She drags herself from my arms, turning back towardme with her nose scrunched up. “You’re here to stay out of my way? It seems like you could’ve done that from Roots.”
A sly smirk touches her lips.
“You know what I meant. I’m here to support you.”
She slides off the bed, grabbing clothes from her suitcase and scrambling to the bathroom, but she pauses briefly in the doorway. “Jax?”
“Yeah?”
“Thank you. I wouldn’t want to tackle this weekend without you.”
Lauren reaches out to grab my hand, drawing my attention away from the clock on the wall that I may or may not have been checking every thirty seconds. “What’s going on with you? You seem antsy.”
I have the perfect plan to show Lauren what things could be like between us, but it’s going to blow up in my face if we don’t get out the door in ten minutes.
“Nothing. It’s nothing. Take your time finishing your food.”
Pushing her plate away, she says, “I’m done.”
“No, you’re not.” I push it toward her. “I know you. You wouldn’t let a burger go to waste.”
“Well, I’m too nervous to eat now.” She crosses her arms and leans back.
“I’m sorry. I just have a surprise I think you’ll like. I didn’t expect the cocktail hour to go until seven thirty.”
“I’m not trying to ruin your plans. You should’ve told me. We could’ve left early.”
“And draw you away from all the wonderful connectionsyou were making? No way! You were a rockstar in there. Everyone wanted to talk with you.”
She rolls her eyes. “I talked with like three people.”
“It was way more than that,” I insist. “Your breakfast seemed to go well too. He kept lingering and coming back up to you tonight. He couldn’t stay away.”And I hated it.
It was incredible to see Lauren’s excitement and hope after breakfast this morning, but it was less than pleasing to find out at the cocktail hour that the man she had breakfast with was a good-looking, twenty-something instead of some harmless grandpa she’d want nothing to do with.
She pulls her plate back and takes another bite of her burger as the waiter comes to check on us. I request the check, and as soon as we’ve paid, I grab Lauren’s hand and lead her out the door.
“Okay, you have to tell me where we are going in such a rush.”
I tug her into the doorway of the building right next door. We step into the threshold of an independent bookstore that looks even more vibrant than in the photos I saw online. Garland is strung along the top of the bookshelves, and a Christmas tree sits in the corner near a café with signs that say it sells both coffee and wine.
“Ta da!” I throw my arms out, feeling a little proud of myself when I catch the look of wonder in her eyes.
“Jax, this is amazing.”
“I figured between the books, the little café, and all the Christmas decor, you’d like it. They close in twenty-five minutes though.”
She wraps me up in a bear hug, and I press a kiss to the top of her head, just like I did last night.
Pulling back, she meets my eyes. “Thank you forbringing me here. I love it. I don’t care if we only have five minutes. I’ll make every second count.”
“You better pick out a book because I know you’ve finished the two I bought you.”
“Okay, okay! I’m going.” She snaps a picture of the Christmas decor in the corner before dashing off toward the romance aisle.
It’s nice to see her growth in only a few weeks. I didn’t have to drag her away from books that are related to work. Instead, she’s fully embracing what she enjoys and letting herself be happy. It’s beautiful to see, and it makes me think maybe I can get there someday too, allowing myself to be happy instead of consumed with regret. Lauren might be exactly what I need to change that.
By the time the intercom announces the shop is closing, Lauren’s arms are stacked. Watching her struggle to carry the pile already in her hands but reaching out to add another on top makes me love her even more. I rush over to pull the books from her grasp.
