Page 96 of When You Left Me Speechless

“Mornin’, chatterbox. Need a jump?”

I can’t help but smile at his stupid face. “What are you doing here?”

“I knew you didn’t want to talk at Pecan Grove, and you won’t text me back, so I was hoping to find you before you headed in for the day.”

The corners of his mouth tip up into a small grin that makes me almost forget the week we’ve had. “Why don’t I get your car started, and then maybe we can talk?”

I give him a small nod and get out of the car. He hands me the flowers and coffee.

I watch him open the hood of my car and his truck and attach the cables. “When I tell you, get in and turn the key. Let’s see if it’ll start.” I get back in the car and wait for his signal. “Okay, try it now.”

I turn the key and hear my ignition start. After a couple minutes, I step back out of the car.

He walks over and meets me by the door. “We just gotta let it run for a few minutes, and then you’ll be good to go.” He steps closer to me, but we aren’t quite close enough to touch. “You know I meant what I said in the library yesterday.”

“But your job?”

“What about it?”

“You didn’t lose it? They didn’t tell you you can’t be the assistant principal next year?”

“No, I didn’t lose my job.” He shakes his head. “I met with Keller yesterday. That’s why I was up at the school. I’m sorry I blindsided you like that. I had just gotten the goodnews and I saw you. You looked so fucking beautiful, and I couldn’t stop myself. I wanted to talk to you. Fuck, I needed to talk to you.”

“I don’t understand.” I stare at him, trying to process everything he just said. “I mean, Keller seemed so upset the day I met with her. She wouldn’t tell me anything. I just had a bad feeling it wasn’t going to be good.”

“Well, apparently, Mrs. Wilson originally led Keller to believe we had been inappropriate at the school.” I let out a little gasp. “A couple of days ago, I ran into Abby and Mrs. Wilson outside my apartment, and I guess our interaction caused her to have a change of heart. According to Keller, the school district policy states she can’t reprimand us for being together. She could only take action if I were your supervisor or if we had acted inappropriately on school grounds. With your last day being today, she felt like the situation had resolved itself naturally. I can return to work on Monday, and it all goes back to normal.”

“Really?” I question him because it feels too good to be true. He nods and gives me time to process everything.

“What’s going through your mind?” He sounds like he is bracing himself for me to walk away all over again.

“I’m scared,” I take a deep breath. “This could have gone way differently. We got really lucky, and I need to make it to graduation. You almost lost your job, Logan. I mean, let’s be honest if you had, would you be able to stand here and look at me? If she had fired you, you would hate me, and I could never blame you.”

He moves a step closer and brushes my hair behind my ear. My knees wobble at the feeling of his fingers brushing up against my skin.

“I could never hate you. Hell, I’m falling in love with you. I know you’re scared. The fact that I have fallen for you in such a short time scares the absolute shit out of me too. If she had fired me, I would have figured it out, but I know that mylife doesn’t make sense without you in it. I’ve missed you.” He leans forward and presses a soft kiss to my forehead.

“You’re falling in love with me?”

LOGAN

I standup a little straighter and place my hands on each of her arms. “I’m not trying to scare you, and I’m not trying to pressure you into feeling the same way about me, but I need you to know that, yes, I am falling in love with you, and I’m willing to wait for you, to fight for you, because I cannot imagine my life without you in it.” I pull her towards me. “I messed up. I should’ve told you how I was feeling. I told you that when I found my person, I would tell her that she was my world every day. You are my world and I won’t let another day go by that I don’t show and tell you how I feel. I will be whatever you want me to be. I’ll be your friend, your study partner, your lover, the guy that makes you laugh. Hell, I’m following your lead, chatterbox. Just tell me where you want to go.”

She stares at me, and I wish she would say something. Say anything to fill the silence. “Will you come to my graduation?”

“What?” I pause for a few seconds. “I thought you said you didn’t have enough tickets?”

“I’m pretty sure I can get a ticket for my boyfriend.” She looks up at me, her eyes finding mine and reassuring me everything is going to be okay.

“Poppy Collins, are you asking me to be your boyfriend?” The word lingers in the air, and I love how it tastes on my tongue. I can feel the smile spread across my face, and I pull her into me and wrap my arms around her.

She tilts up her head. “If you’ll have me? I mean, we don’thave to use that label if you think it’s lame, but I just thought?—”

I cut off her nervous rambles with a kiss. Her lips are soft and warm. Her mouth parts at the feel of my tongue, and she lets me in. The kiss is filled with all of the emotions from the last few days and says everything words can’t say. “Fuck, I missed you,” I say against her mouth. She slowly pulls away.

“I’ll take that as a yes,” she teases. I don’t answer her, and instead, I kiss her again.

CHAPTER 60: SEEING GHOSTS

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