“Oh, honey, no.” Pulling him with her, my mother reaches for my hand and gives it a gentle squeeze. “We’ve always believed that you can do anything you put your mind to. Look at what you did with this place.”
My father shakes his head. “We’ve never once thought, nor will we ever think, that you’re a failure.”
“We both love you very much.”
Corkscrewing my lips to the left, I bite on the inside of my cheek, willing away the tears that prick the corners of my eyes. A huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders now that I no longer feel like I’m keeping a secret from two of the most important people in the world to me.“I love you guys.”
They both pull me in for a hug once more before pulling away. My mother glances at both of my brothers. “Are the two of you walking out with us?”
“Yep,” Finn says, walking across the shop toward the door with Noah right behind him.
“Drive safe!” I call out to our parents as I watch them head through the door and onto the sidewalk. They pause just outside the glass, lifting their hands to wave.
“We’ll be right out,” Finn says to them as he and Noah pause halfway out the front door. “Are you not coming?”
I look at both of my brothers. “No, I think I’ll stay here a little while longer,” I smile, nodding at the two of them. “I just want to refresh things a bit for tomorrow morning.”
“Okay,” Noah says, dipping his chin.
Finn walks over to the counter and rests his hand on it as Noah comes and stands beside him. “You did great here, Will,” he says, his smile stretching. “You proved both of us wrong.”
“And we couldn’t be happier,” Noah chimes in, winking. “We always believed in you, we just needed you to believe too.”
“Thank you, both,” I say softly, my own smile stretching across my face. “I never thought either of you doubted me, but I needed to prove to you that I could do it anyway.” I pause, biting on the inside of my cheek. “And I needed to prove it to myself too. That rejection letter from vet school hit me where ithurt and I needed something to prove to myself that I’m not a failure.”
“Well, you’re not and we never thought you were,” Finn assures me.
“If you’re not reapplying, does this mean you’re staying?” Noah asks, tipping his head to the side.
I look back and forth between both of my brothers. “That’s what I was planning. I was hoping to stay and run the store.”
“That would be great,” Finn says, nodding his head. “We like having you home.”
Something catches Noah’s gaze and he turns his head, staring out through the front window of the store. “We’re not the only ones,” he says softly, lifting his chin.
Finn turns his head to the right, a low chuckle rumbling in his chest as he looks out to where Noah’s focus is. “I think that’s our cue to leave.”
“What are you talking about?” My eyebrows tug together and I lean forward over the counter, my eyes following after theirs to see what everyone’s looking at. All I see is the darkness that has cloaked the town, the empty sidewalk and a lone car driving down the street with their headlights illuminating the path in front of them.
“We’ll see you at home later,” Finn says, smiling at me as he backs away.
“Maybe,” Noah chuckles, winking at me as they both turn away. They fall in step with one another and I shake my head, looking back at the register as the soft bell chimes above the door as they slip through it.
A gentle gust of the cold air from outside drifts into the shop and the door closes behind them. Humming to the soft music playing through the speakers we installed in the store, I close up the register and walk around the counter. I stop at the display of syrups to rearrange a few that are turned sideways.
“Be careful, Willow,” a low voice sounds from behind me, sliding over me like silk sending a shiver trailing down my spine. “Those bottles have a habit of falling off the shelves.”
“Is that so?” I tease as I slowly turn around to face him. Jace stands two feet away with his left hand in his pocket and his right hand holding a brown bag with flowers poking out of the top. His hair is mused and his green eyes are bright as they linger on mine.“Turns out the bottles of syrup aren’t the only things falling.”
His throat bobs as he swallows hard, his eyes widening just a fraction of an inch and he takes a step closer. “Oh yeah?” He rolls his lips, his tongue wetting them. “I think you mean fallen, not falling. There’s a difference, you know.”
My heart skips a beat in my chest as I take the next step closer to him. “What’s that?”
“You see,” he says with caution, his voice low as he moves a step closer, like we’re playing a game of chess. “Falling is that intense, intoxicating, consuming free fall. It’s the action that leads to the collision. Fallen is the after. It’s the slow, simmering contentment that settles deep inside your chest. It’s the peace that washes over you after the intoxication. It’s the way your soul feels like it’s come home, like it’s finally found its resting place.”
My breath catches in my throat, my heart coming to a full stop before it pitter patters into a steady hammering. I stare back at him, my eyes widening slightly as he closes the remaining distance between us. He drops the bag onto the floor, his hands immediately lifting to cup the sides of my face.
He tips my head back. “I’m not falling, because I’ve already fallen.” He lets out a ragged breath, his eyes unwavering as they burn holes through mine. “I’ve fallen for you, Willow.” A tender smile lifts his lips. “I’m in love with you.”
