Page 22 of Serendipity

She rips off a chunk of bread and sops up some of the extra sauce. I made a double batch of the sauce for that specific reason so I’m glad to see she’s enjoying it.

“Because I finally gained the courage?”

“Is that a question or an answer?” she says with a laugh.

“Both. Honestly? When we ran into each other in the grocery store that day, it felt sort of… serendipitous, I guess. I was back, you and Brett were divorced, and something just clicked. I couldn’t get you out of my head for days, then we ran into each other again. And again. And as we spent time together, it only became clearer to me that there was something between us. But I knew you needed time and I was okay with that because I’ve been enjoying getting to know you. Our friendship is important to me.”

“Building blocks.”

“Pardon?”

“It was like building blocks. Our time before this. Or, maybe like when you’re building a new piece of furniture but you have to have a solid base before you can finish it and have it sturdy and all that.”

“Sturdy and all that…” I trail off with a grin, loving more than I can say that she used my business as an example.

“Well, I clearly don’t know the actual terminology but you get what I mean, right?”

I push my plate aside and she does the same with hers, giving me space to slide my hand over the table. Her hand is so soft compared to mine that is full of callouses from working.

“I know what you mean and you’re right. We do already have a good foundation because we’ve been friends for a while now, but you do get that this is different, right?”

Her smile is a little shy when she replies, “I do. I won’t lie, though. I’m scared.”

“Of what?”

She pulls a funny face. “Well, the last relationship I was in didn’t end well, and neither did yours.”

I chuckle. “Thank goodness for that. If they’d worked out, I wouldn’t be sitting here with you right now and honestly, I’d go through the marriage and subsequent divorce all over again if it meant that I landed right where I am now. Our marriages ended for a reason, Leah. Those weren’t our people.”

“And you think I’m your person?” she asks quietly, a little skeptical.

Yes. With one hundred percent certainty, but I don’t want toconvinceher. I want her to believe it herself. I want her to see what I see. “I’d certainly like to find out, but I believe so. I’m not proposing marriage, but I think the reward definitely outweighs the risk of it not working out between us romantically.”

“I can’t lose your friendship, Stone,” she whispers.

I lean down and kiss her hand. “You won’t. It’s impossible to lose my friendship, Leah.”

“But…”

“We can live a life filled with buts and what-ifs, Leah. Why not put them aside and go for it?”

“Are you okay with taking it slowly?”

I feel like I’ve been on the slow path to get here already, but I’m not pushing through the steps with her because I know it’s worth it. I have a feeling, though, this is more about intimacy than it is about a relationship. “Of course I’m okay with that.”

She blows out a breath like she was expecting me to tell her the opposite.

“I’m still scared.”

I grin at her. “Put that aside along with the what-ifs. Shove ‘em into a corner and set ‘em on fire if you must. Those fears and worries come from a place in the past and we’re looking toward the future. What happened with Brett, what happened with Danielle, it’s not a foregone conclusion that it’ll repeat. Danielle and I weren’t right for each other from the start, and Brett, well… he’s just a special kind of stupid for walking away from you.”

Her dark eyes seem to examine me for any signs of assurance that I believe we can make this work. Her hesitation makes me nervous. Sure, the physical signs have been there. Even the words and the way she looks at me. But maybe I’m reading her wrong and her fear of it not working out between us is actually not fear at all. Are her doubts actually a cover for not wanting to take this friendship into the next stage?

“Leah, do you want to try this with me? I think I’ve made it clear how I feel about you but if you don’t feel the same, I understand. I promise if you say no, and you want to stay only friends I won’t —”

She cuts me off by pressing her lips against mine and I swear it’s the best answer I’ve ever been given on anything aside from the doctor telling me I had a healthy baby girl.

I pull her out of her chair and hold her close, our bodies aligning perfectly and even though it’s not our first kiss, it feels like it is. The others were just a sample of what’s to come. Now that we know where each other stand, I’m considering this our first official kiss. I’d like more firsts with her. Can’t wait for more, actually. But not tonight. At least notthatfar.

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