Page 47 of The Pumpkin Spice Romance
“Where areyougoing?” I demanded, but he didn’t respond.
Instead, Felix charged at the building, running at a speed befitting a professional athlete. He hit the grass, gave one giant bound, and launched himself into the air. He easily grabbed the ledge at the second story, pulled himself up, and sprang over the edge of my balcony.
“Hi!” he said, as if he hadn’t just gone full superhero.
“Felix!”
“OK, first of all, I haven’t worked at Cometcents in a decade, but for the life of me, I can’t get them to take that stupid picture down.”
A decade was a pretty long time.
“Well, that does make me feel better, but you looked exactly the same.”
“OK, well, that brings us to the second thing.” He cleared his throat and looked nervous. “Uh, so you know how your friend Shayla. . . That is, I hope you know your friend kind of, sometimes, is a bit of a different shape?” He looked extra nervous. I didn’t think I’d ever seen him look uncertain before.
“I don’t talk about my friend’s shapes,” I said frostily. “They are perfect no matter what shape they are in.”
“OK, great. And, yes. But like Shayla, sometimes I’m not always shaped like this.”
I blinked.
“Sometimes I’m a bit. . . furrier?”
I kept staring, and with a sigh, he shook his head, and then he had a wolf face.
“Oh, thank God,” I said, clutching my chest and breathing out in relief. “I was so worried you were a soul-sucking corporate overlord.”
He shook his head again and reverted to his human form.
“No, I tried that, but I’m not that much of a predator. I want Deja Brew to succeed. I want you to succeed. I haven’t been lying to you. I really love Deja Brew. I love. . .” He paused, and his cheeks went pink.
“Oh,” I said. “Oh!” Unable to contain myself any longer, I flung my arms around his neck.
Our lips met with the softest, sweetest kiss as the wind kicked up and flung my hair in all directions.
“You’re going to take me inside, and I’m going to be happy,” I said, looking up into his mocha-brown eyes.
“Is that the future you see?” he asked, smiling down at me.
“It’s the future you’re going to make happen,” I said.
“Yes,” he agreed, his smile stretching into a grin. “Yes, it is.”
12
FELIX
“Yeah,” I said, nodding to my phone. Once I’d introduced my brother to video chatting, communication had gone so much better. “We will be there. Wouldn’t want to miss the official naming. I can’t believe it’s been one year.”
“I know! He’s grown so much! But I’m telling you – you and Maddie should get yourself one of these things. He’s hilarious.”
I laughed. I wouldn’t mind kids, but I wasn’t sure where Maddie was at.
My nephew’s birth had sent my brother into an absolute panic, resulting in multiple phone calls to me. I’d been skeptical, but a year later, he was still calling, and there were plans to visit the old farm after my nephew’s official naming ceremony. Maddie was excited. She was picturing Hallmark-esque tree farm adventures. I was picturing the unending list of chores from my childhood. The truth was probably somewhere in the middle.
“OK,” said Maddie, coming out of the bedroom. “This is the look.”
There had been six other outfits. I thought this was probably the second one she’d tried on. It didn’t matter. She looked gorgeous in every single one of them.
