Page 90 of Sweet Heat at Bayside
She plowed into the bedroom, stopping cold at the sight of her clothes neatly stacked inside a suitcase. Tears sprang from her eyes. She clutched the champagne bottle in one hand, the cookie box in the other, feeling like a freaking idiot. Why had she argued with him? Why was she so darn stubborn?
“Serena.” Drake’s deep voice boomed through the blaring music as he strode out of the bathroom in a towel, his toiletries bag in one hand, shampoo bottle in the other.
“I’ve been trying to call you,” she shouted over the music. “I’m sorry. I know I’m stubborn and a pain in the butt. I shouldn’t have argued with you about Gavin. You’re right, Drake. I should have checked him out. Oh, please don’t end us because I’m an idiot.”
He tossed the toiletries bag and shampoo into the suitcase and closed the distance between them. “I hate fighting with you,” he shouted. “But that’s who we are, Serena.Twobullheaded people.”
Tears slid down her cheeks. “But we can make it work! I’ll be less stubborn. I promise.”
He cupped her face, shaking his head. Breaking her heart one move at a time. His thumb brushed away her tears, but it did nothing to slow the river of sadness consuming her.
“You can’t be less stubborn, and I don’t want you to,” he said loudly.
“But you packed my stuff! I don’t want you to pack my stuff. I want our stuff together. I can learn to shut up.”
He shook his head again with a disbelieving smile. “No, you can’t.”
“Oh gosh…” Tears blurred her vision, and the music vibrated inside her chest, making her ache with grief.
“Your unwillingness to sell yourself short or step back for anyone is what makes you so strong!” he shouted. “And my unrelenting need to protect you is what will ensure you won’t get hurt. Don’t you see, Supergirl?” A genuine smile curved his lips. “We are perfect for each other. We were each other’s first loves, and we’ll be each other’s last.”
“But…?” She looked at the suitcase, trying to process his words against his moving her out.
“I was packingourstuff, coming to Boston to be with you until you moved here. I called Reggie, and he said he’d have a report on Gavin tomorrow. I wanted to be there with you when Justine called to accept your offer.”
Happy sobs bubbled out, and Serena lifted the champagne bottle and the cookie box. He took them from her and set them on the bed. Then he lowered his lips to hers, healing her shattered heart one loving kiss at a time. His body was warm and damp from the shower. The deeper they kissed, the hotter he became.
“Drake! Turn it down!” Mira’s voice approaching from down the hall pulled them apart. “Serena’s trying to reach—” She appeared in the doorway.
Drake moved behind Serena, and she couldn’t suppress her giggle.
Mira shifted her eyes away. “Oh.Never mind.”
Rick burst into the room behind her. “What’s all the racket?”
Drake put his arms around Serena’s waist, speaking above the music. “Just two passionate people talking. You won’t have to deal with it much longer. I’m going to Boston.”
“For real?” Mira shouted.
“For real,” Drake said as he turned Serena in his arms, gazing down at her like she was the love of his life—and she knew she always would be. “For very,veryreal.”
Epilogue
SERENA PULLED UP in front of the offices of Mallery and Wheeler Interior Designs and sat in her car for a moment, taking it all in. It had been eight weeks since Reggie Steele’s report on Gavin had come back clean, seven weeks since they’d sealed the deal with Justine, five weeks since she and Gavin had left KHB, and three weeks and five days since they’d opened their new offices. Serena hated secrets, and she’d told Gavin about Drake hiring Reggie Steele to check him out before Justine accepted the offer. She’d been relieved to hear that Gavin had also checkedherout long before suggesting they partner together. Apparently, he was as cautious and business savvy as Drake. Needless to say, the two men in her life had since become fast friends.
“Just in time for me to leave for a meeting,” Gavin said as Serena stepped into their office and set her things on her desk.
“I’m sensing a pattern here. You left when I arrived yesterday, too.”
“Two ships passing in the night, I guess,” Gavin said as he gathered his things and pushed to his feet in his jeans and dress shirt. For the most part he’d ditched his classy suits, and he fit right in on the Cape and with her friends. It turned out that he’d grown up not far from Desiree and Emery in Oak Falls, Virginia, and they knew each other fairly well.
“You taking off soon?” he asked.
“About a half hour or so. I have some things to get ready for tomorrow. Good luck with the meeting. Who is it with?”
“Small retailer in Brewster. I’ll fill you in at breakfast tomorrow. Rick promised to up his game. I’m hoping for those custard tarts Desiree made last week.”
She smiled to herself as he left the office. They’d had some bumps and bruises at first, figuring out how to approach certain aspects of marketing and introducing Justine’s clients to their new firm, but they’d worked through them and had continued to work well together. They were learning when to give each other space and when to stock up on cookies.
