Tears gathered in my eyes, but he reached up to brush them away. “I see you.”
And every logical reason not to leap forward melted away because my heart split open.
He was right.
How many turns did we get around the sun?
How many moments were wasted because ofcoulda, woulda, shoulda?
I didn’t want to regret. I didn’t want to wait.
Wait for what?
People went their entire lives hoping to find someone who truly loved them. Someone who wasn’t afraid to build a life, someone who would be there through the storms andwho would be right there next to you, smiling when the sun came out.
Brooks and I hadn’t known each other long at all, but what was time when you were a speck in the blink of the universe’s eye?
And because he was Brooks, I didn’t have to say anything.
His lips pressing to mine was a promise.
His body sliding into mine was a revelation.
We came together, our eyes locked on one another.
And in the space between our rapid heartbeats, we exchanged our vows.
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
Another Town
“I’m officially an Idaho resident,” I said, waving the paper copy of my driver’s license in the air and grinning at Brooks.
He wrapped an arm around my shoulder and hugged me to him as we walked across the DMV parking lot.
“The line wasn’t that long, either,” I said. “That’s almost unheard of for a DMV.”
“Don’t get too excited,” he quipped. “We’ll be back here in a few months for your name change.”
“A few months, huh?” I peered up at him with a toothy smile.
He looked down at me and smiled. “Yeah, Freckles. A few months. The bookstore will be open by then, you’ll have told your grandfather about us, giving him time to fly back to the States, and Hadley and Salem both will have given birth, so they’ll be able to imbibe and enjoy themselves.”
“You’ve thought of everything.”
“Yeah, I have,” Brooks said, forcing me to stop.
I frowned in confusion as a man I didn’t know approached us. Without removing his arm from around my shoulder, Brooks held out his hand to the stranger.
“Brooks,” the man greeted.
“Hi, Terry. Thanks for meeting us here,” Brooks said.
The middle-aged man shook Brooks’ hand vigorously. “Made the most sense, didn’t it?”
“This is my girlfriend, Poet,” Brooks said, introducing me.
“Poet,” Terry said. “Nice to meet you.”
