Page 126 of Maybe We Can Fake It

“Wait, your dad wasdancing?” I ask incredulously. “I didn’t see him.”

He snorts. “Oh hell, no. He was just watching. And I already came out to him two days ago.”

I gasp. “You did? For me?”

“Well, yeah. But it was also something I needed to do for me.” He chuckles. “Turns out, he already knew. Apparently, I was the clueless one, not him.”

I’m trying to wrap my brain around what he’s saying, but at this point, I’m so overwhelmed. Did the town really just do a flash mob? Did Travis really sing like a frog? He came out to his dad after spending half his life hiding who he was? Or thinking he was hiding it, I guess.

Did Travis Reed actually tell me he loves me?

Oh, shit. I didn’t say it back.

“I love you!” I blurt out frantically. Probably too loudly. Because I don’t want him to take it back.

“Thank god,” he says, much quieter. And then he kisses me.

It’s not brief, not chaste.

He kisses me like he’s missed me as much as I’ve missed him. Like maybe he wants to meld us into one person. He kisses me like half the town isn’t watching us, but they definitely are. The clapping and cheering that starts up makes that abundantly clear. And still, he keeps kissing me.

I kiss him back with everything I have.

When we finally break for air, we’re both smiling like fools. He goes in for one more quick kiss, then says, “So what do we do now, and how do we make these people go away?”

As if on cue, my stomach lets out a loud, long rumble, and we both laugh.

“Can you make me a burger?” I ask, using my sweetest voice. The one I know he can’t say no to.

He smiles at me, looking honestly happier than I’ve ever seen him. And he says, “Baby, anything you want, it’s yours.”

I grin, taking his hand and leading him down from the gazebo. Then together, we walk away from the crowd, ignoring everything our friends and neighbors are calling out to us. When I gesture for my family, May, Elise, and Grant follow us across the street and over to the diner.

Travis pulls out a chair for me at an empty table, and I sit. But I can’t take my eyes off him as he goes behind the counter to pour a cup of coffee. Setting it down in front of me, he presses a kiss to the top of my head. And damn, I could get used to this.

As he turns to walk away again, I reach out and grab his ass. Because I can do that now. Even if he’d probably still prefer I don’t do it in public.

He jumps and slaps at my hand, but he’s laughing. It’s a beautiful sound.

Taking a sip of coffee, I smile in contentment. Perfect, like always. The truth is though, I don’t need Travis to make me coffee or burgers or pancakes, as much as I crave those things. Even if he was as terrible of a cook as I am, I’d still want him.

I’ll wait until we’re alone to tell him that when he gave me his heart, he gave me the only thing I really need from him. The rest is just a bonus.

EPILOGUE

BRENDEN

SIX WEEKS LATER

“Rightthere,yes,yes,yes!”

“You like that, baby?” Travis rasps as he nails my prostate repeatedly.

I’m bent over the desk in my office, trying to be quiet, butfuck, it’s hard. My forearms are braced on the desk, and he’s using my hips for leverage, so I really don’t need to do anything but take it. But I’m greedy, so I keep doing my best to push back and meet his thrusts. I want him as deep inside me as he can go. I want all of him, everything, always.

I moan wantonly when he reaches around for my achingly hard cock and starts stroking.

“Shhh, I’ve got you,” he soothes. “But you can’t be too loud.”

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