Page 122 of Crashing into Love

“If you let me,” Selma replied.

“Come in,” Drew told her and helped Selma with her roller bag.

Selma dropped her backpack on the floor, turned to Drew, and wrapped her arms around her neck.

“I got your text, but I was already on my way here, so I thought I–”

Drew cut her off with a kiss and said, “It’s okay. I was worried, but it’s okay.”

“Worried?”

“We always text each other… But that’s okay; you’re here.” She wrapped her arms around Selma and pulled her in for a long hug. “God, you’re here.”

Selma pulled out of the hug after a minute and cupped Drew’s cheeks, staring into her green eyes.

“And I love you.”

Drew looked frozen in place, so Selma worried she should’ve checked to make sure it was okay to show up on her girlfriend’s doorstep.

“I love you, too,” Drew replied finally.

Selma pressed their foreheads together and said, “I’m sorry.”

“What for?”

“For everything. I want you in my life; the whole thing. And I want you around all the time. I just got scared. I’m ready now, though.”

“You are?”

Drew pulled back to look at her.

“When you have a little girl, and you feel all alone, it’s sometimes hard to believe anyone would want you. People see a kid, and they see baggage. They see the need to find babysitters, no alone time, and that I’ll always put my daughter first. Then, I met you, and you didn’t do any of that. I was so surprised by you, Drew. I couldn’t believe that you were for real; that you loved my kid and wanted us to all be together.”

“I do want that, though.”

“I know. And I want that for all of us. When you can, I want you to come back and stay in my room with me. I want to tell Gia. I mean, she already kind of knows because she’s so damn observant, but I want to tell her that we’re together and that I love you with you there beside me.”

“Wait. Gia knows about us?”

“She overheard me talking to my grandma.”

“And she’s…”

“She’s good with it. She adores you, Drew.” Selma pressed a kiss to Drew’s lips. “Almost as much as I do.”

“You’re really okay with me staying there with you? Both of you?”

“Yes. I’m not going to ruin this. You’re… Well, it’s silly to say because I’m not a teenager, but you’re my first real love.”

“I’m older than you, so it is silly for me to say that, too?”

“Yes, because you’ve been in love before.”

“No, I haven’t. Not like this,” Drew replied, cupping Selma’s cheek. “Never like this. Never like I could see my life with you and Gia in it, and I knew I wanted that so much that I had to tell you and risk losing you if you didn’t want that, too.”

“I do. I want that. I don’t know how we do it with you here and us there, but I want it.”

“We’ll figure it out, okay? It’s Canada. I can get there easily enough. And you and Gia can come here.”

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