Page 82 of When in Rome

“I figured when my third call went to your answering machine.”

He grimaces. “I’m so sorry. But you have my word that I’m all in from now on. No more playing it safe. I want to give this relationship everything I’ve got. And to prove it…” Noah’s hand dives into his pocket and then pulls out an iPhone. He takes my hand, turning it over and placing the phone in my palm.

“You got a cell phone?” My voice is pure awe. Tears are clinging to my lashes. For most people this wouldn’t mean much, but for Noah, adjusting to modern technology is on par with changing religions.

“And Wi-Fi is being installed in my house as we speak. If I have to be apart from you for months on end, I at least want to be able to see your pretty smile on FaceTime.”

“You really are getting internet installed at your house?”

“Yep. And I’m going to need you to show me how to use this damn thing. Why are there so many little pictures on the screen?”

“Those are called apps.”

He grunts. “I don’t like them.”

“We’ll delete all of them except for the ones you need.”

“I still don’t loveit.”

I smile and toss his phone onto the dressing room couch so I can wrap my arms around him again. “I’m all in, too, just so you know.”

“Good, because there’s more.” He runs his fingers across the fringe of my bangs and then down the back of my hair like he’s savoring me. “If your offer still stands, I’d like to join you on tour more often. I don’t want to spend these entire nine months without you.”

A happy sigh escapes my ear-to-ear smile. “Really? What about your grandma and The Pie Shop?”

“I worked it out with my sisters. They were happy to adjust the schedule to where they take more days visiting Grandma. And I already have someone who works weekends for me who said she’d be happy to cover for me while I’m gone.”

I give him a quick peck on his mouth again like I’m proving his frown doesn’t exist now. “What about this week? Could you take off and come with me to the next two shows?”

He bends and kisses my cheek. And then my jaw. And then my neck. “I was really hoping you were going to offer that because Claire already had my bag taken to your tour bus.”

A joyful laugh spills out of me. Along with an embarrassing amount of happy tears. “Are you kidding? We are going to play so much Scrabble now!”

His kisses turn hotter—blazing one after another up the line of my throat while his big hand cups my backside and squeezes playfully. “I don’t know…I was thinking of something else we could do that would be more fun.”

I give a delighted hum, telling him just how much I approve of that idea.

He pulls away long enough to give me a slanted smile. “Finish the book we were reading together, obviously…what did you think I was meaning?”

I kiss him. Slowly and tenderly. “Oh, me, too. Reading for sure.”

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