Oh.Hiskey. The key to his apartment.
I looked up, meeting his eyes, at a loss for words.
“Really?” I asked, reaching out to take it.
Kieran had remembered. About me offering Colin my apartment key and him laughing at me.
This was Kieran beating me to it, putting his own heart on the line to save mine.
Obviously, I wanted access to his house. His life.Him.Always.
If it was on offer, I wasn’t saying no.
“Really.” Kieran smiled. “I was thinking, actually, that like… youcouldcome over while you were writing a book. And I could take care of you. I’ll even get a desk or something, there’s a nice window and the only thing in front of it right now is a half-dead plant. And I won’t actually distract you, I promise, you tell me you’re working and you won’t hear a peep out of me, but… I’d like you around. Under the same roof. When you’ve got time. Plus it’s quieter there than it is here and I’m out a lot. It’d be like having a holiday cabin all the time, only an aparmen—”
“Kieran,” I interrupted, reaching out to take his hand. As much as I kind of liked the idea that he was rambling nervously because ofme, I didn’t want him to suffer too long. “I’d love that. And I don’t need a desk.”
“Too late, already got one,” he said. “I mean, if you really object to it I’m sure Mr. Brewster can find someone else to give it to, but it’s this beautiful antique thing with a leather inlay and it makes me think of you.”
“I’m a beautiful antique?” I teased.
“You’re awriter,” Kieran said. “It, y’know… it’s a real writer’s desk. I think. Maybe it’s dumb, I can show you a picture.”
“Don’t,” I said, squeezing his hand. “If you think it’s perfect, I’m sure it is.”
“I thinkyou’reperfect,” Kieran said, running his thumb along the side of my hand. “And I think you should have a nice desk and somewhere comfortable to work. Because I want you to think of my home as your home.”
I bit my lip, too overwhelmed to respond at first. Kieran was sosweet. I didn’t deserve him, and I never would.
“I just finished the last book in the series,” I said.
“Yeah, but you were planning another one. Perfect time to get away from town, get your thoughts in order, maybe go for some long walks in the woods…”
“I’d need a guide,” I said, looking up at him. “Know anyone who knows those woods?”
“I might know a guy.” Kieran looked down at our joined hands, smiling a shy little smile that made him look twenty years younger.
“And I know you can’t just… move away from New York, I know it’s not that simple, but… I want you to feel like… I dunno. Like I’mthere. Always. Whenever you want.”
“And you’ll wait for me?” I asked, but I already knew the answer. If I hadn’t been confident before that Kieran wanted me in his life, I was now.
“I’ll wait for you,” he promised. “As long as it takes.”
I stood, reaching out to curl my free hand around the back of his neck, pulling him in for a soft, gentle kiss that made the pit of my stomach tingle.
We might not have hadeverythingfigured out yet, but right now we were together, just the two of us, standing around in our underwear, holding hands, and making out in the middle of my kitchen.
As long as we hadthat,who needed everything?
“Oh, and uh,” Kieran murmured, pressing our foreheads together as the kiss broke, squeezing my hand just as tight as I was squeezing his. “Mom says you have to come to lunch today. I don’t make the rules.”
* * *
“You boys are late!”Mrs. Goode greeted us at the door. “I’ve had to hold off the stampeding horde in there so there’d be food left for you.”
“Sorry, Mom,” Kieran said, kissing his mother’s cheek as we got to the door.
Holding hands.
