Page 140 of Road Trip to Forever
“I love you,” I say, soft enough so only she can hear it.
“I love you too,” she answers, that lip-splitting, ear-to-ear grin back on her face.
“Oh mygod.”
I look over to find Henry standing on his chair, feet dancing across the upholstery in some obnoxious jig. He raises his arms above his head, a victorious gleam in his eye as he points to Lola and me and says, “It’s about time, you damn liars.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” I say. “I’ve watched you all be disgusting with your other halves for years. Prepare to be sick of us and our PDA.”
“It’s probably going to be right on par with how you’ve stared at each other for years,” Jack says, not an ounce of surprise on his face. I do see the corner of his mouth turn up after the sarcasm, a hint of glee hiding under a small smile.
Lola gets tugged out of my lap by Rebecca, Jo, and Emma, pulled into a corner to share the whole story. I glance at the guys around the table and find them all watching me.
“Sorry for lying.” I run my hand through my hair and let out a laugh. “We knew you all were going to be dopes about this, so we wanted to surprise you.”
“You’re happy, right?” Neil asks, and the grin that touches my lips comes naturally as I think about the last week with Lola.
Early mornings cuddled under bedsheets. Curled up beside each other on the couch, her legs thrown across my lap while I do a crossword puzzle and she reads a book. Cooking in my kitchen, making sure she’s eating three meals a day and taking her medicine.
I’ve always considered myself a positive person, the guy who finds the good in every day, but with her, I don’t have to look for it. It’s justthere.
I see it as the sun sneaks through the curtains and I open my eyes, the sight of Lola draped across my chest. I feel it when she hugs me tight and tells me she loves me with her words, with her hands, with her actions.
That euphoria lasts a full twenty-four hours before starting anew. The desire to want to stretch out my time with her while simultaneously looking forward to sleep just so I can have a brand new day with her, fresh happiness sprouting up as every day on the calendar falls away.
“I’ve never been happier,” I say. I glance at the love of my life from across the room and feel that warm embrace of elation wrap its arms around me just from the sight of her. “I’ve always thought I was happy. In my past relationships, it always seemed like everything was fine. But now… it’s only been a week with Lola and—” I break off, cheesy hysteria shaking my shoulders. I steel myself and continue. “Now I realize howwrongthose women were for me. They weren’t bad people. They just weren’ther. And she’s all I want. She’s all I’m ever going to want.”
“Jesus.” Henry shakes his head and scrubs his hands over his face. “You’re making me emotional, man. I’m just glad you finally found what you were looking for, even if it was right in front of you this whole time.”
“Me too,” I say, watching Lola gesture animatedly with her hands before settling her palms over her heart and swaying side to side. I want to burst. I want to scream from the rooftops how much I love that woman. How much she means to me and how hard I’m going to work to show her that for the rest of our lives. “She was worth the wait.”
“Did you tell her you loved her?” Noah asks, his chin in his hands as he waits for this vital piece of information.
“I did. After I shoved a piece of cake in her face.”
“With you two, that seems like it would be the perfect moment,” Henry says.
“It was. She told me she loves me too. Now we’re two idiots in love, and we don’t care who sees. I’ll gladly be an idiot with her.”
Jack sighs. He uncrosses his arms from his chest and reaches over, clasping my shoulder. “I’m happy for you. I know how badly it sucks to want something you don’t think you can have. I hope you know we’re all rooting for you two. We’re always here for you if you ever need us.”
“Thanks.” I catch Lola’s gaze and she grins, tapping her chest three times.I love you, she says, and I tap my chest three times back. “I’m not worried. Loving Lola is the easiest thing I’ve ever done.”
FORTY-ONE
LOLA
“You look good in a hardhat,”Patrick says. “But you’re holding that sledgehammer all wrong, sweetheart.”
“Sorry.” I grin and adjust my grip on the wooden base. “I’m just so excited.”
He pulls out his phone and flips the camera to selfie mode, hitting record. “Lola Jones Designs, day one. We have a busy day today, starting with the first time we’ve been in here since you purchased the property a couple of weeks ago. After a few hours of work, we’ll head to your magazine shoot and the interview. How are you feeling?”
“Excited. I can’t wait to see what this place turns into. I’m also nervous I might burst a pipe and create a leak.”
“That’s why we went with the insurance,” he jokes.
Life has been a whirlwind since we got back from our trip. I’ve spent my time reading resumes, tracking orders, and making sure I’m caught up on commission requests. I signed a loan for a shop on Newbury Street, right in the heart of Boston with heavy foot traffic and enthusiastic window shoppers.
