Page 53 of Faking It with My Bossy Ex

“I’m not mad. I’m not sure what I am.” Someone steps out of the main auction hall, and I pull her away from the walkway and turn her back to the wall, caging her in with one hand against it by her head, the other cupping her cheek.

“I’m in love with you, Amy. I’ve never stopped. I’d do anything, be anything, just to have a real chance with you again. I know I can’t erase what happened, but I can promise you that I’ll spend every day proving I deserve this chance. I’ll be whatever you need.”

“Dylan.” Her voice is breathy, so fragile. I brush my thumb over her cheek. There’s no space between us, save for an inch. I can feel her chest rising and falling with mine. Her flushed cheeks, the way she leans in ever so slightly …

“Ames, will you give me a second chance?”

Her eyes meet mine, wide, almost searching, and every second that passes feels like a lifetime.

The answer, the one that will either make me a new man or crush me completely hovers there, unspoken.

The door bursts open, and people crowd the halls, pulling us from the moment.

“Come on! The fireworks are about to start.” Laura motions to us as she passes and I freeze.

Fireworks? I almost forgot. There was a fireworks show donated by the mayor at the last minute. I take Amy’s hand in mine.

“What do you say? Do you want to watch the fireworks with me?”

She nods, her eyes still wide. I’m dying inside. Will she accept me now she knows the truth? We follow the surge of the crowd down the hall and out into the snowy night. I lead us to a spot where we’re not too crowded by everyone else but still able to see the fireworks.

A loud bang lights the sky with beautiful reds, blues, and greens. But all I can focus on is Amy. The way her face lights up in the glow, the slight upward curve of her lips …

She is the only one I want to be looking at tonight, or any night.

“I never tried to come here at the same time as you. I just wanted to do something that reminded me of you. I’m not sorry we ran into one another, either. We were meant to be. This was meant to be …”

“I’m not sorry either,” she says softly, wrapping my heart in a vise. Please let this mean what I think it means.

***

Amy

Dylan is Leo. My Leo is Dylan.

The funny friend who could make me laugh on the darkest days, who saw right through my fears and insecurities without even trying. How could I have missed it?

I want to be his. Not just for now, not just for a while, but for always. Forever.

“Oh,” his eyes light up, drawing my attention, shaking me from my stupor. “I forgot.” He digs into his pants pocket and pulls out a small black box. “Merry Christmas,” he says. My hands tremble a bit as I reach for it.

I take the box. What other surprises could he possibly have? He’s done too much for me already, and I didn’t even get him anything for Christmas.

I crack the box open and gasp, covering my mouth with my hand. I never thought I’d see this necklace again, let alone feel the weight of it against my skin, mended and whole—just like us.

“Dylan, you … how did you manage to do this?” It’s my mother’s necklace, repaired perfectly. I meet his gaze. “This is too much, the painting, and this, and …” I trail off, shaking my head.

“It’s not. This is only a fraction of what I should be doing to earn your trust and your heart.”

“You never lost my heart.” I breathe the words of truth I’ve been scared to admit, even to myself, and especially to Dylan. How can I stay mad at him?

This Dylan, he’s moved heaven and earth to make me happy.

“I’ve been thinking,” I say as I pull my mother’s necklace from the box and hand it to him, while moving my hair so he can put it on me. “If they have extra pillows on that cruise, enough for a proper wall, I wouldn’t mind the company.”

He chuckles as he steps closer behind me, his breath fanning across my neck.

“In that case, I think I’m looking forward to the cruise. I might even be able to help you build that wall.”

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