Page 106 of On the Rocks

“Thank you for not giving up on us.” I threaded my fingers through his. “And I want you to promise me that if youdostart struggling with your feelings again, you’ll tell me. I don’t want you keeping things from me, leaving me to be blindsided later.”

“I don’t want that either.” He kissed my forehead. “I promise.”

“Good.”

“In fact,” his smile turned devious, “I promise to shareallof my feelings with you.”

“Is that so?” I giggled at the growl in his voice.

“Yes. For example, I’mfeelinglike I need to kiss you here,” he said, stroking my collarbone before leaving a hot kiss in his finger’s wake. “And here,” he said, stroking his finger between my breasts. “And here.” He bent and pressed a kiss to my belly button.

“That’s a lot of feelings,” I said. “How will we possibly manage?”

“We’ll figure it out,” he said. His kisses trailed lower, and my eyes fluttered closed in response. “Together.”

33

AIDEN

The murmur of voices and the gentle hum of soft jazz echoed through the Red Lion as glasses thumped against wooden table tops and cutlery scraped against dishware.

“Your Hemingway Daiquiri, sir.”

Leaning up against the polished bar top, I smiled down at Cora as she passed me a glass filled with a pale pink drink. She was playing bartender for the evening. “Thank you, miss.”

“Enjoying the grand opening?”

“I am. Especially because there’s a lady behind the bar I’ve had my eye on for a while.” I winked at her, pleased that I could still make her blush as bright as her hair. “You think I have a shot?”

“Only one way to find out,” she said.

“Yeah?”

“You’ll have to make a move.”

“Right.” I leaned in, close enough that I could make out the glossy shine on her lips. “Should I just go in for the kiss?”

She smirked. “If you’re feeling that confident.”

I lifted my glass. “Liquid courage first.” I tasted the drink, pulling the glass away and frowning down at the contents.

“How is it?”

“Sweet,” I said, confused.

“I added some simple syrup.”

Ah. The corner of my mouth curved. “I thought Hemingway preferred a slightly bitter drink?”

“He did.” She winked at me. “But a little birdie told me you might prefer yours on the sweeter side.”

To think we’d actually argued about that once upon a time. I tasted the drink again. It really was perfect like this.

“Is tonight everything you hoped for?” I asked. She took a deep breath, looking out at the crowded space.Herspace—in partnership, that is.

In the end, Dad had gone into business with both Cora and Jennifer. Cora handled the drink menu and the social media for the bar, Jennifer took charge of the kitchen, and Dad dealt with all the boring day-to-day matters. Together, the three of them made an amazing team. And with Maggie’s help, we’d shifted the vibe from the Rat Pack ambiance Dad was originally going for to the Jazz Age speakeasy of Cora’s dreams.

“It’s better,” she said.

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