Page 96 of Fresh Tracks
"I said I’d only do it if your name was next to mine.”
“Tommy, you didn’t.”
“There’s more. Kathy said you could have your job back if you want it.”
“What are you saying? Please tell me you’re not sick of working with me already?” I shake my head. “No, I want to stay with you. And you can’t just go and buy my old job back for me anyway.”
He laughs and his warm breath nearly makes me melt into a puddle at his feet. “Good, that makes me feel better about the next part. I spent last night in Seattle. By the way, the swings aren’t nearly as fun without you. Anyway, I was there with Jake signing an ungodly amount of paperwork.”
I quirk a brow. “Wait, what for? And did you really fly to Seattle yesterday and then here today? Please tell me you didn’t use your jet. No amount of drinking from reusable bottles is going tooffset that.”
“That’s beside the point,” he says, smirking and rolling his eyes. “Jake and I took your idea and put it in motion. We’re going to do it.”
“What do you mean my—” The question stalls in my throat when what he’s saying registers. For the second time in minutes, he has me feeling like I’ve forgotten how to breathe.
He nods. “The foundation. Making a bigger impact. All of it, publicly, and I want you by my side doing it.”
My heart reels. He hasn’t just opened up to me. He hasn’t just been vulnerable with me. He’s cut open his chest, exposing the deepest wound he has, and handed me his heart on a silver platter.
“I don’t know what to say.” I fumble for the words, my mind racing, heart swelling with pride.
He pulls me into him by my waist, with the hands I didn’t even realize he’d placed there. His nose ruffles my bangs before those warm, soft lips ghost over my forehead in a light kiss.
“I love you, Rainbow.” His lips find mine for a slow, lingering kiss. "So fucking much it hurts. I know there’s nothing I can do about my past and the attention that brings. So you were right. If we’re going to have to deal with that, we can at least make some good out of it, together. I told you, I’m all in. I want your brothers to know that. I want your friends and family to know that. I want the world to know that. But most importantly, I want you to know that.”
His gaze meets mine and I feel water prick the corner of my eyes. The pad of his thumb catches a stray tear. Hearing those three words, the ones I’ve wanted to tell him so many times over the last week, make me feel whole and grounded in a way I never knew I could.
“I love you too.” I watch his lips curl into a smile. I palm the sides of his face and bring my mouth to his, kissing him until every last molecule of oxygen has left my lungs.
I don’t know who breaks the kiss first, but when we do, I press my forehead to his. I feel his hands run up and down my back in slow gentle caresses over my light sweater, because I didn’t even think to grab my jacket when I saw him outside.
A hollow knocking sound grabs our attention and we both look to our side. Lizzy and Kayleigh are standing in the coffee shop window, faces plastered to the glass. They’re grinning, like the kids looking into the window displays along Main Street.
He waves and smiles sheepishly at them. Lizzy and Kayleigh both make obnoxious kissing faces and waggle their brows. I give them both middle fingers.
“Do you want to get out of here and talk somewhere a little more private?”
I look into the eyes of the man who just gave me his heart and nod.
CHAPTER 39
TJ
PLANET-KILLING RIDESHARE
My heartstill pounds against the walls of my chest after hearing her say she loves me.
“But we’re still going to talk about the jet and how you use it as your own on-demand, planet-killing rideshare.” Even when she tries to scold me, she can’t hide her infectious smile.
I shrug. “We’ll see.” I toss her a wink. “So about getting out of here?” I hitch my thumb over my shoulder toward the half dozen or so people standing around us with their phones out, taking pictures of us. I’m sure this will end up on social media, but now I know that neither of us will care. This isn’t a secret anymore and I’m fine with that.
Grace scrunches her nose and turns her palms up. “We could go back to my place? Just let me run in and grab my things.” She grabs my hand and pulls me in with her. “Come on, they’re your friends too.”
“OK so it’s not much.”Grace looks backs over her shoulder at me nervously when her keys jingle in the lock.
“Grace, you could literally live in a shoebox and it would never change how amazing I think you are. You remember that I found you with a barely working van heater in a gym parking lot, right?”
“Alrighty then. Don’t say I didn’t warn you,” she says, swinging open the door to her place.
