Page 43 of A Little Too Forward

“It’s helping tons,” I joke with her, running my hands up and down her back. “I never want to stop kissing you,” I confess.

Her eyes sparkle with a happiness I haven’t seen in a very long time. The laugh that follows also has my heart bursting with joy at the sound.

“I realized something last night. When I was in your office.”

“My office?”

She nods. Twisting carefully so that she falls to the side of me but never leaves my arms, she intertwines our hands. “All the pictures. Looking at all those happy memories with you made me realize I was being stupid. No, wait, let me finish,” she begs when I open my mouth to tell her she’s never stupid. “Did you know that when we were teenagers, I had the hugest crush on you?”

“No, I never knew that. You were, and still are, hard to read.”

She nods again, her eyes locked on our joined hands.

“I liked you. Like, liked you liked you. I think that’s another reason why you leaving for Montreal hurt so much. Because the possibility of us being more than friends became impossible. You were moving far away, and I still had school to finish in Toronto. I was so happy for you. So, so happy. Playing professionally was your dream, and I never wanted to get in the way of that. But it felt like you were leaving me behind for the enemy. And that feeling, that resentment, grew over time.”

I pull her in tighter to my side, not wanting to interrupt her but needing to show her I understand.

“But I kept you with me all those years we didn’t talk. Your voice was always in the back of my head, telling me I could do anything. I didn’t like you, but you were, and have always been, my rock.” She takes a deep breath. The action makes me steel myself for what’s about to come.

“So to see your office last night, to understand that all this time you’ve been keeping me close too…” Her voice catches, and a tear escapes from the corner of her eye. “I’m sorry, Max. I’m sorry for not reaching out sooner. For denying and fighting what’s been building between us all this time. For missing all the signs you’ve been flashing at me and making excuses. I see it all now.”

Pushing up, she kisses the edge of my lips, then peppers the side of my face with more kisses.

“I’m done fighting this feeling. I want it all, Max. Whateverthisis, I want to try. With you, I want to try.”

Kissing her back quickly, I rest my head against the top of hers.

“I’ve been waiting what feels like my whole life for those words, Sabrina Sutton. I want you too. And I promise, there’s no distance and no obstacle that will keep me away now. You admitted you’re mine, and I’m going to do everything in my power to keep you there.”

“Good” is all she says but gives me a hard side hug. “Now that all our feelings are out in the open—how mature of us—let’s eat.”

While I would much rather take a bite out of her and continue fooling around, I know I need to take things slow. I’m still recovering and need a little more rest to feel like my normal self. And while Sabrina has admitted her feelings for me and says she’s all in, I don’t want to rush and scare her off.

“Sounds good, Bean.”

For the rest of the morning, we stay in bed, talking, eating, and resting together while only leaving our little nest of blankets if we absolutely have to.

If this is what the future holds, I can’t wait for our forever to begin.

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

SABRINA

Max and I are able to stay in our little crush-slash-love bubble for a day before the outside world intrudes. When my phone rings on the second day of being at Max’s house and I see Bruna’s name flashing on the screen, I know I can’t ignore it. Bruna holds my career and any future opportunities in the palm of her well-manicured hand.

I show Max who’s calling before I swipe to accept. His eyes flare with understanding.

“Hi, Bruna,” I answer, trying to hide the nerves fluttering in my stomach.

“Sabrina. We need to get filming back on track.”

Okay. No pleasantries, just straight to business.

“What do you mean back on track?”

“We’ve lost a day of filming. The crew was supposed to be up in Barrie at Max’s mansion, but that was cancelled. We need to resume immediately if we’re to premiere the series before Christmas. It’s essential we air this before Christmas. Max is a fan favourite and is guaranteed to boost viewership.”

Sitting up, I try to make sense of her words. “Filming was cancelled because Max is hurt. Did no one—”

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