Page 105 of Love to Hate You

“Summer.” She shook hands. “Nice to meet you. Now can we get this party started.”

“Shouldn’t you be next door?”

“Yes, but the owner informed me that they no longer carry romance and that Romance Central is All Things Cupid.”

Her heart did a little flip of disbelief while a flutter of butterflies took flight in her belly. “He said that?”

Had he really put her, put love and emotions, before his work? Was there a small bead of hope for them?

“Then he moved the party over here. Now that you’re up to date, would you mind opening up shop so I can be ready to sign the first book at 12:01 a.m.?”

“Of course.” She reached into her robe pocket and came up empty. “My keys are back in the—”

“They’re right here,” Cleo said, looking like she’d just gotten off her motorcycle and hadn’t had time to remove her helmet. Behind her were twenty-plus Harleys rumbling and creating a spectacle, which only drove the crowd crazier.

Cleo unlocked the door and led Sloan to a table that was already set up, with a pink chair, books ready to sign, and decorations surrounding the store. There was a tablet at the front of the store, right at the door, where people could sign up for their newsletter, and to Summer’s surprise nearly everyone was.

From there the line went up and down the aisles and, just like they’d hoped, customers were picking up stacks of books to buy.

“We’ll never get them all rung up,” Summer whispered to Cleo. “We don’t have enough staff.”

“Already taken care of.” Cleo pointed to three men, each built like a beast, each with a handlebar mustache, each probably carrying a warrant to appear in court, and each running their own tablet with a credit-card slide.

Thank god biker romances were the thing, because the ladies were eating it up. Their winks, their flirting, even the permanent frown on the third one.

She turned to Cleo. “You knew. All day you knew, and that’s why you wanted me out of the shop.”

“It was all Wes’s idea. He showed up at six a.m. on my porch. Lucky I didn’t shoot the bastard. Then he told me his plan.”

“But he’ll get sued.”

“I’m willing to take the risk,” a familiar voice said from behind her.

Summer turned around and felt her heart ping through her chest like it was a pinball machine. Wes was dressed in low-slung jeans, anALL THINGS CUPIDshirt that saidSTAFFacross the back, and sneakers. He looked like a harbor in the storm that had been building the past few days.

She pushed her way through the crowd as he started walking toward her, people automatically moving to the side for him. When they were close enough that she could smell the fog machine vapor on his skin, she released the first full breath since she’d walked away.

“I’m sorry,” they both said at the same time, and a smile touched each of their faces.

“What are you sorry for?” Confusion collapsed his forehead.

“That I walked away. You told me you loved me, you showed me you loved me, and at the first sign of trouble I ran. I ran because I let my insecurities and prejudice get the best of me,” Summer said. “I never should have left. I should have stayed and worked it out. I know that people have walked out on you your whole life, but I refuse to be one of them. I love you, Weston Kingston.”

“How? I put my needs over yours, hung you out to dry, and wasn’t even open to other solutions. I chose pride. I hurt you and I hate myself for that.”

She looked at the shop full of customers who were going to get her back in the black. “You came up with a solution. Look at this place.” She went serious. “You aren’t going to get sued, are you?

“Nope, I sold them on the idea of a local bookshop with generations of romance and smut. I explained that as a romance author, how could she stand in the way of love, and she agreed.” He cupped her hips. “But I would have done it even if they’d threatened to sue.”

Her heart bubbled up like a bottle of champagne ready to explode. “You would?”

“I have a team of lawyers who can get me out of anything, remember? Plus, the board knows I’m the best man for the job. And they’re scared of me. Just somewhere along the way I forgot that the power of love is stronger than the power of fear.”

“I’m not scared of you.”

“I know, and that’s part of the reason I love you. You call me on my shit, are honest to a fault, and know how to argue like it’s dirty foreplay. Plus, we’ve had more perfect meet-cutes than you have in this store. And I hope those outweigh the darkest moment.”

“Every romance has its darkest moment,” the biker with resting kill face said, and the crowd voiced their agreement.

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