“If he saysyes, I have a whole different problem,” I said, barely registering the bell over the door ringing behind me. “I don’t need any more problems today.”
“Lucky for you,” a familiar voice floated over. “I’m here to solve one.”
Morgan.
Marta grinned at him over my shoulder like he was the most exciting thing she’d ever seen.
Crap.
Crap.
When I turned to face him—hoping I wasn’t still blushing—he was holding my phone out with one of those soft, almost shy smiles I’d been mentally storing in a little jar markedhappy thoughtsin the back of my mind.
I loved the way he smiled at me. He was so goddamngentle, the gentlest man I knew, especially considering he was huge.
But I remembered, two springs ago, Morgan scooping up a tiny baby bird outside Mom’s house on the way in for Sunday lunch, bringing it inside, calling Avery, and then taking it to him.
He’d shown us all pictures, weeks later, of it being released back into the wild.
The guy was marshmallow-soft, handsome, smart, built like a brick…
Funny. I’d spent too many afternoons to count laughing until my stomach hurt with him.
I wanted to climb him like a tree, but I also wanted to curl up in bed with him on a Sunday morning and listen to him talk softly to me and trade tender little kisses while we woke up enough for coffee.
Crushes weredisgusting. If I could have the part of my heart that kept developing them surgically removed, I probably would have.
“Why doyouhave my phone?” I asked, accepting it from him and trying not to shivertooobviously as his fingers—warm and rough, covered in nicks and calluses that I justknewwould feel incredible on all my sensitive spots—brushed against mine.
“Aiden gave it to me,” Morgan shrugged. “Said you left it at his place last night, knew I was walking this way, asked me to bring it to you.”
“Thank you,” I said, looking down at it. I’d been pretty sure Aiden had it, but I hadn’t had time to see him before work today.
Before I could talk myself out of it, I swooped forward and let Morgan wrap me up in a hug, savoring the way his solid chest felt against me, my stomach clenching as a swarm of butterflies took off in it.
“Knew you’d miss it,” Morgan murmured, low and rumbly beside my ear. “Worth being covered in glitter for a week over.”
I laughed, tucking it away in my pocket before anyone else came in and saw me playing with my phone while I was meant to be working.
My manager wouldn’t be in for another few hours—and as long as I wasn’t doing it in front of customers or when I was meant to be doing something else, she was cool about it—but it still wasn’t a good look, and I liked this job.
“Your timing is incredible,” Marta said, rearranging a water bottle display by my elbow. “Devin actually had something he wanted to ask you.”
Morgan raised an eyebrow, quiet and attentive as ever.
Oh no.
I wanted to shoot Marta the most lethal death glare of all time, but I couldn’t without him seeing, and I didn’t want him to know how badly I didn’t want to ask this.
But I had to, didn’t I? Or Marta would askforme.
She was my best friend, but who needed enemies when I had friends like her?
“I, uh… it’s just a thought, and I know it’s super short notice, but, umm. There’s… it’s…”
“We’re going on a trip next week for a kayaking competition and Devin’s wondering if you wanna come with us,” Marta said, dumping me in the deep end. “Not to kayak, just to hang out.”
Morgan raised an eyebrow. “The… two of you?”
