Page 84 of Kyle

“Why?”

“I hoped for this. That you’d see it and come back to me.”

Her eyes glaze. “I’m sorry I left.”

“You’re here now.” I brush a tear away with my thumb. “That’s all that matters.” Then I grin. “You want to see the place?”

“Yes, but Kyle, how did you afford all this? You lost all that money.”

“That’s the best part. God, I’ve been dying to share this with you. You’ll never guess what happened. Not in a million years.” I loop my arm around her shoulders, walk her into the kitchen, and tell her all about it.

We end up getting two bowls of chili and eating our first meal together in our restaurant. And it isourrestaurant. That’s how I’ve always thought of it.

I find a candle and light it.

“I want you to be a part of this. It’s your dream too, right? A family business?” I kiss her hand, and she nods. “I wanted this for both of us.”

“It was stupid of me to leave.”

“I understood why you did it, but God, it killed me. I wish you’d answered my calls. I tried everything I could think of to get in touch with you. Did your girlfriends tell you that?”

She nods. “I wasn’t sure I could see a way for us to be together without it destroying your relationship with Rafe.”

“We had a long talk. He’s fine with it. He told me you were right, that the two of you just didn’t have what you and I have. He wants me to be happy.”

“I’m so glad. I’ve been sick about it.”

I hold her hand and rub my thumb absently across hers. “It’s been hell these last couple of months. I rode to Santa Cruz I don’t know how many times.”

“You did?”

“I’d stand on the wharf and search the crowd, hoping somehow I’d find you. It was the only place I knew to go. I guess it sounds idiotic, huh?”

She shakes her head, her eyes filling. “It sounds like a man in love.”

“I am in love, Sutton. I love you.” I blow out a breath. “Wow. I said it.”

She squeezes my hand. “I love you, too, Kyle. All the time we spent together, every day I felt it growing stronger until I didn’t know what to do with it. I had all these feelings for you, but I couldn’t express them. I wasn’t supposed to be feeling them.”

I tug her off her chair and into my lap. “That’s over now. We don’t have to hold back anymore.” I rub my hand up her hip. “I’ve wanted to touch you for so long.”

She strokes my face and cups my jaw. “Me, too.” She presses her lips to mine. And this kiss is much more than the last one.

There are no prying eyes, and I pull her closer. My tongue chases hers.

Finally, we break apart. I want so much more, but I don’t want to rush her.

I press my forehead to hers. “I want to take you out on a date. Someplace nice. Where ever you want. You choose.”

“Kyle?”

“Yeah, babe?”

“Right now, I want you to take me home with you.”

I search her eyes. “You mean that, Sutton?”

She nods. “I can’t wait to be with you, to have you hold me, kiss me, make love to me.”

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