Page 136 of The Nicest Thing
"For being you."
It felt like she had my heart in her hand, and I wanted that.I wanted her.
"I wouldn't want to do this with anyone else."
"Okay, enough of the mushy stuff," I said, clapping my hands together."My girl is about to own this book conference.First up, we have the signing.Then we got that romance writerspanel, lunch, and another two hours of signing.Did you eat anything?"
Rose shook her head."No, but I'm fine."
Anticipating this, I pulled a granola bar from my pocket and tossed it to her.
"Blueberry and vanilla?" she said.
"Your favorite," I said with a nod, pushing a bottle of water into her hands as well."Eat up.You need fuel."
"I'm nervous, Finn," she admitted, wringing her hands together.
"That's good," I said."It means you care."
She nodded."I love you."
"I know."
"If you ever stop loving me and my anxious, nervous, self-doubting self, I wouldn't blame you a bit," Rose went on."Just maybe keep being my best friend."
I rolled my eyes."Thought we covered this last night."
"We did, but—"
"When does the signing start?"
She checked her phone and said, "In 30 minutes.Why?"
"More than enough time."I took her hand and began leading her to the hall.
She laughed as I tugged her along."Finn, where are we going?"
"To find an empty room and take care of those nerves.I figured an orgasm would help."
A choked sound came from behind me.
"Don't worry, I'll have you back in time."
I kept my promise.
Twice.
And Rose really did look more relaxed when the signing rolled around.Seeing the blush in her cheeks stoked my ego like nothing else.
But that took a backseat as the minutes passed.
Rose's smile dimmed as readers walked by, many not even stopping at the table to say hello.This first day was made up of famous industry leaders and book influencers.Rose had explained they were hand-selected by the conference specifically for their follower count and/or their connections.It was like they looked right through her.
"It's okay," she said, still smiling."I knew they were here for other authors."
"Whatever," I replied, crossing my arms."What do they have that you don't?"
"More marketing savvy," Rose said, "spicier books—or squeaky clean books, a bigger online presence, bigger bank accounts, more swag, more super fans—"
