Page 51 of The Kitchen Contract

“I don’t know,” I tell her truthfully. “I guess we’ll have to wait and see. Now, tell me how the two of you have been.”

29

ALEX

“I’m so proud of you,” I tell Nora when she hangs up. “You handled that really well.”

She leans into me, and I wrap her up in a hug. I feel the vibration of her reply on my chest when she mumbles, “Thanks for staying with me.”

“Of course.” It’s on the tip of my tongue to say I’ll always be there for her, but I hold it back. It’s too early for promises like that, right? If I’ve learned anything from my mistakes, it’s not to rush things, to let the relationship grow gradually and give each other time to build trust before taking the next step. I need to trust her completely before I let my heart jump out of my chest into her possession as it very much wants to do, and I want her to trust me too.

A soft yawn breaks the moment. Nora sits up straight. “I think it’s time for me to head home. Think we could finish our movie another time?”

“Or I could finish watching it after you leave since you weren’t paying attention to it anyway.”

Nora laughs. “That’s probably fair.” She stands and stretches before walking to the kitchen to gather up her bag and empty crate like usual, and I follow her, like usual.

“Oh, I nearly forgot. Maddy wanted me to invite you to Olivia’s birthday party on Saturday afternoon.”

She looks up. “Really?”

“Yeah. Why is that so surprising?”

“Do they know…” She hesitates and raises her eyebrows.

“About you and me?” I complete her question. “No, I haven’t told them anything. If you come to the party, maybe we could tell them together? No pressure, though. To come to the party or tell anyone about us. Although you did tell your parents, so…” I trail off as she moves in front of me, her hands sliding up to rest behind my neck. My arms instinctively come around her, drawing her close.

“I would be happy to come to Olivia’s party and to tell your family—or the world, for that matter—that we’re seeing each other.” She lifts up onto her toes so that our faces are almost level and presses a soft kiss to my lips. She pulls back more quickly than I would like.

“What kind of gift should I bring?” she asks.

“You’re a gift all by yourself,” I say, pressing a kiss to the side of her neck and tightening my hold around her waist.

“I’m not sure that Olivia would agree,” she says with a giggle, gently pushing away as I attempt to kiss her mouth again. “I don’t have the same type of relationship with her that I have with you, you know.”

“I should hope not,” I say, giving up my pursuit to look into her eyes instead, my grip loosening. “Seriously, though, your presence is gift enough. I know Maddy didn’t invite you to grow the present pile. But I got her a little something, and I’ll put both our names on the card, okay?”

She bobs her head with a smile. “That works. What time does the party start?”

I answer her question as we walk to the front door and I open it for her since her hands are full. “Not until three pm, so if you want, you can come here first and we’ll record a video or two before we go.”

“Sounds great. Goodnight, Alex.”

“Goodnight, Rose.”

I kiss her again, her lips eager and pliant against mine. This time I’m the one who pulls back. “I can’t wait for Saturday.”

She winks at me under the porch light and edges backward toward the steps. “A little waiting never killed a guy.”

“Are you sure about that?”

“Positive.”

I help her load her stuff, then stand on the porch with my hands in my pocket, watching as she throws me a last wave before backing out and heading home.

As her taillights fade to pinpricks in the darkness, I think that waiting might not kill me, but it won’t be all that enjoyable, either. I’m quickly becoming addicted to her presence, craving her whenever we’re apart. Only five days until I see her again, and I’ll be counting every minute.

30

---