Page 416 of How to Kiss a Hawthorne Brother
Probably because it’s moreAudrey.
“Hey,” I say, taking a step forward. “You’re here.”
“Nate let me in,” she says. “I hope that’s okay.”
“It’salwaysokay. It’s good to see you.”
Behind me, my brothers are moving, picking up empty beer bottles and straightening their chairs. In a matter of seconds, they’re filing past me, each of them patting me on the back and saying hello to Audrey as they pass into the house. Perry is the last one to leave. When he reaches the door, he pauses and looks at me over his shoulder, his eyes cutting to Audrey for the briefest second. “It’s not always easy. But it’s the best thing that ever happened to me. And it's always worth it.” He taps his hand against the door jamb, then disappears into the house.
Seconds later, the front door clicks closed, and Audrey and I are alone.
I take a step toward her and push my hands into my pockets, resisting the urge to run to her, to pull her into my arms.
“I didn’t mean to break up the party,” she says.
“Don’t worry about it. They were just hanging out. We weren’t doing anything important.”
She nods. “I, um…” She looks up and breathes out a trembling breath. “I had this whole speech prepared, and now I can’t remember anything I wanted to say.” She tucks her hair behind her ear. “Actually, that’s not true. I do remember one thing.”
She lifts her eyes to meet mine, hope shining in their depths, and my heart starts pounding in my chest. “Yeah? What’s that?”
She smiles, her expression tender. “Just that I’m in love with you.”
I close my eyes and let the words wash over me.
“I think a part of me knew, right from the start, that I eventuallywouldlove you,” she continues. “But I was so scared, Flint. Scared of getting hurt. Of feeling overwhelmed. Of getting lost in a world so much bigger than the one I’ve made for myself. All that fear made me push you away, but I didn’t even last twelve hours before I realized that the thought of living withoutyou is so much scarier.” She takes a step toward me. “I want us. I wantyou.”
I have so much I want to tell her.
But I can’t say anything until I’m holding her.
I hurry forward, catching her when she launches herself into my arms. I spin her around, hugging her close, then slowly lower her to the ground, her body flush against mine.
Her hands lift to my face, and she pushes up on her toes to kiss me, stopping just before her lips meet mine. “You haven’t said anything yet, Flint.”
“I love you,” I whisper. “I love you so much.”
She smiles, her nose brushing against mine. “I love you, too.”
When our lips finally touch, it feels like our first kiss all over again. All the fire, all the passion and excitement, but there’s something else now too.
Now, there’s a promise threaded through each touch, each caress of her skin against mine. I pull back, my hands lifting to her face. “Hey, I need to tell you something.”
Her eyes flutter open. “Okay.”
“Come inside and sit.”
Her eyebrows lift, and she bites her lip.
“It’s good. I swear it’s good,” I say. “Just come on.”
I leave her on the couch and run to my office where I grab the list I printed off for her earlier. I take it back to the living room and sit down beside her.
“This is for you.”
She takes the single sheet of paper, her brow furrowing as she looks it over.
“It took a little bit of leg work. And quite a few phone calls. Mark and Deidre helped with that—they have a lot of connections. But all these organizations have grant money that’s currently available,andthey’re interested in seeing your proposal.”
