Page 79 of The Promises We Broke
I thought about it for a moment, wanting to get it right.
"It means I don't want to date anyone else," I said finally. "It means I want to be the person you call when you've had a bad day, the one you share good news with first. It means I want to hold your hand in public and kiss you goodnight."
Her breath hitched slightly, and she squeezed my hand. "I'd like that too."
"So what's next for us?" I asked. "I mean, besides scandalizing half the town with public displays of affection."
Billie laughed, glancing over at the town's premier gossip, who was still pretending to read her menu while obviously documenting our every move. "Well, I was thinking we could start with actual dinner dates. Maybe the new Italian place in Millfield?"
"I'd love that. When?"
"Thursday night? If you're free."
"I'm free," I said immediately. "Completely, entirely free."
Her smile was radiant. "It's a date then. A real one, where I wear something nicer than jeans and you don't have to worry about whether asking me out is appropriate."
"Speaking of plans," I said, "the house should be move-in ready by Christmas. Maybe sooner if the weather holds and we don't run into any surprise electrical issues."
"That's exciting. Your own place again."
"Yeah, it'll be nice to have privacy. Not that I don't love living with Booker and Reece, but there's something to be said for your own space."
Billie nodded, then looked almost shy. "Actually, I heard there's going to be an apartment coming up in town soon. Mrs. Patterson's rental above the grocery store. Would you maybe want to come look at it with me when it's available?"
"You're thinking of moving out of your aunt's place?"
"I've been thinking about it. I love living with Aunt Helen, but I'm nearly thirty years old. It's probably time I had my own space too." She bit her lip. "The thing is, I tend to get over-excited about places and not notice obvious problems. I could use someone with construction experience to point out what I'm missing."
The idea of helping her find a home, of being someone she trusted with important decisions, made something warm unfold in my chest.
"I'd love to help," I said. "Fair warning though, I'll probably be annoyingly thorough about checking everything. Electrical, plumbing, structural integrity, the works."
"That's exactly what I need. Someone to keep me grounded while I'm imagining where I'll put my furniture."
"It's a deal then. You help me pick out paint colors for the house, I'll help you avoid renting a place with faulty wiring."
"Deal." She raised our joined hands and pressed a quick kiss to my knuckles, the gesture so natural and affectionate it made my heart race. "I like having plans with you."
"I like making them," I said, and meant it with every fiber of my being.
"Good," she said, settling back in her chair with a contented sigh. "Now can we please order? I'm starving, and if Mrs. Kowalski takes one more picture of us, I might start charging her for the entertainment."
I glanced over to see the older woman still pretending to be interested in her menu while clearly documenting our entire interaction.
"Let her," I said, raising our joined hands to press another kiss to Billie's knuckles. "I want everyone to know."
"Know what?"
"That I'm the luckiest man in Willowbrook."
The flush that spread across her cheeks was worth every curious stare in the café.
After lunch, we walked slowly through town, her hand in mine, stopping to look in shop windows and saying hello to people we passed. It felt like the most natural thing in the world, like we'd been doing this for years instead of hours.
When I kissed her goodbye on her doorstep, it was soft and sweet and full of promise. And as I walked home, her taste still on my lips and the memory of her smile burned into my brain, I felt something I'd never felt before.
Complete certainty that I was exactly where I was supposed to be, with exactly the person I was meant to love.
