“Hey.” She stilled, faced me, and touched my cheek. Her attention moved from my eyes to my mouth, then back. Puffs of condensation formed around her lips as she sighed. “Thank you for sharing those with me.”
“Thanks for always listening.”
She chewed her lip, and I bent down and kissed her quickly before jutting my chin toward the café. So many unsaid words lingered in the air.
Would she still stick around?
Did she still love me that way?
We arrived at the entrance, and I stopped her from going inside.
“Laney—”
“What is it?” Her tone was worried, her eyes wide.
“This was supposed to be a surprise for Christmas, and I know, somehow, I messed it up. It’s probably too soon to share this with you.”
“Connor.” Her gaze softened. “You were going to surprise me at Christmas?” she whispered.
I nodded, but shame clawed up my neck. I had forgotten our fucking anniversary, but at least I had planned this.
“It doesn’t make up for anything, and this should’ve been a conversation instead of me making a choice for you.”
A line formed between her brows as she tilted her head. “I’m very confused right now.”
“Okay, let’s head inside.” I swallowed, my stomach an absolute mess. “I hope you… Tell me what you think.”
CHAPTER NINE
LANEY
I used to be able to read every expression on Connor’s face. The impatience while waiting for someone to answer him was a slight jaw clench. The tightening of his eyes meant he didn’t believe you. The nostril flare could be amusement with me or annoyance with others. Right now though? I couldn’t read him at all. He stared, face neutral, as he guided me into the coffee shop.
It smelled heavenly the second we walked in. Wonderful scents of cookies and coffee greeted me, and I groaned. “Oh, that smells good.”
“Welcome in!” A cheery barista waved. She had bright golden hair in braids and wore a green beanie with the wordCAFFEINATED.
I returned the gesture and took in the café. It was decked out with mini Christmas trees, snowflakes, and presents. It was so cozy and homey. Instantly, I could picture myself working at a table here for an afternoon when I needed to get out of the house. Soph and I could plot out her dating schemes. My momwould obsess over all the crafts and art for sale. There was a table with bracelets and key chains.
“Oh, I love this stuff!” I smiled and went over to the table. Connor hated collecting junk. He’d rather have a large or expensive item to display, whereas I loved smaller items. Small key chains with funny phrases, a mini-camera to dangle from a bracelet. Local artists’ bookmarks and shirts lined the room. Maybe it was because my mom was an artist and always fought so hard to sell her stuff at places and I wanted to support them, but my eyes welled up, thinking that Connor had known this place had all these items.
“Pick whatever you want. However many you want.” He joined me at the table, his posture still stiffer than expected.
“Connor, I love this place. Why are you nervous?” I picked up a blue beaded bracelet that readSNAPSHOTin small gold letters. It was so delicate. “Oh, I love this one.”
“I’ll buy it.” He took it from my hands, but then dropped it with a curse.
Something was wrong. He went from laughing on the walk to this awkward, fumbling man. I bent down with him and waited for him to meet my gaze. A light blush spread across his face, and I melted.
“What’s this worry about?”
His gaze flicked over my shoulder, and I followed, craning my neck toward an exposed brick wall that held four photos. They looked familiar. Each scene was at night, the light rays contrasting with the background. My skin prickled. Slowly, I stood, dragging my cold feet across the wooden floor.
I knew those photos. I knew them well. I took them.
“What…” I trailed off as I read a golden plate that hung next to the images.
LOCAL ARTIST: LANEY REYNOLDS
