Page 84 of The Promises We Broke
"You do." He leaned across the table and smoothed his thumb between my eyebrows. "Right there. It's adorable."
"You're biased."
"Completely." He kissed me softly, tasting like maple syrup and promises. "And I plan to stay that way for the rest of my life."
The sound of footsteps in the hallway made us break apart, and Aunt Helen appeared in the doorway wearing her robe and slippers, her gray hair twisted into curlers.
"Well, well," she said, her eyes twinkling with amusement as she took in the scene. "This is a sight for sore eyes."
Gage immediately stood up, already reaching for another plate. "Good morning, Mrs. Schulster. Can I make you some pancakes?"
"That would be lovely, dear." She settled into her usual chair, beaming at both of us. "I have to say, it's about time you two figured this out."
"Aunt Helen," I protested, but she waved me off.
"Oh, don't 'Aunt Helen' me. I've been watching this dance for months." She accepted the coffee Gage poured for her with a grateful smile. "Though I have to say, you might want to think about making some more permanent arrangements soon."
"What do you mean?" I asked, though I had a feeling I knew where this was heading.
"Well, Mrs. Patterson mentioned that her apartment above the grocery store is coming available again. And the Kowalskis are moving out of that little place on Maple Street." She sipped her coffee innocently. "Of course, there's always the option of just moving into that cottage of his. Seems silly to waste money on rent when you're practically living there anyway."
"Aunt Helen!" My cheeks flamed with embarrassment.
"What? I'm just saying, at your age, there's no point in beating around the bush about these things." She turned to Gage with a conspiratorial smile. "What do you think, dear? Wouldn't it be nice to have someone to share that beautiful house you're building?"
Gage's ears turned red, but he was grinning. "Yes, ma'am. It would be very nice."
"See?" Aunt Helen looked between us with satisfaction. "At least one of you has sense."
"Anyone would think you were trying to get rid of me," I said, folding my arms in faux upset, because I couldn't deny that for all my talk of wanting to take things slow, what she was suggesting sounded like a very good idea. Plus I'd been lookingat apartments for some time now anyway. It would be nice to not have to think about the fact that I lived with my elderly aunt every time I wanted to spend the night with my boyfriend.
"Never," she said softly, reaching out and patting my arm. "There will always be a place here for you, my dear. I'm just saying you should have other places as well." Then she laughed and ate her pancakes as Gage grinned at the pair of us across the table.
Later, after Gage had left for his appointments and I'd gotten ready for work, I found myself standing in front of my bathroom mirror, studying my reflection. Did I look different? I felt different. Softer somehow, more open. Like falling in love had sanded down some of my sharper edges.
My phone rang as I was gathering my things for work. Blake's name flashed on the screen.
"Morning," I said, tucking the phone between my ear and shoulder as I searched for my keys.
"Morning, sunshine." Blake's voice was warm with affection. "How are you feeling today? You were practically glowing at dinner last night."
"I'm good," I said, unable to keep the smile out of my voice. "Really good."
"I can tell. It's wonderful seeing you this happy, Billie. You and Gage both, actually. Xander mentioned he's never seen his brother so relaxed."
I found my keys under a pile of mail on Aunt Helen's kitchen counter. "It feels different this time. More... solid, I guess."
"That's because you're both different people now. You know what you want, what you're willing to fight for." Blake paused. "So how are you handling the whole small-town fishbowl thing? I saw Mrs. Patterson practically taking notes when you two were holding hands at the festival."
I groaned. "Please tell me she's not spreading gossip."
"Oh, she absolutely is. But it's good gossip. Things like how sweet you two look together and how Gage opens doors for you and how you laugh at all his terrible jokes."
"They're not terrible jokes," I protested, though I was laughing.
"They're dad jokes, Billie. He's already practicing for the future."
The casual mention of our future made my chest warm with happiness. "We're taking things one day at a time."
