Page 63 of The Last Key
I probably would’ve come to my own conclusion about that a lot sooner if he hadn’t been so pushy about me going.
He leans forward and wraps his arms around me, but I give him a little shove backward. His brow furrows in confusion as he looks at me.
“Devon, what would you have said if I had wanted to go back to New York?”
He gives a little shrug. “I’d have gone with you. I just want you to be happy.”
I grab his hands and squeeze them tightly. “Let me make one thing very clear, I’m never going to be happy if you’re sacrificing yourself and not communicating with me. I know we didn’t admit our feelings for a long time, but otherwise, we’ve always been open and honest with each other…” I trail off. “Or at least I have. You haven’t been honest with me when you’ve needed help or support. That has to stop. I respect what you’ve done for your parents. You’re a good man and a great son, but hiding your feelings and never asking for help stops right now. You don’t have to handle anything alone anymore. You’ve got me. Lean on me. I’m here for you. Every step. I promise.”
“I’m sorry. I love you. Can I kiss you now?”
“Only if you promise to share your feelings and needs with me from now on. And no more blind sacrificing.”
“I promise.” He leans in and softly kisses my lips, increasing the pressure and drawing me closer with every movement of his lips.
When he pulls away, he asks, “What about the job, Kend? It’s what you’ve been working for.”
“It was,” I say softly. “But over the last week and a half, I’ve realized it’s not what I want after all. I want to do something Ienjoy every day. And that’s what working at the inn and volunteering at the library, and even helping Claire, have given me. I’ll never stop writing, but now I’m going to switch back to freelance and write what I want to write.”
“As long as you’re happy?—”
“As long as we’re both happy.”
“You’re staying, I have a job I enjoy, a great community, and a home I love. I’m happy.”
“Yeah? Does that mean you want me to live with you?”
“Fuck yes. Where else would you live?”
“I’m assuming there are apartments in Brighton.”
“There are. But you aren’t living in them. I already told you, I dreamed of having you stay with me. There’s no way I’m letting you live anywhere else.” He leans in and kisses me. “You’re staying right here.” Another kiss. “With me.” One more kiss. “I love you.”
I loop my arms around his neck and lean into him. “I love you too.” Then I trace my tongue over his bottom lip before pushing it into his mouth and deepening our kiss. I can’t believe I waited so damn long to go for it with him. I knew it would be a risk, and that scared me off, but I never factored in the rewards. Falling for your best friend is scary as hell, but when it works, it really works.
I sigh against his lips and pull away, resting my forehead against his and looking into his eyes.
“We should probably go back inside.”
“Yeah, probably. I need to be sure my mom eats something.”
I kiss him again before he can move. “Remember, we’re in it together.”
He grabs my hand and kisses it. “I know. Thank you. We better get out of the car now or we never will.”
I laugh at that and swing my door open.
As we walk back to the hospital hand in hand, Devon says, “So, I know you’re still figuring out the specifics of job stuff, but if you’re interested, Gladys and I have been talking for months about creating a new part time position at the inn.”
“Doing what?”
“Event planning. We have weddings there throughout the year, and they’ve steadily increased since I’ve been back. People often ask if we have an on-site event planner or even someone their planner can coordinate with. Gladys helps with coordinating, but I think you’d be incredible at it. You’re great at putting people at ease, listening, and getting to the heart of what they need. I know it would be a career pivot, so I don’t want an answer right away. Take some time and think about it.”
“I’m definitely interested. Maybe I could try it out for a little while and see how it goes.”
“That sounds perfect. That way you can figure out how much of your time you want to spend on each thing.”
“It’s funny, I was so focused on having a specific career, I didn’t realize how much I could enjoy myself by doing what comes naturally to me, and following my heart.”
