Page 88 of Love.V2
I couldn’t wait.
I’d only been in Nashville for a day before I’d had to head back. There were a lot of forts to hold down, and things to put in order, andDylan had been needed at Worther. I’d missed him so much it was like an ache.
My keys rattled in the lock, and then Dylan was there, shoving the door aside to sweep me into his arms. We kissed like it had been six months, not six days, since we’d last seen each other. It was a little ridiculous to feel such a strong surge of rightness and love and affection for this man. But I couldn’t help it.
We’d turned a corner together. We’d gotten through everything and now that we were on the other side, I just wanted to hold him.
“I missed you,” he growled into my mouth. I swallowed the sound down, yanking him closer and wrapping a leg around his hips. He boosted me up easily.
“You two gonna put on another show?” Mrs. Ramirez drawled from across the landing.
I went rigid in Dylan’s arms. He pulled back, coughing, though he didn’t put me down. I’d finally plucked up the courage last week to re-introduce myself to my neighbor, and now she was smirking at us.
“You saw that? Ma’am?” He gave her his best sheepish, southern-boy smile, enhanced by the touch of pink across his cheekbones.
“Just the first bit. You two sure were making a lot of noise.” She winked, her little dog prancing around her ankles. “I shut the peephole before I could get too much of an eyeful. I’m a classy lady, you know.” She patted her curlers and pulled her mumu closer around her.
“I can see that, yes, ma’am. We appreciate that. We’ll…try to keep the…shows to a minimum.”
“Or not.”Her smirk turned wicked. “Nice to spice things up now and again.” With those words of wisdom, she shooed her cockapoo down the stairs and left in a waft of Chanel No5.
“I’m never going to be able to look Mrs. Ramirez in the eyes again,” I warned as Dylan backed into the apartment. He almost knocked over his suitcase where it sat by the door. His laptop and a few files took up most of the kitchen counter. We were going to need a bigger place. Worther was still paying for his long-term hotel room, but in a few weeks his work with the mother ship would be done, and he’d need space to put everything he currently had in storage in Nashville.
“I don’t know. She seemed cool. ‘Spice things up’ is pretty great advice, as we know.”
“Yes, we do.” I slid down his body, but kept my arms looped around his neck. “I missed you, too, by the way.”
“Good…that’s good…” He glanced at the coffee table, then back to me. “Tess—”
“How’s Henry?” While we’d been apart, Lainey had reviewed Henry’s files and assured us the situation was severe, but not dire. He’d woken up two days later, and the first thing he’d asked for had been his wife, Beth.
“Good. I saw him before I left. He’s got a long road to recovery, but they’re hopeful he’ll be back on his feet soon. The doctor said Lainey is brilliant and competent and a pain in their asses.”
I snorted. “Sounds about right. She’s a force of nature.”
Dylan stepped back, rubbing his neck. “Yeah. I’m glad she’s in Henry’s corner. Listen,Tess—”
“And your dad?” I toed my shoes off. I wanted to curl up on the couch and talk with him forever. I wanted to rip his clothes off. I wanted to snuggle up and sleep. It had been a long week.
“Fine, hey, we need to talk,” he rushed out, running his fingers through his hair the wrong way, making it stick up everywhere. I stilled where I was pouring a glass of water.
“What’s wrong?” For the first time, I realized he looked stressed. Harried, maybe. Or nervous? “Is it something at work?”
A laugh blasted out of him, taking me off guard. “No, Angel, this isn’t about work. Come sit with me.”
“You’re freaking me out,” I warned. So simple, those words. Last year, maybe I would have kept my mouth shut, stewed in my uncomfortable feelings alone. Now, though, I trusted him. The same way he trusted me.
“I know. Just…let me get through this, please.” He reached into his carry-on backpack while I sat, pulling out a shoebox.
It was blue, with worn corners. I had vague memories of seeing it stuffed in a closet somewhere in our condo. “I got this from my lockbox back in Nashville. There’s one thing we never fully put to rest between us.”
I frowned, more jittery by the minute, especially when he pulled the lid off with a quiet reverence usually reserved for priests or the parents of a newborn baby.
What was in that box?
“Last week, you mentioned how I never married you because I was already married to my work.” His throat worked as he produced a small black velvet box and popped it open. Every atom in my body seized asI stared at the bright gold band, sparkling with a rainbow of tiny gems. It was beautiful. Colorful and unique. A sob unfurled in my chest as I stared at it.
“I bought this the day we graduated college.”
