“As in? We need more intel to advise you correctly.” Stone thanks the man who brings their coffees and a plate with a cinnamon roll.
“We spent the weekend together when Lori and Harry were away. Now we are, ya know…”
Harlow and Stone wait patiently, both with arms crossed on the table and their backs straight.
“Lexi and I enjoy one another. She makes me laugh and doesn’t seem to mind the kids, either. In fact, I think with every antic they pull she likes them even more. It doesn’t feel as though she’s out of place when they’re around. I can’t seem to shake that we’re more than a fling,” I admit.
Harlow’s face lights up like a Christmas tree; she writes romance books, after all. “The realization phase has hit you. Go for it.” Her palm comes up to face me. “Go for it. You’ve sworn off relationships in the past, but she’s the gamechanger, and if she has a great connection with Lori and Harry, then even more reason to keep exploring this thing.”
My eyes land on Stone with a plea. “Calm her down.”
He gently touches his fiancée’s arm. “Go a little easy, even if you are 100% correct.” His sight sharply turns to find mine again. “Holden, for fuck’s sake, you seem happy.”
“Which is why we are going to see where things go.”
“Perfect. As long as fear doesn’t become a barrier, then this could be something special.”
I smile to myself. “That’s the thing. I’m not sure there is any fear, other than it scares me that there is no fear, you know what I mean?”
Harlow sips her coffee and remains elated. “That’s your sign then.”
I snicker a sound and throw my hands up. “Everyone here is speaking logic, congrats to us.”
Stone and Harlow hold up their coffee mugs and meet them in the middle for a toast.
“Fast or slow, you have a chance at a relationship worth everything,” Harlow announces before we clink our mugs.
Stone sets the little spoon for his coffee to the side. “Now just don’t fuck it up when it comes time to tell the kids,” he casually mentions.
Because one day, when the time is right to share the news, then they could be the dealbreaker.
18
LEXI
“These cookies are so damn good.” I nearly moan as the gooey chocolate chip cookie bends easily in my hand.
“There is something about Dizzy Duck’s welcome cookies that is like a psychedelic experience,” Harlow says with her mouth full.
We’re sitting on a couch in the lobby of the Dizzy Duck. The finished lobby, if I may add. Harlow is someone I recently met. But she’s around the inn a lot, as she and Stone stayed here for a bit while their home was getting renovated. They are a perfect couple, and it’s nearly infectious to see.
I put my cookie back on the napkin then set it on the coffee table in front of us. “I really need to figure out what it is about the recipe,” I mention.
“Nah, they’re only excellent because someone else bakes them.” Harlow nods then looks at me funny. “Uhm…” She’s trying to keep a smile in. “I saw Holden the other day.”
Ah, I think I know where this is going.
“And?”
Her smile breaks out. “He’s close to Stone and me. I consider him a good friend, and maybe I shouldn’t be talking to you about him. But my mouth won’t stay shut because he seems different. I think it’s great that he is opening up with someone. I’ve even heard his kids have calmed down a bit. Seems that you are a good influence on everyone.”
I shrug my shoulders, brushing off her proclamation. “Nah, just a distraction for most. Something new.”
She shakes her head. “Except, you know that you’re no longer just a distraction to Holden.”
A feeling of pure joy explodes inside me. “I’m not sure that I should be talking to you about this, but I believe so, and if I’m honest, he isn’t to me either. I’m just not used to a connection with someone like this.”
Harlow gives me a look of understanding. “But you like it?”
