently on the counter, staring at the duffle on the floor.
What if I’m about to take a seven-hour drive just to be told that whatever happened between us meant nothing to her? What if I hate living in the city?
I push my hand through my hair, rubbing the back of my neck.
After talking with my mom and Josh, something inside of me settled—clicked into place, like I finally fully accepted that Liv was the person I was supposed to spend my life with.
If that’s not what she wants too, then I’ll cross that bridge when I get there, but I have to try.
Josh insisted a romantic gesture was the way to go—“At least it works in books,” he said.
So here I am, relying on my cousin’s knowledge of relationships via Fran’s book recommendations, making one of the biggest decisions of my life.
With or without Josh’s interference though, this was bound to happen.
Now I’m on the precipice of grand gesture phase two, which is… to show up, I guess. I’ve got seven hours to figure out what I’m going to say when I get there. Maybe I’ll ask if she saw the review.
“Hey, did you see the review reply I wrote?” I mumble to myself as I pour the steaming coffee into the mug. No, that’s dumb. Don’t say that.
A scratching at my back door startles me from my train of thought. I pause, waiting to see if I hear it again. A muffled noise comes next. My eyes jump to the clock on the oven. 5:10 a.m.
“What the hell?”
I abandon the coffee and open the back door to a fat orange cat, who meows and trots across the threshold, tail wrapping around my calf. Confused, I stare at him for a beat before it registers that this cat knows me, and holy shit, I know him.
“Sunny?”
He reaches his front paws up, climbing my body, flexing his paw against the side of my thigh. I reach down to scratch the top of his head.
“What are you—” I push my head forward out the door, gaze sweeping left and then right until it lands on a figure out on the dock, bathed in the fading moonlight.
I all but sprint down the stairs toward the water, with Sunny ambling behind. I stop when I reach the small wooden gangway that leads the few feet down to the dock. I shake my hands at my sides. Pushing my fingers through my hair, I straighten my shirt, and take a deep breath to steady myself.
Her hair, tied up in a ponytail, shows off the feminine column of her neck, lean muscular legs on display, a teal oversized hoodie nearly covering her shorts.
She’s gazing at the few remaining stars still shining in the now-brightening sky.
With a deep breath, I take the first steps down the gangway and toward her.
She turns her whole body when the dock creaks under my weight. A slow, shy smile pulls one side of her lips. My eyes rove over her, catching on the phrase “My heart belongs in Maple Cove” displayed across the front of her sweatshirt.
I match her smile with one of my own.
“Hey.”
“Hey yourself,” I say, coming to stand in front of her. Everything in me wants to reach out and scoop her into my arms, kissing her madly, but a piece of me feels like I need to take this slow, ease into it.
“Sorry about Sunny. Once he figured out where we were, trying to keep him in the carrier was nearly impossible. I was afraid he’d break through the netting if I didn’t let him out.” She tucks a loose strand of hair behind her ear.
“Seeing him wander through my door was a surprise. All of this… is a surprise.” My hand pushes through my hair again. Liv nods, eyes turning back to the sky one more time. A pink hue in the distance has taken hold, pushing away the darkness, minute by minute.
“I will never tire of seeing the stars.” She sighs and then drops her gaze back to me. “Luke, I—”
“Did you see the review and my… my reply?” I suppress the urge to palm my face. Idiot.
She sucks air in through her teeth. “Really? That’s what you’re leading with?”
I laugh, shrugging. “Well, to be fair, I thought I had seven hours to come up with something really smooth, but you kinda took the wind out of my sails here. I was coming to New York. Bags are packed, coffee poured. Really going for that grand gesture that I hear the ladies love.”
Surprise sneaks across her face, but she pushes it away quickly.
“I can go…” She hikes a thumb over her shoulder.
“No! No.” I step into her space, wrapping my arms around her waist. Her hands find their way around my shoulders, fingers playing with the hair at the base of my neck. Nothing has ever felt so right.
“Don’t go. Don’t leave me again.” I run my nose along hers, kissing the tip while my heart thrashes in my chest. “Please… please stay.”
Her whole body relaxes into me, eyes softening, and she whispers against my lips, “I really hoped you’d say that.”