I shivered and wiped my clammy palms on my pants. This had to work.
Rick stepped close and squeezed me tight with a burly arm. “You’ve done great, little sis.”
I looked up at him. “Yeah?”
He nodded and smiled. “Yeah.” He gave me one last squeeze and let me go.
Miss Betty and Mrs. Withers were up next, giving twin hugs and wrapping their arms around me in a puff of baby powder.
“Good luck, Devon,” Mrs. Withers said.
“She doesn’t need luck!” Miss Betty snapped.
“Easy, ladies. We’re all on the same side here. For once,” I added under my breath.
I felt for the thick piece of paper in my back pocket and tried to breathe normally. Will opened the coffee shop door and stepped halfway out, the toys in his hands. “C’mon, Daisy! Samson!” He whistled and waved the toys.
“We should never have trusted him with this part,” Price mumbled. “He is the least warm and fuzzy man on the planet.”
But I heard the scrabble of nails on sidewalk, and in seconds, the dogs were in the shop, fresh toys in their mouths and running around like they’d just won the lottery.
“He’s coming,” Will said, stepping inside and letting the door shut behind him.
Breathe.
It felt like an hour, but finally the door flung open and there he was. “Will, what the—” he stopped, his eyes roaming the very filled, but very quiet, shop.
I can do this. I can do this. I can do this. I kept repeating the phrase as I drank him in.
His face was paler than normal, and there were dark circles under his eyes. But god, he looked good. Wide shoulders and thick chest barely held back by the tight, navy-blue tee shirt he wore. Dirty blond hair that I wanted to run my fingers through. Lips I wanted on mine. And eyes that caught mine now in a question.
I swallowed. “Hi.”
Price rubbed his hands together. “This is gonna be so good!” he said.
Will had moved back with us and he thwacked Price on the chest. “Shut up. For once in your life, please, shut up.”
Price scowled at Will and rubbed where he’d been hit.
Aaron still stood at the front of the shop, both dogs at his feet with their new toys. Suddenly, it seemed utterly stupid that I’d planned on doing this in front of everyone.
“Um,” I said, sliding my eyes to Jodi and Ceci.
“Right.” Ceci nodded. With a louder voice, she said, “Okay, everybody, act like we have things to do.”
Everyone jumped into motion and started talking. I couldn’t help but laugh a little, because it was ridiculous. This entire thing was ridiculous. But it didn’t matter, because the man I loved was in front of me.
I took a tentative step forward, then another. After a moment of hesitation, Aaron met me halfway. He smelled so good. It took everything I had not to wrap my arms around him and bawl. But I had things I needed to say, and judging by the wary look in his eyes, I needed to get to it.
“I thought you’d left.” His voice was flat.
My heart squeezed. “I couldn’t.”
We stared at each other. My pulse had skyrocketed, and now my breath skittered out of me.
He frowned. “Your heart rate.” His hand twitched, the professional paramedic making an appearance as he closed in and pressed two fingers to the vein on my neck. “It’s racing.”
I huffed out a laugh, grateful for the touch, no matter how clinical it was. “Because I’m nervous, Aaron.”
His eyes widened as he inched back and dropped his hand to his side. “Your mouth.”
I was desperate for his touch again. But I managed a tentative smile. “Yeah.” I waved my hand at the shop. “You’re probably wondering why I did all this.”
“You, uh, could say that.”
“Can I…” I started. “Um.” Spit it out! “Fuck, this is hard.” But then I met his eyes, and I knew exactly what to say.
34
AARON
GOD, SHE WAS beautiful. It was only now, in the face of her, that it felt like I could breathe again.
Devon looked nervous, twisting her hands and shifting her weight from one side to another. I wanted to grab her and pull her into my arms, tell her that whatever was going on, that it was okay, that I wanted her back. But what if this was one big set-up to let me down?
Finally, Devon lifted her eyes to mine, their turquoise depths calm and steady. The world fell away, leaving only the two of us.
“Aaron, I love you.”
