“Wait, what?” I furrow my brow. I mean, I’m happy for all the selfish reasons, but also… “What about Miami? What about the apartment complex thing?”
“I’m still doing it,” she says, using the hand with the leash to swipe away her happy tears. “But I didn’t take their deal. I went back to my dad. I pitched it my way. And Titan Development agreed to build it here.”
I nod, a massive grin breaking out across my face. “Wait, really?! That’samazing!”
“Yeah.” She takes a step toward me, tugging at my hoodie to pull me to her. “Dad will be a silent partner. No takeovers. No safety nets. Just backing the idea I already knew was right.”
“That’s so awesome,” I whisper, leaning down toward her.
“I don’t know how hard it’ll be,” she says. “But I know it’s mine.”
My forehead presses to hers, and I breathe in her sweet, now-familiar scent, closing my eyes. “I’m so glad you’re staying.”
“Me, too. But I’m also glad to hear you were willing to chase me across the country.” She giggles, standing on her tiptoes to press her lips to mine. She kisses me gently, and I linger there against her lips, letting joy spread through my entire body.
I knew I made the right decision.
I release her hand and wrap my arms around her, pulling her flush against my body. I deepen the kiss, my tongue running along her bottom lip. Nicole leans into it, letting me into her mouth. I thread my fingers through her hair, cupping the back of her head.
This is worth staying in Los Angeles for the rest of my life.
We spend the next few minutes lost in each other, until Cocoa starts to whine and paws obnoxiously at my leg. I release Nicole and chuckle, shaking my head.
“I don’t think he’s a fan of me kissing his mom,” I joke, stepping away just far enough to grab Nicole’s hand again.
Cocoa looks up as she starts to laugh again.
I still have one more thing I want to tell her, but the way Cocoa is bouncing around means we need to do something else.
“Maybe we should take the little guy for a walk?” I suggest, nodding toward the gate to exit the courtyard. “We can finish our picnic on the beach?”
Nicole nods eagerly. “That’s a great idea.”
We spend the next few minutes cleaning up the picnic that never really got started, folding the blanket and stuffing it away. I sweep it up and carry it in one arm, while Nicole grabs my other hand.
I lead the way, though Cocoa knows exactly what we’re going to do, jutting out in front of me and jerking Nicole slightly. She giggles, and I can’t help but laugh a little, too. There’s something about the way that we work—all three of us—that makes me feel like we’re just one happy, somewhat chaotic, family.
“So.” Nicole looks up at me. “When I build the apartment complex, do you think you’ll want to live there?” Her eyes dart up to meet mine as I close the courtyard gate.
I nod. “Yeah, but on one condition.”
Her brow furrows. “And what’s that?”
“You’ll live in the building, too, right? Like, you should probably give yourself the penthouse or something. I can live right below you and then come up and bother you all the time. It only seems fitting.”
Her cheeks flush. “We could maybe make that work. I don’t know, though, it’ll take a few years getting it to the point that we can have tenants. We have to go through the entire development phase, you know? That takes a lot of planning, construction, and whatever else.”
I nod. “Yeah, we could totally be married by then.”
She stops, frozen on the street. “What?”
My lips part, but nothing comes out, and I find myself suddenly the one going red in the face. “I just… I just mean… You know… Years… Years are a long time, and if we’re, like, serious… You know…” I sound like I suddenly can’t speak, and Nicole bursts into a fit of laughter, her hand flying up to cover her mouth.
“Oh my gosh, that’s totally true. Who knows where we’ll be at that point.”
“I don’t know, but I hope wherever we are,” I say, my voice softening, “that we’re there together—with Cocoa, too.” I shoot her a wink and squeeze her hand, leading her down the boulevard.
We walk hand in hand, her fingers snug in mine. Something about the moment feels so incredibly right. But I’m still not ready to tell her what I have left to say.
