Page 73 of Finally Moore

“Hi,” I say, feeling suddenly shy as all eyes are on us.

“You look amazing,” he tells me as he brushes back my bangs. Then he takes my hand in his. “Here, I reserved a table for you guys this morning. I knew it would be packed and wanted to make sure you had somewhere to sit.”

“Are you joining us?”

“Of course. When are they meeting you here?”

I look at my watch. “In about twenty minutes.”

“Perfect. I have a few things I need to finish before they arrive, then I’ll be right out.” He kisses me on the cheek. “I’ll be back in a minute.”

I take a seat at the large set of tables Scott pulled together. I can hear the whispers, and I couldn’t care less. Let them talk, because it’s all true.

“Oh, before I forget,” Scott says as he delivers me my usual. “Okay, now I’ll be right back.” He walks away but turns around to press another quick kiss to my lips. “All right, I’m going for real this time.”

With a satisfied grin, I drink my coffee and savor my chocolate muffin. It isn’t long before my family arrives. “Wow, this place is packed,” Mom says as she takes a seat. “Actually, the whole town seems to be buzzing.”

“Yeah, the day after Christmas can get busy around here, especially on a Monday morning when everyone is forced to step back into the real world.”

Even though we’re a small town, we still experience the after Christmas chaos of people doing returns, exchanges, gift cards burning a hole in their pocket. Plus, most shops have been closed for the past couple of days and everyone usually needs to stock up on supplies.

“Good thing you were able to snag us a table,” Trisha says as she gets situated.

“Actually, Scott saved it for us.” I smile at the gesture.

“He’s such a sweet boy. Speaking of, where is he?” Mom glances around, looking for the man in question.

“He said he had a few things to finish up before he joined us.”

“Right on time,” Scott says as he walks out. “Let me grab your food.”

Trisha leans in. “But we didn’t order yet.”

Scott returns with Logan in tow, their arms full of plates. Each one is different, and I realize it’s all our favorites as he sets them in front of us.

“Waffles with ice cream and sprinkles!” Brittany cheers.

“How’d you know I liked eggs benedict?” Mom questions.

I look around and see some sort of egg white omelet in front of Kasey and crustless quiche for Trisha. Scott delivers my plate of avocado toast on whole grain bread, topped with poached eggs and red pepper flakes before taking a seat next to me.

“You’re incredible, you know that? Where’s yours?” I ask him.

“I prefer cooking breakfast more than eating it, so I figured I’d share with you.”

“Who says I’m going to share?” I shield my plate while lifting a challenging brow.

He leans in and whispers, “Well, then, I’ll just have to eat you.”

Yup, I’m definitely not sharing now, and he knows it.

“When do y’all fly out?” Scott says, turning to address my family.

“Probably when we’re done here,” Kasey tells him.

“You don’t have a set flight plan?” Scott’s brows knit with his obvious confusion.

“Benefits of a private jet,” I whisper.

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