Page 128 of Be Your Anything
And before I can think it through too much, I just say what’s in my heart.
“Don’t stop.”
His shoulders fall, and his hand comes up to the side of my face. Then he just looks at me. For long moments, his breath washes over my face and his fingers stroke at my cheek and my neck.
He places a gentle, lingering kiss against my temple.
“I love you,” he whispers.
And then he steps back, putting distance between us.
“Thank you. For being honest.” He clears his throat, looks around. “I don’t want you to have to be the one to clean this up, so…you can go inside if you want and I’ll make sure your house doesn’t catch on fire.”
I smile at him. Then I follow his directions, stepping past him and heading for the door.
“Leave the fairy lights,” I say as I unlock my front door. I look over my shoulder, finding him watching me, one hand clutching a bouquet, the other in his pocket. He’s still in that ridiculous red-striped vest.
“And Lucas?” I add. “Good luck on Saturday.”
CHAPTER27
LUCAS
I’ll be honest, when Hannah suggests another family night on Friday, I’m not in the mood.
With everything going on with Lennon and Remmy and my nerves on edge for the race tomorrow, I’m not in the right headspace.
“But that’s perfect!” Hannah declared when I told her earlier today. “You don’t have to be in the right mood to spend time with family. You just have to be yourself.”
Which leads to where we are now. Wyatt and Hannah snuggled on one end of the couch, Ivy spread out asleep at the other end, and myself and Ben in the two armchairs.
“I gotta ask, man—what is with that ad in the paper?”
Ben’s question feels like the first time he’s addressed me directly all night, and it takes a moment for me to realize it and respond.
“Oh, um…”
That’s about all I can manage before Hannah chips in.
“Isn’t it so romantic?” She snuggles closer to Wyatt. “I love grand gestures.”
I smirk and motion to her boyfriend. “Clearly.”
Hannah grabs one of the throw pillows she kicked to the ground earlier and chucks it at me with a laugh.
“I thought you and Remmy have been dating since you were in high school,” Ben says. “What’s the grand gesture for?”
I shift in my chair, realizing Ben’s not been made aware of everything going on over the past…well, the past while.
“We broke up.”
Ben watches me, his eyes the same brown as Wyatt’s but without the same warmth. “So who’s the ad for?”
“Lennon.”
The smile Ben gives me is shark-like. “Lennon Day? You’re going after a Roth?”
“I’m notgoing aftera Roth.”
