Reaching up, I quickly run my hand up his scruffy jaw and then pull away, remembering where we are. “Just getting some fudge.”
He doesn’t let me get far because he pulls me in close again and tips my chin up. He presses the softest of kisses against my lips, and I swear I melt right there on the spot.
So much for being able to keep this a secret.
“Oh my God, you two. I can’t even.” We both turn to face Jen, who has her hand clutched to her chest, the other pressed against the fudge counter. “The cuteness is overwhelming.”
I push Reid away, but he treats me like a yo-yo and pulls me right back in, grinning.
“What happened to keeping this a secret?” I whisper as he presses another kiss to my temple.
He groans. “Fuck, I forgot.” He glances behind us, but the shop is pretty desolate—a rarity I’m grateful for. “Coast is clear; let’s make out.”
“Stop it.” I push at his chest, putting a good two feet between us.
“You have to watch out for that one.” Jen points to her brother. “He’s horny. As a teenager he would never leave his room; it was—”
“Can we not? Christ, Jen.”
I grin. “Your teenage years are no secret to anyone, Reid. Sorry to say, but your one-handed escapades are public knowledge at this point.”
“Fantastic,” he says.
“I want to say it’s sweet, but I mean . . . it’s really not.” I laugh, which only makes Reid roll his eyes.
“So, you want fudge.” Smart man that he is, Reid quickly changes the subject and leads me over to the fudge counter before stepping behind it. “Since I know you’re not an avid fudge eater and only buy some when you’re celebrating—what’s the occasion?”
I haven’t really told anyone except for Avery about my classes. After staying back in Port Snow to help my parents, I realized quickly not to overshare, especially not with anyone in town. When I started going back to school, I wasn’t even sure how far I’d make it, and the last thing I wanted was to become the town’s resident failure—the girl who tried but never earned a degree. So I kept it a secret, only letting Avery and Eric know.
It’s a big deal, though—I know it is—and I’m so close to actually having a degree. So do I mention it to Reid? Technically he’s my boyfriend, and this is something I would tell him, something I should be proud to tell him.
But for some stupid reason, I’m nervous.
I glide my finger over the fudge counter’s smooth top. “Uh, just celebrating midterms.”
“Midterms.” When I glance up at him, there’s a crease in his brow. “Like college midterms?”
I bite the side of my cheek and nod.
“You’re going to college?”
“Yeah,” I answer. “I’ve been taking online classes.” Jen apparently has no problem listening in on our conversation because she leans against the wall, turning her head back and forth between Reid and me.
“Since when?”
“For a while now, about seven years. I’m in my last semester, actually.”
“Seriously?” Reid adjusts his signature Lobster Landing ball cap. “Shit, Eve, how come you never said anything?”
I shrug. “Didn’t really tell anyone. Avery and Eric know, and that’s about it.”
“So you’ve been taking online classes this entire time in secret? Babe, that’s . . . amazing.” His face lights up, and he comes back around the counter to give me a hug just as Jen interjects, a finger pointed in the air.
“Um, he called you babe; I think I might go cry into a fudge pan—that’s so adorable.”
“Not now, Jen,” Reid huffs, placing a kiss on my head. “Eve, I can’t believe you’ve been getting your degree this whole time. I’m truly . . . wow, I’m amazed. What are you majoring in?”
“Business.” I try to tamp down the blush I feel creeping on my cheeks. “Since I’ve been managing so much at the Inn, I thought it was a good fit. And surprisingly, I really enjoy it.”
“Well, damn. I’m proud of you.”
And that’s the second time in thirty minutes someone has said that to me. It feels good. I’m not one to fish for validation—I know how well I’m doing—but ever since my parents passed . . . well, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t miss hearing those four words.
I’m proud of you.
Those are the words that justify my years of hard work, and they mean more to me than anything else.
“Thank you.”
He squeezes me again and walks behind the counter, a giant smile on his face and awe in his eyes. “So what do you mean, you’re celebrating midterms? Are they over? Did you get your grades back?”
“Yes and yes. Aced all of them.”
“Damn.” Reid whistles and then elbows Jen in the boob—she grasps her chest and scowls. “My girl is a genius. Did you hear that? Aced all of her midterms.”
“I heard it. You didn’t need to puncture my boob to tell me.”
Not even a little bit apologetic, Reid turns back to me. “I’m guessing you’re going with the walnut?”
“Yes, please. Just a quarter.”
Reid cuts the fudge but keeps looking up at me and smiling. It’s adorable. He wraps the fudge up in a signature white Lobster Landing box with red-and-white string and then hands it over to me.
“On the house, babe. Congrats.”
“No, I can’t do that. Let me pay.”
He and Jen exchange glances and laugh. “You’re dating a Knightly,” Jen says.
“And along with amazing sex, I come with free fudge and treats,” Reid cuts in, eliciting another scowl from Jen.
“Don’t talk about sex.”
“Yes,” I agree. “Please don’t talk about sex in front of your sister.”
“We’re an open family. Aren’t we, Jen?” Reid pulls his sister into a hug and rubs his knuckles against her head. She swats at him and attempts to push him away, but he has at least a good fifty pounds of muscle on her, making escape impossible.
“Reid, quit it.” She cocks her arm back, but before she can hit him square in the crotch, he releases her, and she flips her head up, her long brown hair a complete mess. Anger in her eyes, she takes off toward the back of the Landing, muttering something I can’t quite make out.
“Real mature,” I say as he turns to me with a huge grin.
He shrugs and leans on the counter, his eyes like pools of blue shining from beneath the bill of his hat. “Besides fudge, what do you have planned for tonight? Want to celebrate with me?”
“From the glint in your eyes I’m going to guess you want to get naked.”
“Is there any other way to celebrate?”
I hold the fudge up. “Yup, with confectionary sugars.”
I take a few steps backward as he says, “Your place, after your shift tonight. I’ll be on your bed, butt-ass naked, legs spread, showing off the goods.”
A laugh pops out of me, and I shake my head, still headed for the exit. “Please don’t have your legs spread.”
“Oh, they’re going to be spread so fucking wide that you won’t know what to do with yourself.”