“Positive.”
We went into her room and took a few pictures before heading out. As I drove, we made small talk, but her mouthsnapped shut when Avery realized where we were going. She looked over at me with watery eyes and a pout.
“Baby.”
“It’s technically closed to the public, so we have it to ourselves,” I told her. “I know this probably won’t give you the same vibe but?—”
“It’s better,” she interrupted me to say. “It’s perfect.”
With that assurance, I got out of the car and walked over to her side. Hand in hand, we walked through the entrance. I told her she could play whatever, ride whatever, eat whatever, and of course, she wanted our first stop to be the merry-go-round. The sniggles and giggles that permeated our space as we rode made my heart light. The happier she was, the happier it made me. Our hands were locked as she rested her head on my shoulder. Once the ride came to an end, she wanted to ride it again, so we did.
I took a picture of us to remember the moment, thinking back to how I rode this same ride with her in that mall in Memphis all those years ago. Had I known this would be in our future . . .
“This is the best nightever,” she said quietly, looking up into the night sky.
“Already?” I asked through my chuckle. “It just started.”
When she looked at me, the sincerity in her eyes made my heart skip a beat. “Already,” Avery affirmed. Her hand cupped my cheek as she declared, “You’re the best.”
Our lips connected just as the fireworks I’d requested went off, and when the kiss ended, I wrapped my arm around her shoulders and released a content sigh. The ride started a third time, and I decided in that moment, if this was all she wanted to do for the rest of the night, I’d be more than okay with that.
12
Avery
My eyes blinked rapidly as I stared at the post. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. After over three years, Ali had logged into his personal Facebook page and posted. He didn’t just post. He posted a picture of us from last night and tagged me with the caption,MINE. I hadn’t even bothered to look and see why I had so many notifications until Jessica called and texted me.
When she first called, I ignored it. Then, she texted me and said she was wrong, and that’s the only reason I called to see what the hell she was talking about. She told me what he’d posted, and I didn’t believe her, so I went to look for myself . . . and there it was. He hadn’t just posted, but he’d posted me, him,us.
I hurriedly put my phone away and grabbed the coffees I’d picked us up from Grounds 4 Love, then made my way inside. Grounds 4 Love had quickly become my favorite coffee shop. Not only were the pastries phenomenal, but the coffee was amazing, and I loved Zoe. She was so sweet and kind. Hearing about her journey of taking over the coffee shop after her sister’sdeath was truly awe inspiring. And the bonus? She reconnected with the man of her dreams in the process.
And speaking of the man of her dreams, mine had already let me know he was showering and to let myself in. Apparently, he spent all night writing after our date was over, which I loved. I was about to be a little bummed about not ending the night in his arms, but I didn’t care too much about waiting if it meant he was going to be able to write.
As usual, Gremlin jumped all over me and followed me into the kitchen. I put the coffees down and gave him some love before washing my hands and pulling out what I needed to make us breakfast. Before I did, I decided to shoot Laya a quick email. If she was watching his socials, there was no doubt in my mind she’d see that picture and swear I was here on personal time instead of trying to do my job.
Ali’s laptop was on the kitchen island, so I opened it to see if it was password protected. To my surprise, it wasn’t. I guess that made sense since he never really let anyone into his home. His manuscript was pulled up, and as much as I wanted to sneak a peek, I didn’t. Instead, I logged into my Gmail account to email Laya.
Hey Laya,
I’ll call you later in the day, but it’s still super early, and I’m sure you have quite a bit of work to do. Ali and I are dating. We don’t have an official title yet, but we’ve gotten close, and I think it’s time for me to officially pull myself off this project.
He’s unyielding when it comes to the interview, and I don’t think I’m going to be able to get him to change his mind. I’d prefer to focus on our personal relationship going forward. Please give me until the end of today to get checked out of the hotel, and I’ll cover the rest of my expenses going forward. If you want me to come back to Memphis at the start of next week for a new project, just let me know.
If you want to fire me, I understand that too. This probably looks pretty bad. Breach of ethics and all that jazz. Me here on the company dime developing a relationship with him.
Even if he did give me an interview, people would probably question the validity of it when they found out we were dating. Oh God. The more I type, the worse I feel. I hope you know I didn’t come to Jasper Lane under false pretenses, and I really had every intention of getting the interview done. One thing led to another, and our previous feelings for each other resurfaced.
Thanks for your understanding,
Avery
Just as I minimized Gmail, I heard Ali’s voice.
“You’re reading my shit?”
I jumped and turned to face him, clutching my chest. “What? No. I was just?—”
“Don’t lie to me, Avery.” He moved me to the side gently and pointed toward the Microsoft document. “Did you read it? Did you send it to yourself? To your editor?”
