Page 93 of 1001 Dark Nights: Bundle Forty-Seven

“I wanted to talk to you about something.”

The gravity in his voice stopped her heart. What if he came here to break up in person? What if this wasn’t working for him any longer? What if she wasn’t enough for him?

She tamped down on the negative thoughts and tried to remain calm. “Well, it must be important if it couldn’t be done over the phone.”

“It is. I couldn’t wait anymore, Devon. It isn’t fair to you.”

She focused on clipping the stems under water and arranging the roses in a vase. “Okay.” Her voice shook a bit. “What is it?”

“I think you should sit.”

Her stomach clenched. She may throw up but that wasn’t cool. She needed to be calm. “Okay.” Slowly, she walked to the couch and sat down. Her smile seemed forced and a bit sickly. “I’m ready. What did you want to talk about?”

He paced back and forth with a restless panther grace she loved. Pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose, a frown marred his brow. “I don’t know how to say this without freaking you out. I thought about doing it over a nice dinner, or maybe over the phone because you deserved to hear it. Hell, I shouldn’t have been afraid to do this before but I was worried about your reaction. But here we go.”

Oh, God.

“Sweetheart, I’m really sorry but this isn’t working between us. The long-distance thing, I mean.”

Fuck calm, cool and collected.

She jumped from the couch. “You’re breaking up with me because it’s not easy for you? Because your idea of a relationship isn’t what you imagined? Well, welcome to my world, restaurant boy! The difference between us is I can recognize when aconnection is this rare, and real, and raw, and not throw it away because things are a little hard!”

“Devon—”

She shook with emotion, her voice breaking. “No, forget it! I’m sick and tired of trying to hide the truth. Hell, I might as well scare the hell out of you right now since you’re already spooked. You see, Jameson Franklin, I happen to be in love with you. Okay? I love you, you idiot!”

His jaw dropped. “You love me?”

She despised the tears that stung her eyes but she’d lost control. “Yes. I do. And I’m not taking it back. So go ahead and break up with me, and I’m sorry I can’t do this sweetly and be cool and say, hey, we tried it didn’t work out, because I’m hurt, and sad, and really, really pissed off!”

And then he laughed.

He threw back his head and laughed so hard, Devon’s vision blurred, and she reacted the only way she knew.

She threw herself at him in a feminine fury. “Why are you laughing! How can I love someone so stupid!”

He tightened his embrace and yanked her close. “Flower girl, you have to listen. You didn’t give me a chance to finish.” She stilled and he cupped her cheeks, looking into her eyes with so much heat and want and tenderness. “I love you, too. I’ve been miserable in New York without you, and I fell in love with you before I left but I was too scared to tell you. I kept telling myself no one can be in love after three weeks but I was wrong. I left my job, Devon. I want to move here and be with you and open up a restaurant. I want us to be a family.”

The words stunned her. She gripped his shirt with trembling hands. “You—you love me? You want to move here?”

“Yes. I did a lot of thinking about what I want and realized I thought I was happier than I was. After meeting you and beingin Cape May, I see there’s a whole other level and I want it all. With you. Is that okay, flower girl?”

She reached up on her tiptoes and pressed her lips to his. “Yes, it’s very okay. God, I love you so much.”

He scooped her up into his arms and headed to the bedroom. “I hope you don’t have any events tonight,” he murmured, laying her out on the mattress. “Because I don’t expect us to make it.”

She linked her arms around his neck and sighed in pleasure. “I’m all yours.”

And Jameson made good on his promise.

Epilogue

Jameson shifted his feet nervously and paced. “They’re late.”

“Only ten minutes. It’s okay, they’ll be here,” Devon soothed.

He gave her a quick smile but resumed pacing. Devon went to the kitchen and came back with two seltzers, handing him one. He took a few sips, absently admiring his new place he now called home.

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