Page 140 of The Haunting of Lockton
So that was why he looked so damn sad.
“You’re wrong.” I wound my other arm around him and brought him flush against me. “The investigation’s over, but this between you and me? It’s just beginning.”
Confusion replaced that sadness in his eyes.
“Julian and I have traveled all over the country,” I said, smoothing my thumb across his cheek. “None of those towns ever made an impression on either of us. We investigated, then left, not giving the place another thought. But here in Ivy Grove? I feel like I’ve finally found a place I can call home.”
His breath shook. “I… I don’t understand.”
More like he didn’t dare to hope. I’d been exactly the same way.
My forehead gently bumped his. “You asked me once what I’d like to do if Jules and I didn’t have our show. Back then, you realized I wanted something more before I could even admit it to myself. After so many years, I’m finally ready to go after what I want.”
“And what is it you want?” he asked.
“You.” I angled my mouth over his, and his breaths mingled with mine. “I’ve fallen in love with you, Paxton Crane. Fuck, I tried not to. But you pierced that wall around my heart and left your mark.”
He linked his hands at my nape and closed the gap between our lips, kissing me softly. “I love you too.”
My heart wobbled. “Yeah?”
He smiled against my lips. “I mean, you’re all right, I guess.”
When I laughed, it came out as a rasp. “This is a first for me. Love confessions. No one’s ever gotten past the lust stage.”
“It’s a first for me too,” Paxton said before going in for another kiss. He glided the tip of his nose along mine. “You’re the only one who’s ever made me feel like this.”
“Like what?”
He grabbed my hand and placed it over his heart. “It’s too cheesy.”
“Is it the fireworks again?”
Paxton lightly thumped my chest, and I laughed. The feeling was addictive: the flutters in my belly and how I couldn’t stop smiling.
“Jules found an apartment downtown that’s for lease,” I said. “It’s close to the donut shop.”
“Why am I not surprised?” he said with a sexy little chuckle. “It’s a good area though.” He drew back to meet my gaze. Despite everything we’d confessed, he still looked like he was bracing himself for me to say it was all a joke and leave him.
“Think you can handle it?” I asked.
Something sparked in his eyes, and a ghost of a smile appeared at the edge of his mouth. “Defineit. Because several things are going through my head right now.”
“Being with me,” I said. “I’m kind of a handful. I’m cocky, perverted, and I have a mobile game addiction. Just to name a few things.”
“You forgot that you’re a glutton for sweets.” Paxton touched my jaw. “And one of the most caring people I’ve ever met. You make me feel seen.”
I dropped my face to the crease of his neck. “And you make me feel found.”
What the future held for us, I didn’t know. I had always been the type of guy to live each day as it came and not think about the next one. But as I kissed Paxton in the darkness of the museum, I felt so alive. And I couldn’t wait to live that life with him.
Epilogue
Paxton
Skyler hung the last ornament on the tree and stepped back to admire his work. “Perfect.”
“It’s crooked,” Julian said. “And it’s too close to the blue ball on the other branch.”
