Page 85 of Home Sweet Home

Evie exhaled, her lips parting. “You’re not?”

West shook his head, a soft smile on his face. “I called Rich last night and told him. Told him a few other things, too.” Anger crossed West’s face, and Evie wondered what she’d done wrong, but then he added, “What he did with the article and what he said to you? Those things weren’t even close to okay. And I made that extremely clear.”

His arm was already around her, but as he said it, his grip tightened like he was trying to add another layer of protection, and Evie’s heart swelled.

“You were right,” he continued. “Rich figured out what I’d done that night at the bar, and he put it in the article because he thought it would make me look good. And apparently, he could already tell that I was happy being home, and he didn’t want me to get too comfortable and stay.”

Evie tried to tamp down the familiar fiery anger that swelled within her, not wanting to waste any more energy on Rich. “I’m surprised he was actually honest.”

“Last-ditch attempt to get some sympathy, I think, and convince me to stay. But I’d made up my mind.”

She looked up at him. “You called him last night?”

He got the subtext. They hadn’t made up yet, and he’d still wanted to stay.

“We had a fight. Doesn’t change how I feel about you, not even a little bit,” West said. “Spent all evening thinking about what you said. And you were right. I was right, really, because I already knew that baseball didn’t make me happy. I’ve known for a long time. I think what held me back is that I always thought if people saw what was there, underneath baseball, they’d be disappointed.”

Evie laid her hand over West’s, the texture of his skin perfect on her palms. “You’re not disappointing. Not in a single way.”

They stared at each other for a long time, and Evie’s heart was so full, she was sure she would burst. Unfortunate timing to spontaneously combust, when she’d just gotten everything she’d ever wanted.

“So you’re staying.”

He nodded. “You’re stuck with me. And how you feel? That you’re falling in love with me?” Her words repeated back to her made her chest tighten. She wondered if she’d made a mistake, but then he rubbed his thumb over curve of her palm, his fingers grasping hers at the end. “Well, you’ve got some catching up to do because I’m already there.”

Evie had never understood why people left their hearts open and undefended, where anyone could come along and crush it with one contraction of their fist. But in a few short sentences, she finally did. It was for the feeling she had in that moment, that someone saw her for who she really was and loved each part of her, even the ones she hated. And when he kissed her, she wasn’t thinking about the pile of bills on her counter, only his lips pressed against hers, fitting so perfectly like they’d been molded just for her.

“Is that for me?” West said when he pulled away, and Evie was so dizzy, it took her a second to realize what he was referring to.

The bread she’d baked sat in her lap, wrapped in a piece of butcher paper that she’d tied up with twine. Her cheeks flushed at how horribly it had come out, but before she could protest, West took it from her hands and started to untie the twine.

“Don’t—” Evie started, but he already had the bread in his hand.

His eyes sparkled, that slanted smile on his face. “You made me bread?”

“It’s horrible,” Evie said. “I’ll be shocked if you’re not on the first flight back to LA once you taste it.”

“I’ll be the judge of that.” West bit into one end. He made a big show out of it, his face scrunching together in thought as he chewed. “It’s a little dense. Did you overwork the dough?”

Evie’s mind drifted back to her frustrated self in her kitchen, stretching and folding a dozen too many times. “No.”

West raised an eyebrow. “Bread doesn’t lie, Peach. But don’t you worry. We’ve got all the time in the world to get it right.”

CHAPTERTWENTY-FIVE

Like every other morning,Evie woke up to the sound of her alarm at an ungodly hour for most people, while the sky was barely pink. She yawned, her eyes still heavy as they blinked open slowly, and the first thing she saw was the patch of drywall on her ceiling. Underneath the patch of drywall was a hole, the one that had been in her room when her mom bought the house. Evie could still remember her mom up on a ladder, her face scrunched in concentration as she worked the drill.

The next thing Evie saw as she turned to the left side of the bed was West, still fast asleep. His eyelids were squeezed shut, and his mouth was open, a small, dried pile of drool seeping into the sheets. He looked so peaceful, she didn’t want to wake him up, but it was almost six o’clock, and they had a big day ahead of them.

“Hey, sleepyhead,” Evie said, gently rocking his shoulder back and forth. The muscle was hard beneath her fingers, his bare skin smooth like marble. Even though this wasn’t the first time she’d touched him like this, it still had her pinching herself, wondering how she’d gotten so lucky. She was contemplating how long it would take for this feeling to wear off and thinking how grateful she was that someday she would find out, when West’s eyes drifted open, and he rolled toward her, pulling her to him.

“Morning,” he mumbled as he kissed her, sleepily but, judging by what she felt when he pressed his body up against hers, clearly trying to start something.

“We’re going to be late,” Evie said, pulling away even though she didn’t want to.Reallydidn’t want to. The only way she was able to get herself to do it was to remind herself that this was only one of many mornings ahead of them.

West groaned, but then he smiled, his eyes still halfway shut. “Whatever you say, captain.” As realization dawned on him, he turned back to her, his eyes snapping open. “Wait, where are we going?”

The car ride to the diner was short, and when West grabbed Evie’s hand from the passenger seat, Josh barely raised an eyebrow. Evie guessed that nothing was going to faze him, given West had wandered shirtless into the kitchen in search of coffee, and Josh hadn’t even blinked.

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