Page 74 of Building Romance
I frown. What in the actual hell is happening?
“Hey,” he says. “Sorry it took me so long to get back to you, but I’ve sort of been scrambling to get something done.”
I look around him at the store on the other side. It looks like the exact replica of what Drew and I dreamed up over drinks less than a week ago. How in the hell did he do that?
I’m baffled and speechless.
He walks over to me and offers me his hand. It takes me a moment but I hesitantly accept it. He pulls me to my feet and leans down a little so we are nose to nose.
“I’m not sorry Kasen sent you my texts, albeit I’m not pleased with his methods, but I would have told you myself eventually. I just didn’t know how to explain that I’ve changed. When you wouldn’t answer me, I may have ended up talking to Drew and some of your other friends. I decided I needed really big actions not just words. Remember a few weeks ago when we…were hanging out and you told me about your dreams for the café?” he asks.
I nod a little, keeping my gaze on his. “Well, I decided I want to be part of your dream. I sold the McDowell’s property down the street to my chef friend. He’s opening a sandwich shop there in a few weeks. And I talked the owner of the building next door and perhaps Gregor into selling their buildings to me. And with the second sale being official today, we can expand Cam’s Café just like you wanted. I used all the information Drew sent me and we can finish this side now that I’ve got the other side done. We’ll need to connect the kitchens, but this more than doubles your front space and nearly doubles your back space. I want to be your silent partner, your silent minority partner. You will maintain majority rule in the company. I’m going to provide capital and assistance where you need it to make your café a success. I think it’s a really good start,” he explains and pauses. “If that’s alright with you, of course.”
“Really?” I ask because the words coming out of his mouth feel like a dream and not reality.
He nods and rubs his nose against mine. “There is one other small problem.”
I crinkle my nose. “What’s that?”
“I may need to move in with you,” he says, and my eyes widen further.
“I’m sorry, what?”
“I left McDowell’s. Well, I’m creating my own sub-company under the McDowell’s umbrella that partners with smaller cafés and bakeries and you’re my first partnership, I mean, if you accept,” he explains.
“I don’t understand,” I say.
“I forgive you and I’m sorry you saw those texts. I sold my condo to pay for these buildings because I wanted to do this on my own. I’m living upstairs in office space right now and I could really use a nicer place,” he says.
“What? Why would you do that?” I ask, pulling back a little. Everyone else in the room has faded away and right now all I see is Fletcher.
He licks his lips, and I can tell he’s nervous, but am not sure why.
“Because, Camryn Eliza Tanner, I’m in love with you and I want to do this with you, not against you, not competing with you, just…with you, you and me,” he says, pointing between us.
I freeze when he says my middle name. I’ve never told him that.
“How did you…why do you know my middle name?” I whisper. Somewhere, deep, deep down I start to put pieces of a puzzle together and hope blooms in my chest. What if the two men I’ve adored for months are in fact the same person? No, that can’t be. That’s crazy. Things like that don’t happen, not in the real world. Those things happen in fiction, in the romance books across the street.
“Because, my middle name is Maxwell or…Max,” he says with a wink. “Not sure how you didn’t put that together before.”
“No,” I say. How did I not think about that? I do remember seeing his middle named when I stalked him on the internet, but I never imagined he would go by Max on a dating app.
He nods. “Yes.”
“No fucking way,” I state.
“Yes fucking way, Hollywood, or should I say Eliza?” he says with a slight smirk.
“It’s been you this whole time?” I ask.
He nods again. “I might have figured it out the night you told me about where you went on the date,” he admits.
I slap my forehead. “Oh my God! I’ve told you…like, so many personal things.” I lower my voice as I feel a blush creep across my cheeks. “Like really, really personal things.”
He grins. “You have. So you see, we may have just started dating about…” He looks down at his watch. “Six-ish weeks ago, but we’ve been talking for over six months.”
“I can’t believe this is happening,” I whisper.
