Page 91 of Unromance

“No,” he said around a grin. “You’re right on time.”

“Thank God.” Her shoulders sagged visibly with relief. “Mason, I’m so sorry. I’ve spent so long trying to keep people at arm’s length so I couldn’t get hurt again, but somehow you snuck in there, and I cared about you a scary amount. I was so terrified that I would let you in and then you’d move and I’d be left a mess and everything was happening so fast and you told me you loved me in the middle of an argument and—” She took a shaky breath. “I wasn’t ready to hear it then, but I get it now. We don’t get to choose who we fall for or when. Sometimes it’s a random girl in an elevator or a guy you were supposed to have a one-night stand with, but you do get to choose who you stay with.”

He waited only half a beat to make sure she was done talking before crossing the hallway in a single stride. Pausing Peter Gabriel, he pulled her into the circle of his arms, pressing his forehead against hers. “I’m sorry, too. I shouldn’t have pushed you so much. I cannot believe I Moira-ed you. You don’t know how much I’ve kicked myself for that. Or for rushing this thing between us. I knew you needed to go slow, but it was like once we started I got completely swept up and not that that’s an excuse—”

She placed a finger over his lips. “I know. I felt the same way, and it scared me. I told myself I had to focus on salvaging my career, then I’d worry about—” She gestured vaguely. “Everything else. But I was so focused, I cut myself off from living at all. You taught me how to fall in love with life again. Sharing this with you has been the best thing to happen to me in years. I haven’t had someone in my corner—haven’tletsomeone be in my corner,” she corrected herself. “But I want you there. I want to be with someone who’s going to push me. I want to be with someone who loves me not only for who I am now, but also for who they know I want to be. But—” she said with a small smile. “If we’re going to make it work, I need you to talk to me, even if we don’t have the perfect words yet, and I promise to do the same, because—” She took a deep breath, and Mason held his. “I love you.”

His hand was in her hair in an instant, tilting her face back so he could capture her mouth with his, her lips that had just uttered the most perfect words, ones he never dared to imagine hearing. He wanted to drown in the sound and feel of it. He knew they had more to talk about, but right now all he could think about was how they’d have time to do it later. They had alater. That thought alone was making him lightheaded. Well, that and the fact that he’d barely breathed, so intent on pouring everything they hadn’t said into hiskisses, their lips conveying the breadth of feeling that words couldn’t encompass.

Sawyer pulled back first, inhaling shakily. “Well, I never want to fight like that again, but, um, making up isn’t exactly awful.”

“For the record,” he said, brushing his lips across hers. “When we inevitably do fight again, all of this was a nice touch, but not necessary. All I wanted was for you to come back.”

She smiled. “I know. But I wanted you to know how serious I was, that I was all in. I couldn’t expect my characters to make a grand gesture, and then cower on my couch because I was scared.”

Mason straightened, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. “You finished your book?”

Sawyer nodded, smiling bashfully, and he pulled her in for a hug so fierce her feet left the ground. He spun her in a circle before letting her back down. “I am so fucking proud of you.”

“Well, I have you to thank.”

He raised his brows in question.

“I was so mad about Liatiago breaking up that I needed a happy ending, so I wrote one.”

Mason’s lips parted in surprise. “You watched my show?”

She shrugged like it was nothing. “I missed you, okay? I was in a bad way.”

His shoulders shook with laughter, and she held up her finger, fixing him with a death glare. “I’m still behind a season, so if you spoil it for me, I swear we’re fighting again.”

He mimed zipping his lips.

“So, anyway,” she began with a sigh. He didn’t need to hear any more explanations, any more apologies, but he was also dead curious how she’d ended up here, on his doorstep with a boom box and giant poster boards. “You’d already shown up at my door once andwritten me my first love letter, so it was my turn to make a grand gesture. And while I still don’t know if I believe in happily ever after, I’ve never been as happy as I was with you, and I’m not ready to let that go—not now and maybe not for a long while, if that’s okay with you.”

“It’s more than okay with me.” He grinned down at her, thumb stroking across her cheek. He still couldn’t believe she was here. “Maybe we should go inside?”

Biting her lip, she nodded.

Scooping up the cards and the boom box, he dropped the latter on the kitchen counter. He carried the cards over to a safe spot in the corner. He was going to frame the last one, without a doubt. He straightened as “In Your Eyes” began again. Turning around, he watched as Sawyer mimed playing air drums.

“Y’know, I always thought this song was kinda lame, but—” She began a slow shimmy of her shoulders. “I gotta admit, once it gets going, it goes pretty hard.”

The tempo picked up, and Mason extended his hand to her.

She eyed it warily before slipping her hand into his. “Are we really dancing in the kitchen?” she asked when he twirled her into him.

“Shh, embrace the cliché, Sawyer.” Leaning down, his lips brushed against the shell of her ear as he whispered, “I think you secretly like it.”

She laughed loudly. “I know you said it’s not necessary, but I think grand gestures may suit my natural dramatic flair.”

“I love your dramatic flair. You’ve ruined romance for me in the best possible way.” He tucked her hair behind her ear, frowning. “Have I not told you I love you yet?”

She shook her head slowly.

“Allow me to correct that immediately.” He squeezed her closer. “I love you, Sawyer Greene.”

She sank against him, resting her chin on his chest. “And I love you.”

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