Page 131 of Battle of the Bookstores

He laughs. “I think we can make that happen.” Then he presses his forehead against mine and closes his eyes. “So…now for the most important discussion. If it isn’t clear already, I love you.”

I startle upright. “Did you just say that? Just like that? Shouldn’t there be more ceremony? I don’t know—I’ve never actually had a guy tell me he loves me before.”

“All this isn’t enough?” he says, looking around the store. He’s smiling, though, amused. Then he takes my chin in his hand, forcing my eyes to meet his. “I’m all in, Josie. One hundred percent. Always and forever. But if you need more time, that’s fine, too. Just know that I’m not going anywhere.”

As I look into his eyes, flickering with the reflection of dozens of candles, I realize that I have a choice. I can keep my armor, keep him at a distance for weeks or months, slowly allowing him a little more of my heart.

Or I can be brave and do what I should have done the firstnight we spent together, when I learned that the two men I loved were the same person.

“I—I need you to be patient with me,” I say slowly. “I don’t know how to be in a good relationship, I’ve never experienced one—”

“I can recommend a few books to learn from,” he cuts in, grinning.

I smile back, then take a deep breath. “I know you’ve spent years thinking you didn’t measure up, that you weren’t enough, but youare.You’re more than I ever expected, more than I ever dreamed of. You deserve someone who loves you without hesitation, and I—” My voice cracks. “I’m not going anywhere, either. No more holding back, no more hiding. I’m all in, too, one hundred percent. I love you, Ryan.”

Relief washes over his face and he folds me against him, tucking my head under his chin. He lets out a long, shaky exhale, like a weight has finally lifted. “Thank you,” he whispers.

And that has to be the most quintessentiallyRyanthing I’ve ever heard—thankingmefor loving him, as if it’s not the best thing that’s happened to me.

“I knew we’d get our happy ending,” he says.

I sit back to look at him. “This isn’t our happy ending.”

His forehead creases in confusion. “Seems pretty happy to me.”

“Yes, but think about it. Even after a book ends, whether it’s happy or tragic, the characters have more life to live—and so do we. So much happens beyond the pages that we never get to read. That’s what I’m looking forward to—living it all, the good times and the tough ones—wherever the story takes us.”

“Beyond the pages,” he says, smiling. “I love that.”

As I kiss him, unshakable certainty fills my heart. I may not know exactly what will happen next, for the bookstore or our relationship or our individual lives, but I know one thing for sure: I want Ryan by my side as we find out.

The battle is over. But our story is just beginning.

One Year Later

Ryan

When my lovelamented about the happy endings in romance novels, she forgot about the epilogue. The glimpse into the future—maybe one year, maybe more—to let the reader know that the happiness of the characters they’ve come to love was not short-lived. That in the space between the end of the last chapter and the end of the book, the characters have continued to grow and live their full, complicated, beautiful lives.

Our lives have definitely been full over the last twelve months. Going back to school has been an adjustment for Josie, but she’s rising to the challenge with the same badassery and grace she brings to everything she does. She added a business minor to her degree, so it’ll take her longer to graduate, but the things she’s learning will set her up for success in whatever she decides to do next.

And I’d be lying if I said it didn’t feel good to take care of her, keeping her fed and watered with plenty of Americanos and the occasional Munchkin.

Between studying and reading (for pleasure!), Josie’s beenworking a few hours a week at the store. She’s helped me implement a lot of her systems and strategies so I’m no longer making decisions based on my gut alone. More than that, her support and belief in me have helped my anxiety go down and my confidence go up.

The new, expanded bookstore is organized and efficient, but we’ve maintained the personality of my old store, the coziness that invites customers to feel at home. And of course, our romance selection is still the largest and most diverse in the city.

Josie’s here now: moderating an event with author Luke Duncan about the second book in hisCamp ShadowsYA series, which our teen readers have been devouring. Josie and Luke—who used to write under the name William Lucas Duncan (I always thought the three-name thing was a bit pretentious)—are having a lively discussion about why it’s so important to let kids with disabilities be the heroes of their own stories, and the teenagers in attendance are rapt. Although it’s hard to say if that’s because of the conversation, or because Luke looks like a modern-day Paul Newman—which also explains why Eddie’s been lingering by the event space for the last hour.

“Hey, boss—I’ve got something for you.”

Cinderella’s smile is as bright as her hair, which is currently blue. She says she’s still trying to figure out who she is, but I think she’s a human rainbow: full of color and quick to make people smile.

She’s been smiling more lately, ever since she started “talking” to a very nice man. Carlton was the foreman of the construction crew that worked on our stores, and he keptcoming in after the job ended. Cinderella insists they’re just friends, but I see the way she lights up when he walks in.

“Should I be nervous?” I ask.

“Don’t be silly,” she says dismissively. “Put your hand out.”

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