Page 126 of Can't Kiss the Chef

-Lunch at jaspers

-Tattoo appointment with Cora

-A visit to Philly

-Telling her I love her everyday

I’m reading the list for what has to be the hundredth time when I’m suddenly wrapped in between two large arms.

I turn to see a smiling Byron. For the first time in months it reaches his eyes.

For a moment I’m so lost in the depth of his baby blues I completely forget that Byron just scored a game winning goal.

“I’m so sorry Byron. I hope you know he really did love you.”

“Thanks, Pips. I know he did.”

The somber look in his turns playful before he asks, “You’re not going to ask about the list I sent you? That’s so unlike you.”

“Well A. it made no sense and B. with everything going on it didn’t seem like the most important thing we had to talk about.”

“Well you’ll be happy to know that my dad inspired that list. He reminded me how important it is to show the people in our lives how much we appreciate them.”

He pushes up the sleeves of his sweatshirt I’m wearing so he can run his hands over my arms.

“Since our second chance started with a to-do list I thought it’s time to start a new one.”

He looks down at his watch before his beautiful blue eyes meet mine.

“We should go now if we don’t want to be late.”

“Late to what?”

The sudden whiplash makes me feel like I need to sit.

“We have appointments with Cora in twenty minutes.”

I shake my head. He just scored the game winning goal in a rivalry game and he wants to get a tattoo?

“Don’t you want to go celebrate with your teammates?”

“It’s only three in the afternoon. I’ll have plenty of time to do that when we are done.”

Fifteen minutes later I’m scrolling through the tattoo ideas I have saved on my phone.

“What are you getting?” I ask Byron, hoping for some inspiration.

He pulls his phone out of his jacket pocket and shows me a rough–and I do mean rough–sketch of his dad’s name with one letter stacked on top of the other bracketed by angel wings.

“Oh Byron. I love the idea.”

Byron has softened me a lot over the last few months, but not enough to make sure he doesn’t make a permanent mistake.

“You’re going to have Cora sketch it right?”

He bursts into laughter. A sound I haven’t heard in awhile.

“Of course. Pips, I’m confident but I know my lanes and drawing isn’t one of them.”

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