“Liv…” he says slowly.
I swallow hard. My hand is clenched so hard around my cell that my knuckles turn white. My breathing has become shallow and rapid, but I keep plowing on.
“I think about you all the time, Cash, and I wanted you to know that. Since I met you, you’ve infiltrated my thoughts and dreams in a way no one else has. I think you’re amazing. I think you’re sweet. I think you’re a talented vet and I’m so glad you got to check out Chanel for me when she was struggling. Cash, I think I’m falling for—”
“Liv!” Cash sucks in a short breath. “Stop!”
The command smacks into me like a tidal wave. I stagger back, eyes blinking frantically, as his urgent tone seeps into my heart and crushes it. As I’d thought, he doesn’t feel the same way about me that I feel about him.
One of the tears welling in my eyes trickles down my face. I exhale shakily before answering in what I hope is a calm voice.
“I know someone as adventurous and wild as you could never be interested in someone as timid as me,” I say. “I also know that I had to speak my mind today regardless of how you feel. I’m sorry. Thanks for hearing me out.”
My legs shake hard as I lower my phone. Cash’s husky voice resounds faintly from the phone, but the wind is billowing too much for me to make out what he’s saying and I’ve heard enough anyway. I thumb the button, ending the call.
Despite everything, I’m proud of what I’ve done and said today.
My heart might ache right now, but it still feels lighter than it has in a long, long time. I don’t regret my time with Cash, or the big crush I have on him. I’m lucky to have met him because he pushed me to become a bolder, braver version of myself.
I wipe the tears from my face with trembling fingers and turn toward my car just as the sound of a familiar motorcycle engine roars closer. I look over my shoulder in time to see Cash speed into the parking lot. His bike skids to a stop and he jumps off, yanking his helmet over his head and letting it fall to the ground as he rushes toward me. His emerald eyes blaze with emotion.
“Wh—what are you doing here?” I stutter haltingly.
I can hardly believe my eyes. Have I blacked out right in Franco’s beach side parking lot? Is this a hallucination?
“This is why I asked you to stop for a second, Liv,” he answers. He towers over me, shading my face from the sun, and grabs my hands in his. Are his fingers shaking? Is it the result of holding onto the handlebars of his motorcycle? Or something else? “I needed to be able to look you in the eyes. Fresno can wait.”
“Fresno?” I echo in shock. “You’re only going to Fresno? That isn’t far at all!”
He laughs and squeezes my hands tighter. “I never said it was. Maybe I should’ve been clearer about where I’m going. There’s a veterinary conference being held there and I’m headed over for the week to meet with some of the top vets in the field and take in some training lectures. Then I’ll be right back here in LA.”
My jaw drops so low it could scrape the ground. Cash grins.
“I can’t believe you said all that stuff to me, Liv,” he murmurs, gently clutching my hands to his chest. I can feel his heart beating like crazy against his ribs through his tee. It’s beating just as fast as mine. “I didn't think I was your type at all. I had to beg my old man to let me keep handling the business deal between G&G and him because I couldn’t get enough of you after meeting you that first time, but I never thought you’d reciprocate my interest in you.”
I blink. “YoubeggedFranco to be our liaison?”
When he nods bashfully, fresh tears well in my eyes. This whole time, we were each falling for one another and neither of us had any idea.
“You said someone like me couldn’t care for someone like you, Liv, but you’re wrong. Someone like you is beautiful, inside and out. Someone like you is warm and gracious. Someone like you is brave, even if you don’t realize it at first. You’re exactly the type of woman I want. You’re the type of woman I’ve always wanted.”
I gaze up at Cash through the brimming tears of joy in my eyes. He eases closer, releasing my hands to cup my face. I melt into his chest, clutching his faux leather jacket, as his lips descend to mine. Even though I’m learning the importance of voicing my feelings, sometimes even words don’t express everything.
When our mouths collide, Cash lets out a soft groan and pulls me closer. My arms loop around his neck as my fingers rake through his silky hair. After what feels like years and seconds all at once, Cash slowly lifts his head, though he keeps me tight in his embrace. Around us, the crowd of people at Franco’s starts cheering. Franco stands in the restaurant’s open doorway, lightly brushing happy tears of his own from the corners of his eyes.
“Come to Fresno with me,” Cash says. “I’m not ready to say goodbye for even a week. Let’s make this a getaway for just the two of us.”
My heart leaps into my throat. I’ve never been spontaneous, but I’ve also never wanted to go anywhere as badly as I want to go on a mini-vacation with the man of my dreams.
“But Chanel and the rest of the pets…” I say. “The girls are gone for the next few days, too. I’m not sure I can board them at our vet on such short notice.”
“I’ll watch them,” Franco offers. “Cash is always getting me to foster pets from his clinic that he’s taken in. I’m a pro critter sitter.”
Cash grins down at me. “What do you say, Liv?”
My heart is hammering against my ribs, but I know there’s no way I’m turning this opportunity down. “I say let me on the back of your bike and let’s hit the road!”
He laughs, sweeping me into his strong arms and planting me on the motorcycle. He slides his helmet down over my hair and Franco tosses him a spare one for himself before he glides in front of me. I lean against his strong back, arms circling his waist.
