“You love me?”
I nod, a lump forming in my throat.
“But … but, you’re mad at me, right?”
I laugh, relief washing over me. “No, I’m not mad at you. I could never be mad at you.”
“Elias.” He bites his lip and looks down. Before he can come up with another reason why this won’t work, I tell him to take a look at the paper folded under Grogu’s robe.
He takes the square of paper out and puts the stuffed toy down on the desk while he opens it up.
“What is this?”
“I thought you’d recognize a map,” I tease. My voice is so unsteady, I barely recognize it. I have never opened myself up to anyone like this before. It feels like I’ve just jumped off a cliff and now I’m in freefall.
I watch him study the map I spent all night making circles on.
“What do these circles represent?”
“They’re the places I’m hoping you’ll join me when I go out on the tour.”
He raises his eyes from the map. They’re glistening.God, please let them be happy tears.
“You said you want to be the one to go out scouting new talent? Well, I’ll be starting out on the Challenger tour, and what better place to find new talent than there? You can work on the business from the road, right? And if we have to do long-distance, then I’m sure we can make that work, too.”
Ben takes a few steps closer, the map still held out between us.
“Elias, do you really mean this?”
I frown.
“I mean, do you really want this, with me?”
“God yes. Of course I do.”
He takes a stuttering breath in.
“Do you think you could put the map down for a second so I can kiss you?”
He hesitates. For a horrible moment, I think he’s going to reject me. I brace myself for the onslaught. That awful feeling of not being loved back. But then he kisses me while still holding the map. The paper crinkling between us. He can tear it to pieces for all I care, so long as he doesn’t stop kissing me.
He steps away, laughing, his face lit up with that beautiful smile. He picks Grogu up from the desk and presses hishand so my voice fills the room again, saying, “I love you, Ben.”
“You know, if you want me to say it, you can just ask.”
He swallows and licks his lips, his eyes still shining as he nods. “Yes, please.”
“I love you, Ben.”
He blinks, his eyelashes wet. “I love you, too.”
I step forward, putting my hands on his face, and kiss him, Grogu squashed between us.
Everyone’s eyesare on us when we go back out to the party. Ben has hold of my hand and is cradling Grogu under his free arm. He left the map spread out on the desk in the office.
Nate grins when he sees us holding hands, but Archer steps forward and fixes me with a frown.
“I swear to god, Liebrenz, if you ever do anything to hurt him?—”
