“And what is that exactly?” My heart slowed a little as I waited for his answer.
“To be together. In the same city.”
“Billy, I can’t—”
He shook his head. “Not asking you to move, Han. That part is already taken care of. All you have to do is say you’ll give me a chance, give us a chance, and then the distance that separated us before will no longer exist.”
“How?”
“I’ve spent the last week working through it all. I have a job offer here in Seattle. It’s temporary, but will at least give us a chance to figure things out. An old college teammate of mine hooked me up with a coaching job for a Little League team at a sports complex he owns.”
“I—I don’t know what to say.”
“Say you want this, Hannah.”
My eyes flicked around the coffee shop before dropping to our linked hands on the table. I had no idea what there was to think about. It was what I’d dreamed of having for months now. It was the only thing I truly wanted at this point.
He saw the answer in my eyes before I’d even said it. He was already out of his seat, pulling me out of mine and kissing me like a madman in the middle of Coffee Haven.
I laughed as we pulled apart. “Yes, cowboy. I want this.”
With a never-ending smile on his lips he kissed me one more time before we both sat down to finish our coffees and muffins.
“Where will you live?” I asked as I took a bite.
“Not sure, yet. But I have a few places to look at later, after we have lunch with your parents.”
“Lunch with my parents…?”
“Yep, Adele and Phillip insisted when I spoke to them the other day.”
“You spoke to my parents? But how?”
“Lottie. She put me in contact with them. Also helped me figure out the best neighborhoods to look in for a place to live.”
“Lottie… I suppose she also told you where to find me this morning.”
He grinned, unashamed, and I couldn’t help it when I did too. Lottie was just repaying me the favor for my part in helping Tucker.
“So, you’re serious about all this, living in Seattle, being with me?”
“Hannah, it’s a dream come true. I knew I was serious about it the moment I chased after you in the airport the morning after the cookout.”
My hand halted midway to my mouth. “You were there, calling my name.”
“Yeah I was there. I’d bought a ticket for the next flight out just to get through security to find you. As soon as I saw you stepping into the jet bridge I tried yelling your name to stop you. I thought you hadn’t heard me, or maybe it was just my imagination that I saw you.”
“I did. Oh my gosh, I did hear you.” I covered my mouth with a hand. “I’m sorry. I’d spent the night in the airport, and I just thought it was my heart and tired head playing tricks on me.”
With a sad smile he picked up our linked hands, kissing the underside of my wrist. “I thought I might lose you forever when that plane took off with you on it.”
I placed my other hand over the top of his, leaning in to kiss him. “I’m yours as long as you want me.”
“That’s good, because I just might keep you forever.”
Chapter 20
HANNAH
Nine Months later…
I lifted the pot from the stove, pouring the spaghetti into the strainer at the sink. Steam rose in the air around me as the water filtered out of the noodles.
“Now what?” I asked.
“Toss it with a little butter, so your pasta keeps from sticking,” my mom said, turning the spaghetti sauce to a low simmer for me after giving it another stir. “I’m setting the timer now. When it goes off, just turn the burner off for the sauce. It’ll stay warm for a while if you keep the lid on it.”
“Got it.” I nodded as I dropped a little butter into the pasta.
“What time does he get home?”
“He should be home any minute now,” I said, glancing over my shoulder at the clock.
“All right. I’ll get out of your hair then.”
She removed her apron and laid it to the side. She took one last glance at everything—the set table, the already prepared salad, the unopened bottle of wine waiting to be popped open—before walking over to give me a hug.
“I’m so proud of you, honey. And your father and I are truly happy and excited for you. You’re doing the right thing.”
I really hoped so. And a giant part of me knew I was. It didn’t mean that I wasn’t still scared, that I wasn’t worried about what Billy’s reaction would be when he got home and I told him.
She gave me a kiss on the cheek and squeezed my hand. I followed her as she walked toward the front door. “Thank you for everything, Mom.”
“Of course, dear. Call me later and let me know how it went.”
“I will. Love you.” I gave her one more hug before she disappeared behind the closed door of our apartment.
I returned to the kitchen, doing my own double check of everything and turning off the burner to the pasta sauce. Timer or not, I wasn’t taking any chances this time. The last thing I wanted to do was start this conversation with burning our dinner. Again.
Billy had been living with me since the day he showed up in my favorite coffee shop. After lunch with my parents, where they instantly fell in love with him the same way I had, we’d looked at a number of apartments and rentals for Billy. By the third one, I realized I didn’t want any distance between us, even a few miles. I insisted he just move in with me. He argued, not wanting me to rearrange my whole life for him, which was laughable considering he left his behind completely just to be with me.
After a few days, I’d finally won the argument. He moved in, and we’d been living together since. I was happier than I’d ever been in my life, which is why what I had to tell him this evening scared me. I didn’t want anything to disrupt this state of bliss we’d been living in.
I heard the keys in the lock and the front door open and close a few seconds later. I took a deep breath and walked around the island and into the living room to greet Billy.
He stopped short as his eyes landed on me, a big smile slowly curling up his lips. My body relaxed at the sight of him and the happiness written all over his face.
“Never gonna get sick of coming home to this,” he said, eating up the last few feet between us. He pulled me into his arms, kissing me good and hard on the lips before moving on to my neck. He pulled back slightly, a question in his eyes, a furrow on his brow. “Do I smell something actually cooking and not burning?”
I rolled my eyes, swatting at his chest as I wiggled out of his embrace to walk back to the kitchen. “Smart ass,” I playfully retorted.
He chuckled, following behind me. “I guess that means Adele’s been here.”
“Hey! What makes you think I didn’t do this all by myself?”
His head tilted to the side.
“Okay. Fine. She may have helped a little.”
“She should’ve stayed and had dinner with us. I haven’t seen your parents since brunch last week,” he said, popping a tomato from the salad into his mouth.