Page 78 of Love is an Open Book
I balance the containers on my hip, fumbling for my keys. “You could’ve said something back there.”
“Like what? We agreed not to tell anyone we were together.”
“That’s why you should have protested.”
He shrugs. “Thought you might want to use it as another trope test.”
“We’re supposed to be done with those.”
“Yeah, well, that was the perfect moment to tell them the truth about us, and you denied it.”
I look up from digging for my keys in my purse and noticehis jaw is tight. “I couldn’t tell them without checking with you first.”
“I made it clear where I stand,” he says. “I don’t want to fake it.”
“We weren’t faking it today. We just weren’t being super obvious.”
He gives me a dubious look. “But when she straight-up called us a couple, you shot her down.”
“Looks like I was right to do so. They foisted couples therapy on us while under the impression we’re just friends. Can you imagine their reaction if they found out we were dating?”
“Um, be happy for us?” He shrugs. “Maybe this is them matchmaking. If they knew we were together, they’d have no reason to force it on us.”
“Okay, I see your logic,” I admit. “But I still don’t think it was the right time.”
“Springing it on them during the baby shower probably wouldn’t have been in good taste,” he admits, leaning against the cab of his truck.
“You’re saying I was right?”
“Mostly, yeah,” he says, and smiles.
“You’re pretty good at this boyfriend stuff.”
“I’ve had a lot of time to prepare. Almost ten years.”
“So friendship was just the warm-up?” I raise my brows, challenging him. I went through that with Stewart, who only wanted to be friends because he thought it would lead to more.
Gavin shakes his head. “Friendship with you was everything. But this?” His eyes darken with intensity, the leafy branches overhead casting dappled shadows on his face. “This is the kind of thing I only ever expected to read about in your books. You make me feel greedy, Mia.”
I know the feeling. “Your place or mine?” We’ve spent the afternoon pretending to be just friends, but now it’s just us, and I don’t intend to hold back. Not ever again.
Twenty-Six
Mia
The third act. That’s all that stands between me and finishing the book. Lots of readers hate this part. Some even skip it. Sometimes it’s a breakup, sometimes not. Either way, the characters are headed to their lowest point. This is where I got stuck last time, unable to pull Sydney and Victor together again after pushing them apart. But now I have years of experience putting characters to the test and letting them prove they’ve learned how to love and be loved.
For the first time, I see what these best friends gain by embracing love, not just what they stand to lose. Even though I’ve been a little distracted—okay, a lot distracted—by Gavin and the kittens, I’m midway through writing it and ready to give the best friends their own happy-ever-after, but first I need to get through this weekend—the book convention on Friday and Saturday, then the couples retreat on Sunday. After that, I have two weeks to buckle down and finish the book.
The first day of the signing is Friday, only two days from now, and I’ll be checking into the hotel tomorrow afternoon to get settled, but I haven’t gone over the talking points, pickedout outfits, or crated up any of my swag. Totally unlike me, but since “me” is currently sitting on my desk, making out with Gavin, it’s not the biggest shock.
I’m supposed to be sorting through stock, but he came over with pizza and kissing him turned out to be a lot more appealing than packing. The truth is I’ve been procrastinating on preparing for weeks because I’m nervous for the inevitable questions about the unfinished book. It’s just another stress on the growing list: a moved-up deadline, the possibility Gavin will be moving, and the change in our relationship.
Up until recently, our friendship was something I took for granted, something steady and reliable. Part of me misses that surety, but the other part of me is very much enjoying this current stage of our friendship.
On the desk, my phone vibrates, and I pull back with a groan. Dizzily, I check the text.
Kim:Hey, do you still need me to be your assistant for the book con?
