I nodded.
“You’ve changed too, you know,” Salem pointed out.
“Me?” I asked in confusion. “I haven’t changed.”
“Oh, my sweet summer child,” Salem quipped. “Of course you’ve changed. You’re in love with Brooks. I was watching you two through dinner. Before I blew it all up, that is. I watched your body language. You turned toward him ever so slightly, seeking him out. It was like . . . a flower leaning toward the sun.”
“You’ve been intimate with him,” Hadley said. “And it’s clear.”
I blinked. “You mean people can tell we’ve had sex?”
Hadley smiled softly. “People can tell it’s more than sex. That’s all I meant.”
“More than sex. Of course it’s more than sex. That man would marry you tomorrow if you said yes,” Salem said with a rueful shake of her head.
Hadley peered at me after Salem made that statement. “That doesn’t scare you, does it?”
I shook my head slowly. “No. No it doesn’t.”
Salem began to laugh.
“What’s so funny?” I demanded.
“In the day and age of dating apps and infinite talkingstages, situationships, and casual hook ups, you bypassed all of that. You insta-mated.”
“She’s totally right,” Hadley agreed.
“You think I’m crazy, don’t you?” I asked.
“Oh, you’re totally crazy,” Salem said with a nod. “But the fact that you don’t care what any of us think anymore is what really tells me that you’re sure of yourself. Sure of him.”
“I do care what you think,” I said, even though it felt like a lie.
“No, you really don’t.” Salem smiled. “Hadley didn’t care what we thought of Declan. And I really didn’t care what you guys thought of Cas. That’s the change, Poet. You chose Brooks. You. And he’s bringing out something truly beautiful in you.”
“What’s that?” I asked.
“Courage,” Hadley said. “He’s helping you find your courage.”
“Courage.” I snorted. “I still haven’t told my grandfather I’m moving and opening a bookstore.”
“And I guess that means you still haven’t told him about Brooks,” Hadley said.
“I don’t want him to think I’m moving here for him.”
“You’re not moving here for Brooks,” Salem said. “I mean, that might be part of it. But we’re here. And the bookstore? You wouldn’t do that in New York.”
“I wouldn’t?” I asked in amusement.
“No.” She shook her head. “Too expensive. Too big. Face it, Poet. You’re a city girl, but you belong in a small town.”
I sighed. “I do love it here. It’s strange, you know? When Wyn and I came for Hadley’s wedding, it felt like coming home. I cried the entire plane ride back to New York.”
“You never told us that,” Hadley said in shock.
“If I told you, Salem would’ve bought me a ticket and told me to turn my butt around and come back.”
“I would have done exactly that,” Salem agreed.
