Page 102 of The Geography of Happiness

He cupped my cheek. “Of course I’d do that. I’m way more flexible in where I can move than you are right now. It might still mean some time apart but we’d be a lot closer to each other. I’d be okay with that if you are. Plus, did you forget the part where I was about to pack up and head to Adelaide? It’s a geographical switch, nothing more.”

I sent him my bestyou-have-got-to-be-kidding-melook and he pulled a face.

“Yeah okay, so it might be a bit more complicated than that, but the point is, you matter enough to me right now to say no to Adelaide. Imagine how I’ll feel in six months if things really start to hum between us.”

God, this man. I had no words and I was done pretending. I cupped his cheek, his heavy scruff coarse on my palm, and all those tears I’d been holding back, grief at the thought of never having him as mine, began to fall.

Spencer leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to both my eyes. “Hey, hey, hey. What’s all this?” He brushed our noses together. “In case you haven’t noticed, I’m all in here, baby. Falling in love? In love? It’s a fine line at this point. I want this, Terry. I wantyou. And I’ll fight as hard as I can to make it happen.”

Spencer’s face swam in my vision, tears clouding those gorgeous brown eyes. I’d been fighting this, fighting him ever since we first met, but as I read the honesty in his gentle expression, those last walls finally crumbled. “I want all of that too,” my trembling voice barely audible in the quiet of the small room. “And I’ll fight hard for it as well.” He made it sound like a promise. I went up on my toes until my lips were almost on his. “Because you’re worth it.” I kissed him and his eyes lit up.

“That’s . . . Jesus, Terry . . . that’s . . . damn!” He grabbed me around the waist and lifted me off my feet.

“Hang on.” I laughed and slapped him on the shoulder. “Put me down, you crazy man.”

He did but kept me close.

“My agreement is conditional.” I told him.

Curiosity burned in his eyes. “All right, I’m listening.”

I cleared my throat. “Ifwe’re going to do this, there’s no way in hell that you’re going to be the one makingallthe sacrifices. You’re also not the only one who’s been thinking.”

His brow peaked with interest. “Is that right?”

“It is.” I smiled smugly. “I might not have got as far as you in admitting what I was feeling to myself and coming up with solutions, but I have been... reconsidering my all-or-nothing knee-jerk reaction. But all of my possibilities depend on Hannah’s recovery.”

Spencer’s smile broadened. “It’s nice to know it wasn’t just me.”

“It was never just you.” I stepped into him, bringing our bodies flush. “So, Mister Thompson, are we really doing this?”

He tucked an errant lock of hair behind my ears, his eyes shiny bright in the light from the hall. “Yes, Mister O’Connor, we’re really doing this.” He lowered his mouth to mine, and as our lips touched something in my heart broke free and took flight: one wing elation, the other nervous trepidation. My quiet, safe world was about to be tipped on its head. Everything was going to change. And I couldn’t have been more excited about it.

When Spencer was done feasting on my mouth, he leaned back and licked his lips. “I was planning to stay with Derek in case this didn’t go well, but I’m wondering now—” He ran a finger down my nose and throat all the way to the waistband of my jeans. “—whether that hotel bed of yours might be big enough for the two of us to snuggle and continue this conversation?”

I pretended to consider his suggestion. “Well, I suppose wecouldpush the two singles together, although I’m not sure that’s strictly needed for aconversation.”

Spencer’s mouth curved up in a devilish grin. “True. Then again, I wasalsothinking that maybeafterthat particular conversation, we could begin working on improving the number of times we’ve seen each other... naked.” He shrugged. “Just saying.”

A huge smile split my face. “You have the best ideas.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

Spencer

The clatterof trolley wheels in the hallway jolted me awake, but Terry didn’t budge from his position half-in, half-out of the La-Z-Boy, sound asleep with his head on my chest. I smiled and pulled the blanket over his shoulder before pressing a kiss to his head.

“He didn’t sleep at all in the hotel.” A familiar voice startled me and I looked up to find Hannah watching Terry and me with a smile on her face.

“You’re awake,” I observed wryly.

“You win the prize.” She chuckled, then winced, and I wondered when her next pain relief was due. “I’ve been watching you for a while.” She rolled gingerly onto her back and took a few deep breaths.

“Should I call the nurse?”

Hannah shook her head. “They were here just before. I’m not due anything more for another hour. It’s okay. I just have to remember to move slowly... and not laugh.”

Registering the grey light of morning washing the room, I reached for my phone only to find it was already after eight. Ishook my head. “Man, I can’t believe we slept that long. I guess we were both tired.”

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