Page 44 of Sincerely Not Yours

Taken off guard, her lips slowly tilted into a lopsided smile. “I’m your drug?”

“I probably didn’t say that right.” Harris grinned before he gently tugged her near. She gave in, letting him press her hands over his heart. “What I’m trying to say is that I want to be around you and with you. I care about you, but I also need to be honest and tell you I’m struggling with leaving my life behind in New York.”

She paused for a few breaths before nodding. Her heart fluttered like a hummingbird, reacting to the longing in his eyes, but her mind told her she needed more. “What don’t you wantto leave behind?” She prayed he wouldn’t surprise her with “wife” or “girlfriend.” This close to him, she’d have a hard time dropkicking him in the head.

Harris ran his thumb over the back of her hand. “GambleOnLove is in New York, but it isn’t just a business or income for me. It was my best friend Adam’s dream, and he passed two years ago . . .” Harris’s voice wavered, and Gigi stilled. She stopped breathing, immediately tightened her grip on his hand.

“Adam died?”

Harris nodded, and Gigi caught the shine in his eyes. It made her heart hurt.

“In a car accident,” he added. “I was supposed to meet him for dinner but got wrapped up in a meeting. He grabbed an Uber to cross town and meet me at my house, and it got hit head-on by a drunk driver.”

Her hand flew to her mouth, covering a gasp. The silence in the kitchen was deafening. “That’s horrible,” she muttered past her hand.

Harris blinked, obviously trying to push aside the memory of Adam’s passing away. “I promised myself I’d carry on his legacy. It’s why I’ve been so committed to the app. It’s not just a company to me. It’s a way to keep a part of him alive.”

Gigi’s eyes welled with tears. “Harris, I didn’t know. I’m so sorry.”

“I didn’t mean to dump all of that on you.” His voice was thick with emotion. “But I need you to know where my head is at.” He tipped her chin up with a finger. “That was a very long way of me explaining what I’m struggling with . . . and telling you, I really like you.”

She pressed her lips together, wanting to believe Harris and struggling with her own fear of abandonment. “I really like you too,” she replied, strangely following her gut.

“I want to make this work.”

Gigi nodded, watching the Christmas lights reflect and sparkle in his eyes, wanting his last statement to be true. They held each other’s gazes, and she churned through thoughts, emotions, and worry until Harris closed the gap, gently pressing his lips to hers. He kissed her, slow and tender, then wrapped his arms around her and held her until her doubts eased. They hugged and stayed pressed together long enough that Rudy mewed at them.

Gigi rubbed her fingers in a slow circle on Harris’s back. “I think he wants us to join him on the couch.”

“I couldn’t think of anything better,” he replied.

Chapter Twenty

“Hang on a second, Sis,” Gigi spoke into the phone, before pulling it from her ear. She’d called her sister, Val, while walking to her favorite coffee shop—the one across the street from her apartment building, where they knew her by name.

Gigi waved at the barista behind the registrar, Nico, who was sporting his signature bowtie and tweed fedora. “The aqua bowtie is killer. Really brings out your eyes.”

Nico’s face lit up, and he touched his bowtie. “Ms. Gigi, you are the sweetest! What can I get you this beautiful morning?”

“Truck driver coffee,” she replied, tipping her head to give him her serious eyes.

“You got it.” Nico flipped a paper cup off a stack and scribbled her name across it. “Steaming hot cup of truck driver expresso blend. Room for cream?”

She shook her head, and Nico whistled, raising his brow. “Coming right up.” He turned toward the back counter and Gigi pressed the phone to her ear again.

“Okay, I’m back,” she said to Val.

“Sissy,whatis truck driver coffee?”

“It’s the kind of coffee you get when you have to drive from here to Florida in one shot.”

Val cackled, clearly entertained by Gigi’s explanation. “Why do you need that strong of coffee?”

Gigi paused, considering her answer as Nico clicked a top on the steaming cup. “Thanks, Nico.” She slid him a bill and told him to put the change in the tip jar. He winked and handed her the cup. “I got sucked into a movie and was up way too late.” She padded the truth. In reality, she’d stayed up into the wee hours of the morning, talking with Harris. They watched a movie, but Gigi had been more focused on their conversation and each stolen kiss. They’d talked more about Adam and their families. Conversation spiraled into hopes and dreams. As for the show, she couldn’t remember the plotline. She barely remembered the actors.

But Gigi wasn’t quite ready to tell her big sis about Harris. Val had taken care of Gigi while their mom worked long hours to keep food on the table, so Val was as much of a mom to Gigi as their mother was. Gigi wanted to be one hundred percent certain of her relationship with Harris before breaking the news to Val. She wouldn’t gush to her sister ever again about a man that might not stick around. No matter how crazy she was about him.

“Was it a romance or a murder mystery?” Val asked, knowing Gigi’s genres of choice.

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