I guess I've always thought that the best way to do that was to do it all by myself. But maybe it's the opposite. Maybe the best way to show them that everything they've done matters is to learn when to accept their help and when to conquer the world on my own.
The phone clicks in my ear as my dad disconnects. I hold onto it for another moment before setting it on the counter, my heart lighter than it has been in days. For once, I feel like I might be able to have everything I want. Maybe, just maybe, heartbreak isn't how my story ends.
Chapter Nine
Lincoln
Lilah's store is dark when I park out front at almost ten, but I know she's inside. Her car is still in the lot, and I can see her moving around through the windows. I think she'd live in this store if she could do it. She's here more than she's at home.
I kill the engine, grab the document roll from the passenger seat, and hop out, eager to see her. I was busy all fucking day, trying to get everything in order. I barely had time to breathe between meetings, let alone call her. If I'm being honest, I didn't want to have to lie to her if we did talk.
Some things are better said in person. This is one of them.
I just hope she doesn't kick my ass. It's a distinct possibility.
I stride toward the door with my heart in my throat. She doesn't notice me standing outside, so I stop, just watching her through the glass. She's so goddamn beautiful, moving from task to task in a way that makes my dick throb just watching her. But it's more than just her curves or her smile or the blue shade of her eyes or any individual piece of her that drives me wild. It's everything.
I've never met anyone like her—someone so comfortable in their own skin. There's a confidence to her that's rare, like she knows and accepts herself exactly as she is. She doesn't care what anyone else thinks about her or if they like her. She's just living her life. I can't get enough of that.
I can't get enough of her smart mouth, her attitude, or the way she gives me hell, either. She takes no prisoners, ever. I fucking love that. I love that she's not afraid to call me out or force me to look at things from a different perspective. Most people don't even try. They wouldn't dare. But she's always dared, from day one.
She's tough, but she's sweet as hell, too. She warms up slowly, guarding her heart close, but when she does finally let you in? Jesus Christ. There's nothing better than the way she looks at the people she cares about, like she'd scale mountains and tear down the gates of hell just to make sure you were okay if she had to do it.
I tap on the glass, drawing her attention. She startles, spinning to face me. The way she lights up has my heart climbing into mythroat. I want her to keep looking at me just like that for the rest of my life. If I have that, I don't need anything else.
"Hey," she whispers as soon as she unlocks the door for me. "I didn't think I'd see you tonight."
"I spent last night without you," I murmur, pulling her into my arms. "I'm not sleeping alone two nights in a row, sweetness."
She melts against me, allowing me to kiss the taste from her mouth. She kisses me back the same way, like she's starving for me. By the time we come up for air, her lips are swollen, and her eyes are glossy. I'm half tempted to say to hell with everything else and get her naked.
But I need to do this right.
"You have a minute to look at something?" I ask, stroking her cheek.
"Is it your cock, Lincoln? Because if I look at it, I'm going to want to touch it, and if I touch it, I'm going to want to kiss it." She smirks at me, her cheeks flushed. "If you give a romance reader a cock…"
"Isn't that a kid's book?"
A loud, surprised laugh burbles from her lips. "God, I hope not."
"I didn't mean the cock parts, smart ass." I grin at her, shaking my head. "It's something about a mouse and a cookie. And then he wants a whole bunch of other shit to go with it."
"If You Give a Mouse a Cookie," she says, still smiling at me. "Maybe it inspired me."
"I'm not even going to judge you for your choice," I mutter, beyond being shocked by anything she says at this point. I've been reading the books she likes lately. Didn't know I was capable of blushing over words on a page, but a motherfucker has been thoroughly educated now.
"If you're shocked by that, just wait until you see what they've done to the Grinch," she teases. "Or dinosaurs. Polar bears.Ravens. Beauty and the Beast, Rapunzel, Sleeping Beau—" She laughs wildly against my palm when I place it over her lips.
"I need to show you something before you get naked and demonstrate, so you gotta stop talking," I growl.
She nods against my palm before pulling my hand away. "I'll behave."
"Little liar."
She just grins at me, linking our fingers together to pull me toward one of the tables on the far side of the store. "What do you need to show me if it isn't your cock?" Her gaze lingers on the document tube in my hand. "Is it the contract you signed with the devil for your soul?"
"Smart ass." I shake my head, chuckling. Christ, she's so fucking sexy when she's giving me shit. I love it. I move a stack of books out of the way, then slide the plans out of the tube and stretch them across the table. "Take a look," I murmur.
