“No.”
“Who cares what other people think?” Rebecca chimes in.
“Did you have a reason for coming out here, Becs?” I ask,now wanting to apologize to Talon in private for the harshness of my reaction. My words were true, but my tone was harder than necessary, and I hate being the reason he frowns.
“Just to tell you that I approved your time off request.”
“What time off request?” I ask, confused as fuck.
“And now we’ve come to why I’m here,” Talon says with a grin.
“Oh, shit. Sorry, Mr. Devereaux. Guess I jumped the gun,” Becs says, starting to back away. “I’ll just let you two carry on then.”
“Rebecca,pleasecall me Talon. And no need to apologize; you were just being efficient as always.”
Rebecca leaves us alone right as a few people step up to the podium to check in for their reservations. I take them through the whole spiel, thankful I could recite it in my sleep because I’m distracted as hell.What is Talon planning?
When I make it back outside after leading them to their table, Talon’s bouncing on the balls of his feet, trying to stay warm.
“Hey, I’m sorry I pulled away,” I say, stepping into his space, sending mixed signals. “I just don’t want to create trouble for you.Moretrouble for you,” I correct.
“I appreciate that. And I should probably tell my family first anyway. I just get lost in our bubble, and it’s been so nice. It’s ironic that when I first came out here, I missed New York so badly. The people, the sights, the sounds of the city. But now, I think I’ll miss the openness of Montana and the unobstructed views at night.”
As he talks, a terrible, horrible realization dawns on me. His stay in Montana is coming to an end.
“You’re going home.” It’s not a question.
“Um, yes, but that’s why I’m here. I have to go back in March for our quarterly meeting, and I want you to come withme. Let me show you New York. I want to experience Broadway with you, and I want my family to meet you. I want you to eat a hot dog from a street vendor in Central Park. I want my two worlds to collide.”
I stand there, dumbfounded. Frozen in my disbelief. Talon is offering me everything,everythingI’ve ever wanted, and the scariest part is that it all pales in comparison to how much I wanthim.
“Okay,” I hear myself say.
My simple answer makes his face light up, and he lunges at me, wrapping me in a hug before quickly stepping back and looking around.
“Sorry. I’m just so ex?—”
I don’t let him finish before I’m grabbing the back of his neck, pulling him toward me, and crashing my mouth against his.
Fuck it. If I’m about to meet his family, and the cat’s going to be out of the bag anyway, there’s no point in making him think I don’t want this as much as he does.
He kisses me back feverishly.
We’re totally lost in each other until a knock on the glass breaks us apart. We’re both laughing nervously as we turn around, but it’s just Hayden. He’s resetting a table with linens, but has paused to give us a thumbs up.
I shake my head, but inside, I’m filled with joy and relief at not having to keep Talon a secret anymore.
New York, here I come!
Chapter 27
Talon
“Does Eloise know I’m coming?” Zeke asks when we get home.
“No. I wanted to talk to you before I mentioned it to her, Lukas, or my parents,” I tell him. “But she’ll be so excited. Let’s call her on FaceTime to tell her the good news.”
Zeke’s genuine smile melts my heart. Since Eloise is one of my favorite people in the world, it’s important to me that they get along. Knowing they truly adore one another confirms that this is the right choice.
