Even if it wasn’t official.
Even if it wasn’t serious.
She still had someone in her life, and I was standing here thinking about stepping right into that space like it was mine to take.
I leaned back against the workbench again, arms crossing tighter this time.
But the more I thought about it, the less that part mattered.
Jesse wasn’t here when she needed him.Jesse wasn’t the one fixing her car.Jesse wasn’t the one making sure she got home safe.
That had been me, and that was the part that stuck.
The part I couldn’t shake no matter how many times I told myself to back off, leave it alone, not complicate things.
I pushed off the bench again and walked toward the open garage door, stopping at the edge and looking out at the empty space where her car had been.
I rested one hand against the doorframe and leaned slightly into it, gaze fixed on the road beyond.
All I knew was I wanted her.
Not casually.Not as some passing thought.Not as something I might get around to if the timing worked out.
I wanted Ever for myself.
And that wasn’t something I was going to ignore.
Not anymore.
Chapter Thirteen
Ever
The clock on the wall ticked toward ten.
Five minutes.
Five minutes until I could lock the doors, clean the last of the mess, and go home to my big, empty house where I would absolutely not think about Jude.
Not even a little.
I dragged the scoop through a tub of chocolate ice cream, rolling it into a perfect round before dropping it into a dish and sliding it across the counter to the last customer.
“Have a good night,” I said with a smile that came easy.
That part of me never struggled.
Customer Service Ever?She had her life together.She knew what to say, how to say it, and how to make everything feel normal.
It was everything outside of that that got… complicated.
The bell over the door jingled.
I didn’t think much of it at first.We still had a few minutes before closing.It wasn’t unusual for someone to slip in last minute, hoping for a quick cone or shake before we flipped the sign.
“Welcome—” I started, turning toward the door, and stopped.
Jesse.
