“I love you too, Naomi.”
With both hands on his cheeks, I pull him to me and kiss him. He grabs me by the waist as we engage in a smooch far too filthy for such an elegant venue. But then applause and cheers and whistles thunder around us. We jolt apart at the sudden noise and laugh at everyone cheering around us.
“I thought this corner would be more private,” I say, my face hot at all the attention. “I guess I was wrong.”
Simon pulls me back against him. “I don’t care. As long as I have you, I don’t care about anything else.”
“If you want to glare at me forever, that’s okay. I’ll happily take it because one, I deserve it. And two, you look insanely sexy when you scowl.”
He lets out a soft laugh that makes my heart literally flutter.
“The only reason I glared at you was because I was hurt. But then I realized that even though I was hurt, I still wanted you. I still wanted to try and work things out,” he says.
I pull him closer to me. I slide my arms around his shoulders and we kiss once more.
Out of the corner of my eye, I notice a few people pointing their phones at us.
“One of those pictures is going to probably end up online, you know,” I say.
Simon shrugs.
“So you’re okay with everyone knowing that you—former camming stud, beloved therapist, and one of the most wanted single men in the Bay Area—are taken?” I ask.
He grins wide. “God, yes. It’ll give me a whole new level of legitimacy in my job now that I’m in a committed relationship.”
“Oh, is that the only reason?”
“Well, that and the fact that Naomi Ellorza-Hays is officially my girlfriend. That’s definitely something to be excited about too.”
I grab the lapels of his jacket, pull him to me, and lay on yet another kiss. We break apart after several seconds.
“I’ll probably have to put a disclaimer on the series finale letting everyone know that we’re a couple now. And have a chat with Fiona,” I say. “Journalistic integrity, you know.”
“Of course.” He winks.
We walk to a nearby standing table. The feel of Simon’s hand in mine makes me buzz from head to toe. We’re holding hands. In public. For everyone to see.
I release his hand when a server walks by, and swipe two champagne flutes off the tray. I hand him one and take a sip while he gulps.
“Careful. We’ve still got your interview to do. Don’t want you wasted on camera,” I tease.
He flashes a sly smile, downs the rest of his champagne, then wipes his mouth with the back of his hand. “Let’s do this.”
“Okay, first viewer question: What was your favorite part of filming this series?”
“Meeting you.” Simon smiles at me from where he’s sitting in a room off to the side of the venue, just a few feet away from where I’m standing with the camera.
I try my best to keep composed, to keep my professional hat on. But I can’t help but break out into the biggest smile.
“Nice,” I admit. “Next question: What was the most unexpected thing that happened while filming?”
“Falling in love with you.”
My breath actually catches. And I thought that was something people exaggerated. But no. The person you’re in love with really can take your breath away.
“You’re killing me over here,” I say. I don’t even bother to hide my grin. I’m too blissfully happy. Even if I tried to frown my smile away, it wouldn’t work. As long as Simon’s next to me, I won’t ever stop smiling.
“Are you embarrassed about anything that aired in the series?”