Because my living room is white. Cream.
Every inch of it is crammed withflowers.
There must be hundreds of them. Hundreds of perfectly crafted paper flowers, filling my apartment.
Crouching, I reach for one, scooping it up. Lines of black text run over the petals, and my lips part.
Book pages.
And not just any books. My eyes travel over the words, before I reach for another.
He picked romance books. Every flower is created from a love story.
“Emmy?”
Kneeling on the floor, cradling a flower in my hand, my head jerks up at the choked sound of my name.
He’s here.
Standing in the doorway of our bedroom. Water droplets roll down Jared’s chest, a green towel slung around his hips. He stares at me in disbelief. “You’re here.”
Silently, I nod.
His gaze drops to my hands. “Shit. I wanted to – you’re early.”
A day early.
“I wanted to surprise you,” I whisper.
His eyes travel over me, settling from surprise into something warmer. “Fuck, I missed you.”
Not as much as I’ve missed him. It’s not possible.
The smile starts in one corner, his lip quirking up. And it grows, until he’s grinning widely at me. “You’re really home?”
My own grin grows, spreading across my face as I scramble to my feet. “I’m home.”
And I have waited long enough for this. For him.
“Yes.” He reads my face. “Yes, Emmy.”
And I move.
Jared catches me as I throw myself at him. My legs wrap around his waist.
Grabbing his face in my hands, I press my lips to his.
And in our living room, surrounded by paper flowers he made for me, Jared Bennett and Emmy Marsters kiss for the first time.
It’s a kiss worth waiting for.
I’m crying, and he’s laughing, and we’re stumbling backward. But our lips stay together. Jared takes over, pressing my back against my bedroom wall and softening my clumsy effort, brushing our mouths together in a gentle caress before he pushes my lips open with his.
My arms wrap around his neck, my hands buried in his damp hair as we share oxygen and lips and mumbled words. Jared’s hand cradles the back of my head, his arm strong around my waist as he helps hold me up.
“I missed you.” Another kiss. “So fucking much.”
“Don’t stop.” I tip my head back, giving him access to my throat as his lips travel down. “Don’t youdarestop.”
