Page 430 of Small Town Firsts
I unmuted my phone. “Lu? You can stay here with us.” I pressed my lips together. Us was getting a lot easier to say. “Preston offered up one of his guest rooms. He’s got a ton of them.”
“With its own bathroom, maybe? I don’t mean to be greedy, but the porcelain throne is my new best friend.”
Spawn. Throne. The pieces slid into place. “Oh.”
“Yeah. I’d handle it myself, but I just need a spot to think for a little bit.”
“Anything you need. Always. You don’t have to handle it alone.” I grabbed Preston’s hand. “We got you.”
Luna sniffed. “I love you.”
“I love you too, girl.”
“I need to take a shower and clean up.”
“Okay, we’ll be there in a little bit. Take care of you.”
“Take care of you,” she parroted back in our usual goodbyes.
I held my phone against my thigh. “You didn’t have to do that.”
“When are you going to get it, Ryan? Your problems are my problems. It’s just the way it is. And I love Luna just as much as you do.”
I stared at the middle of his chest as everything blurred. “She sounds so scared. That’s not like her.”
“Whatever it is, we’ll help her. I promise.” He gathered me close.
I looped my arms around his waist, one hand still clutching my phone. I pressed my cheek to his chest. “No one has ever stood up for me before. And you’ve done it quite a few times now.”
“And I’ll keep doing it. One of these days, you’ll trust that I always will.”
I held onto him tighter. “I do believe you. I’m sorry it takes me longer to trust.”
He pressed a kiss to the top of my head. “I know. Doesn’t make me love you any less.”
I shifted away enough to go up on my toes and kissed him gently.
He cupped my face and wiped away my tears with his thumbs. “Now let’s go get our girl. I know just the room to put her in.”
“One that’s not too close to ours, right? I mean yours.”
He grinned down at me. “No, opposite end of the house.”
“Good.” I twisted my fingers in his belt loops. “Maybe we could stop at my place first. I’ll get some stuff.”
He grabbed my hand and squeezed hard. “You got it.”
I glanced over at our massacred breakfast. “And maybe we can pick up the real Moons Over My Hammy?”
His lips quirked. “You got it, Miss Moon.”
EPILOGUE
FOR REAL THIS TIME
It was justpast the lunchtime rush, and foot traffic was at its lightest on Kensington Square. Delivery trucks chugged their way down the side streets, and busy moms were doing last-minute errands before school let out.
I loved this area. Fall was in full swing, changing the park from lush green to leaves tipped in red and gold. Japanese maples with their glossy purple leaves stood sentry along the sidewalk to prove the town could have beauty and commerce side by side. The ever-changing storefronts dotted with crazy colors were jammed next to traditional mainstays like Connor’s Drugstore with its sturdy air of responsibility and Jimmy’s Pizza with its sharp, spicy sauce scenting the air.
