Page 56 of Needing You

She straddled me the second I sat on the bed, then rested her perfect little ass in my lap. Hands on my shoulders, she squinted at the wall behind me as if she could see it. “Silver or gray booths. Big glass cases on either side of the register. Light pink with white accents, so the whole shop looks like a confection. And then there’s all the industrial baking appliances…” She sighed, and it was the most wistful sound I’d ever heard her make.

“I get it. The thought of certain kitchen tools gets me hot too.”

She swatted my shoulder, then pressed a kiss to my lips before that smile faded. “It just hasn’t been an option.”

I nodded, familiar with this line of thinking. And it wasn’t like she was wrong. “Ithasn’tbeen. But now it is.” I took her small hand and laced our fingers together. “We’re a team, right?”

“Yes.” Her eyes were wary, but also open. Considering.

“Then I can help. You’re not doing this on your own anymore, and that means financially too. And it’s not me doing itforyou. It’s you doing it with different resources.”

“True. I just… I haven’t done that before.”

I ran a hand through her long, dark hair and tucked it behind her shoulder. “Me neither. The last girlfriend I had was you.”

Her face split into a grin, and she shook her head. “What a mess.”

My heart straight up glowed with adoration. She wasn’t diving into a litany about how ridiculous it was that I’d slept my way through New York but had never had a girlfriend. She wasn’t judging me. Condemning me.

Instead, she embraced it—embracedme.And us. Because as different as our lives had been all these years, we’d both been lonely and apart. And now that we were back together, I realized so much of that loneliness had stemmed from missing her. Not just someone, buther.

“I think we’re making a family here, Kate. And not just stuff with Jackson. The way you support me with my bitching about Eric and whining about menus? I want to do that for you. And I want to know we’re on the same team—same direction, same resources.”

She slowly pulled in a breath, and I mentally braced for her rejection. It wouldn’t be the end of the world, nor would it be a shock, but this might be too much.

“It’s a big change. I’ve done my own thing for so long, but I want to try with you.”

I couldn’t read all the emotions that crossed her face, but I knew at least one was hope. I felt it too. “It is. But I think we’re ready for it.”

Ready for that and so much more. A house together. A life—openly, fully together. I’d been hunting for just the right place, and I couldn’t wait to show her the one I’d bought for us. But I wanted to pair that surprise with another one I had brewing because I wanted her to have everything she’d ever wanted. Everything she deserved, and more.

And part of that was being able to pursue her dream and share her gifts with other people. I was no food critic—like Jackson still claimed he wanted to be—but I knew she had talent because I had excellent fucking taste. Every cupcake of hers I’d ever seen or tried had been delicious, and worth helping her introduce to the world.

A smile spread across her breathtaking face. “I think we’re ready too.”

27

KATE

“Usual table?” I asked Jackson as we stepped into Walker’s. Before he had a chance to reply, however, we caught sight of Jenna already sitting there with a root beer for him and draft beers for us. “Ah, she beat us to it.”

“Hi, Grandma,” Jackson said as he stooped to kiss her cheek before dropping into a chair.

“Hello, Jackson.” Jenna beamed at him before turning her wide smile on me. “Hi, dear. How was your day?”

“Busy,” I replied as I sat on Jackson’s other side and gratefully reached for my beer.

Monday night trivia at Walker’s had become the weekly tradition I never knew I needed over the last couple of months. I loved hanging out with Will’s family when they were all a little less busy running the place and a little more loose and carefree like the rest of the patrons.

Even though Will usually had to pop in and out of the kitchen because he was a control freak when it came to big nights like this, Jenna always sat with us. In addition to grandmotherly affection, she also showed a competitive nature with the trivia I hadn’t expected her to have. It was a huge bonding piece for her and Jackson, and I loved to watch it unfold.

The brothers were also in rare form on Mondays. Sammy was so fun to watch as he emceed the event for the people of Granite Springs. Everybody loved the goofy comments from the youngest Walker bro, and he loved to make them laugh with his odd mixture of dry sarcasm and cheeseball puns.

Eric still prowled around like he owned the place, obviously. And not only because he did—a quarter of it anyway—but also because it was just his way. But on nights like these, he also let his guard downjustenough to have some fun. It wasn’t the questions or the spirit of the game or the special menu they rolled out for the event. If I had to guess, it was the pride of knowing he was right where he belonged, and Walker’s was the epicenter of this town’s favorite way to improve a Monday.

And unlike the rest of the week, Jake often helped out behind the bar during trivia night, serving up the craft beer he was always so busy dreaming up in their massive brewhouse out back. Not only did they have half a dozen varieties on tap at any given time, but soon they’d be bottling and distributing their beers. It kept him away from the fun most days, so on trivia night, he seemed happy to tend bar with his future wife nearby—sitting on a barstool the whole town seemed to know was reserved for her.

The only Walker missing from our Monday night fun was Brenna, but after having such a good time hanging out with her and Ellie at the wedding, I genuinely couldn’t wait for the next time we’d all be together. Like a family.

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