“Franco, you didn’t have to…” But he pulls the gift out of his pocket before I can protest. The small item is wrapped in a nearly sheer white plastic bag with the letters THANK YOU printed in red ink. It’s tiny enough to fit in his jeans pocket. I can’t imagine what he could have picked up on the road between my mom’s house and Star Falls, but knowing that he got it at a stop on the road trip he made makes it all the more special. Not to mention, it’s the first gift—other than a cell phone, a dog, and a heck of a lot of amazing orgasms—he’s given me. I unwrap the bag and inside find a tiny charm attached to a plastic card. The charm is gold toned and is in the shape of a key.
“It’s to go with the heart Ma gave you,” he says. “I always want to be the man who unlocks your beautiful life. Or some shit,” he chuckles. “I’m no poet or whatever. I don’t really do words. But I love you, Chloe. I’ve never been more thankful that my mother is a meddling matchmaker.”
I wipe away the tears of laughter and joy that collect around my eyes as I add the very meaningful charm to my necklace. “A few more of these and your mom’s going to think I’m copying her style.”
“Don’t you dare,” he teases. He kisses me again, this time longer. His lips linger on mine, soft and insistent, sweet and whispering promises.
“Yo, asshole.” This time, the voice that beckons from the top of the stairs is Benny’s. “What are you two doin’ down there? Pops is ready to carve the bird.”
“For fuck’s sake,” Franco sighs, but there’s a smile on his face. “You ready?”
I take his hand and think over all the things that have come together in my life the last few weeks.
Am I ready? Heck, yeah. I’ve never been more ready. The timing, the place, and the people couldn’t be more perfect.
A new love, a new life, a forever home.
“I’m ready,” I say, lacing my fingers through his, excited about the future.
20
FRANCO
Three WeeksLater
“What do you think?” I step back, taking in the new sign on the bookstore as Chloe stands next to me.
She throws her arms around me as she stares at the front window. “It’s perfect. Absolutely perfect.”
Those are the words I’d use to describe her and the way she’s seamlessly fit into my world. “It’s not too much?”
“Is there such a thing?”
I’ve learned that in the eyes of Chloe, Gracie, and my ma, there can never be too much of anything. When I started to design the sign, I gave them a few choices and they always selected the most colorful and loudest option. “It’ll grab people’s attention.”
“That’s the point, silly.”
I kiss the top of Chloe’s head, looking around the busy street. “Are you ready to close up?”
Chloe looks down the street, soaking in the large crowds trying to get their shopping done before they run out of time. “Maybe another hour.”
“I’ll stay, and then I’m taking you to Benny’s for a late dinner.”
“Perfect,” she says to me before pushing herself away. “I’m starving.”
“Me too,” I tell her, but I’m not hungry for food.
She moves toward the door, but I grab the handle first, opening it for her. She doesn’t say a word, but she looks up at me with a smile that I don’t think could ever grow old.
Chloe heads to the register, and I find an empty chair tucked away across the store to relax in. I grab a book off a random shelf that’s within arm’s reach and crack it open. I pretend to read because sitting in a bookstore without doing anything may seem weird, and I’m not here to creep out the customers.
But when I make it beyond the first page, my phone vibrates, saving me.
Gracie: Do not buy me clothes for Christmas, assholes. Do you hear me?
I laugh as I read her message, remembering all the horrible outfits we’ve bought her over the years. She’s impossible to buy for, and as she’s gotten older, it’s become worse.
Benito: What the hell do you want, then?
