Her lips part open. “I-I’m sor… No, I’m not. It just rolled out of my mouth.” I stand there just listening with my entire posture and face blank. “It’s just, I can’t control this giant ball that keeps rolling and rolling, taking me into this future, that crosses my mind.” She’s talking fast again; my nervous Lexi is back.
“Lexi.” I state her name, attempting to break her chain of thoughts spewing out of her mouth.
It falls on deaf ears. “I’m sure you don’t, you don’t, you know… feel. But I can’t hold it in. I have feelings for you. They’re strong, and I feel connected to you and your family. It’s warm and caring. So it slipped out of my mouth, and we know my mind and mouth have little control?—”
“Lexi,” I attempt to stop her again as the line of my mouth stretches up. Her chest is visibly moving up and down. “Lexi? Is the third time’s the charm going to get your attention?” It does, as her eyes rocket up to meet mine. I step forward, and my fingertips embrace her elbows to ensure she can’t run. “I love you.”
Her face falls with relief before completely brightening with a smile. “You do?”
I nod. “I would say so, since I asked you to come out here to talk because it was getting kind of unbearable.”
“This is crazy, right? Everything we do seems to be big steps ahead. Yet, looking back, it all makes sense, and we haven’t missed any.”
My grin is in full force. “Crazy sounds about right. Now, can you shut up for a hot minute? I believe we have something to do.” I step closer and dive my mouth down to cement our new state.
That’s what this kiss is. Lexi has this uncanny capability to break down my walls, causing me to believe that I’m allowed to feel things that haven’t been on my radar in years. I’m not ignorant to the practical fact of that. I’m in this new state because of her. I want it to be her. It is her. Now she’s mine.
Her arms circle around my neck and my own loop around her middle to pull her flush to my body. She sighs in relief against my lips, not wanting us to part. “We have this click, the kind too overbearing to ignore. And you shouldn’t because it will only get better,” I tell her.
How can it not? She molds into my life, with Lori and Harry included. Most of all, I’m alive in the way that brings constant excitement for what the day ahead will look like. It will always be an adventure. That’s a pretty damn good way to live.
“It kept building inside of me, this feeling. Maybe it’s because I’ve intertwined in your life, houseguest upgrade included. But none of that would have happened if you and I didn’t have a flare between us that grew into a fire.” She nuzzles my nose, completely content with melting into my body and ready for what time will bring to us.
I cup her head, my thumb circling her cheek, ensuring her eyes gaze up at me. “Sound like we’re aligned. Does this mean I get another gift like yesterday’s show?” I tease her, and she pinches my stomach to cause me to flinch. Lexi knows that I’m playing with her.
But we calm, and she burrows her cheek into my palm while she calmly inhales. “I love you,” she repeats in a rasp.
“I love you too.”
We stay firmly in place, not wanting this moment to end, but it has to.
“We’ll have a long night ahead in bed, but right now, I have toasts to do.”
She creates space, with understanding seeping across her face. “Of course.”
A quick kiss and then she pivots, only for me to yank her back for one more fast, decadent kiss.
Watching her walk away, I examine her sway and notice that it has extra pep to her movement, and hopefully that’s my doing.
This is a big step for us, but it’s our direction.
Now that the knot that was inside of me all day is untied, I can focus on the rest of the night with ease.
Walking back inside, I mentally switch gears and remind myself about my speech. Everyone has been waiting for it since they arrived before sunset so they could see the inn in two different lights.
Returning to the noisy lobby, everyone seems in good spirits. When I see Lori and Harry talking with Harlow, I know they’re in good hands. They look freaking adorable. Lori in a simple blue dress, yet she picked it out herself, and Harry in a blazer minus the tie. They didn’t even grumble when I asked them to dress up.
“No pressure but make this a long-run success. I hope to get my money’s worth,” Stone jokes.
I flash him a sly smile. “Funny. At least you showed up. Nash is still MIA. He may not care, but he still has 10% of this place.”
Stone shakes his head. “It doesn’t matter. You have 70%.”
My head bobs. “True. Besides, I’m not surprised. Happy with the end result of this place?”
His eyes brighten. “It’s phenomenal. I’m scared tourists are going to flock here in droves, more than the usual. I don’t want to have to wait longer at Jolly Joe’s for my coffee.”
My brows rise. “Problem solved. The Dizzy Duck has a new coffee machine, and we switched the beans. We now have the best coffee around. Be nice to Stuart at the front desk and he might even grab you a cup whenever you demand.”
