Page 37 of Hating the Book Boyfriend

He doesn't budge; instead, he pulls me back to him. "I got one more move."

"Yeah, what's that?"

He nods toward the ceiling, and I trace the direction of his eyes.

"Mistletoe," I smile goofily, knowing what's coming next.

"It's not Christmas without partaking in outdated traditions."

"People might see," I remind him. Sure, he's thrown his arm around me tonight and fetched my drinks, but a kiss will leave no question that we are dating, and we still haven't told Archie.

"That's kind of the point. You're mine, Josephine Estes."

"Then you better make it good."

"Always," he whispers against my mouth before his lips cover mine.

CHAPTER 20

JoJo

"Shit, shit, shit," this is not good. I say as I stare at a picture of me and Colton kissing under the mistletoe at the bar last night on the TV. "This can’t be happening," I moan as I look for the remote to hit pause. Our ability to tell Archie about us was just taken away. He's coming home this afternoon. There's a chance he's on a plane and hasn't seen this breaking news, but either way, we need to figure out what we'll say when he gets home. "Colton," I call out from the kitchen. "Come here. You need to see this."

I hear his boots slowly trudge down the hall. "Will you hurry?" I impatiently demand. He turns the corner, and I point to the TV. "Look, do you see that? We made the celebrity gossip rags." His eyes are downcast on his phone, and something about his stance has another thought crossing my mind. Maybe telling Archie about us is the least of his worries. The world finding out may be worse. That's when I notice something else. It's not his phone in his hands. It's mine.

"All this time it was lies. Here, I thought I was the one with something to prove. I was convinced I could demonstrate to youthat my lies weren't the bad kind…" He drops his head and rubs the stubble on his jaw. "You know it's my own fault, really. I was a fool for you, blinded by trying to win your heart. There was nothing I wouldn't have done to prove myself to you."

"Colton, I don't understand. What are you talking about? I haven't lied to you. I wouldn't lie to you."

He shakes his head. "It's all starting to make sense. This whole time, it's been so easy for you to walk away. Every time something got a little hard, you wrote me off; now I know it's because you never planned on keeping me."

My heart feels like it's about to thump out of my chest as my body starts to shake. Less than ten minutes ago, we were fine, more than fine. We were perfect. What happened to whispers of love and me being his home? My eyes flash back to the TV, and the news that just broke, coupled with the fact that Archie will be home in a few hours, have me believing his words aren't a coincidence.

"If you're going to accuse me of being a liar to make yourself feel better about breaking up with me, you'll have to do better than that."

He rubs his thumb over his bottom lip, and his eyes never meet mine. "I guess I should have known you'd always be a thief. All it took was blond pigtails, cowboy boots, and one caramel-colored glance, and you stole my heart from the start." He tosses my phone onto the island in front of me. "You can keep it. I don't need it." Then, turning on his heel, he walks toward the front door.

"Colton…" I try, but he doesn't pause before closing the front door behind him. I pick up my phone, and a message preview from my group chat is on the home screen.

Libby: Deposits tripled this morning. I knew he'd be good for business. Solid work locking down Boston's most eligible bachelor. Book Boyfriend Builders are on the map!

I close my eyes as the deafening sound of my heart shattering consumes me. Colton thinks I used him to build my business. He doesn't believe anything we've shared is real, but by the way he walked out, maybe it wasn't. I may have been quick to run, but he didn't stay.

"JoJo, I'm home," Archie calls out, walking through the front door. I quickly wipe my eyes to hide my tears and busy my hands with coffee I don't even care to drink. I just need a reason to avoid eye contact. "Holy shit, the kitchen is done. When I left, Ron said we were still two weeks out."

Ron was the lead foreman on the job and apparently Jacob Kringle's uncle. He and I worked out a deal. If he finished early, I'd take on his younger brother as a client. That wasn't a hard choice. If his brother is anything like Jacob, whatever guidance or training he believes his brother needs most likely involves getting him out of his own way. Piece of cake.

"Yep, I told you I wouldn't burn the place down while you were gone. I beat your tree-selling record and whipped the construction crew into shape, getting the job done ahead of schedule."

I hear him roll his suitcase to the staircase. "I'm glad you're back, JoJo. Having another set of hands around here is a big deal. Had you not decided to move home, I was planning on bringing up the topic of hiring an assistant. I need someone to help manage all the balls I juggle."

His words feel like a dig. I know they aren't, but I turn around all the same, regret heavy on my chest. "I'm sorry, Archie. You should have been able to depend on me more. I feel terrible that you believed you couldn't."

"You act like you haven't been helping me," he says, emptying his pockets onto the entry table. "You might not be here helping with planting, maintenance, and harvest, but you have been helping grow our virtual footprint with social media, commercials, and news articles. The new website you commissioned gave us an edge. I think it's what garnered Urban Chestnut's attention."

The website really did turn out great. I can't take full credit for that. I had a concept, and a designer brought it to life. But Mom always told me, "Accept a compliment and learn to love yourself." I turn to the fridge and grab the sweet cream to add a smidge to Archie’s coffee. "I was happy with how it turned out. I'm glad Urban Chestnut saw our value through it."

Joining me at the island he slides a manila envelope to me. "What's this?" I ask as I pass him the coffee.

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