Em turned at the sound of his voice, her eyes lighting up when she saw Miles. Then she saw the flowers in my hands, and whatever she was about to say disappeared completely.
“Oh,” she breathed.
Daniel didn’t give her a second to recover. He slung an arm around Miles’s shoulders and steered him toward the door with exaggerated urgency. “Come on, buddy. Let’s go get pizza. Like, real pizza. The kind that stains your soul.”
Miles gasped, clutching his jacket. “With pepperoni?”
“Extra,” Daniel promised solemnly. “As long as it’s okay with Uncle Noah?”
Fuck. What if someone spied on them? What if someone followed them? “Uh?—”
“We’ll get it to go and head back to your place. Em gave me the key. I will keep him safe, Noah, and text once we get home.”
I glanced at Em, and she nodded. “Okay, yeah. Thanks, Daniel.”
“Figured you two should talk now that the guys all left. Oh, Theo and Audrey are coming by your place in an hour. I might’ve invited them. They are checking into a hotel first.”
“Oh, okay.”
“I’m sorry, I can tell them not to come.” Em moved toward me, grinning at the flowers as she breathed them in. “Thank you for these.”
“Of course. But hey, your family can definitely come over. I told you, it’s your place too.”
Daniel clicked his tongue, giving Em a goofy look before he waved. “See you guys in an hour.”
They disappeared down the sidewalk, Daniel throwing me alook over his shoulder that saiddon’t waste thisbefore the door swung shut behind them.
Silence settled into the space—the kind that wrapped around you when everyone else stepped away and left something important behind. The hum of the lights, the distant city noise through the glass, the faint scent of fabric and fresh paint and flowers in my hands. Em stood a few feet from me, still holding the bouquet with awe on her face.
I crossed the room slowly, giving her time to breathe. She looked up when I stopped in front of her, eyes shining in that way that always captivated me. Not tears exactly. Just emotion, raw and close to the surface. I loved the real version of herself. This one.
“Youdid this,” I said quietly, nodding toward the space around us. “I know you keep hearing it today, but I need you to hear it from me. This didn’t happen because of luck or timing or someone else opening a door. This happened because you built something people want. You stayed up late and ruined your hands and trusted your instincts when no one else did.”
Her lips parted, breath catching a little. “Noah?—”
“I’m serious,” I said, stepping closer. I reached out, took the flowers from her gently, and set them on the nearest table so my hands were free. “Watching you today? Seeing you move through this place like it already belongs to you? I don’t think I’ve ever been prouder of anyone.”
Something in her face cracked open at that. She shook her head once, like she didn’t trust herself to speak yet, and I closed the last inch of space between us.
I didn’t rush it.
I cupped her face with both hands, thumbs brushing softly along her cheeks, feeling the warmth of her skin, the way she leaned into my touch without thinking. Her hands came up automatically, gripping my hoodie at the waist.
I kissed her slowly.
Not hungry. Not desperate. Just full.
I wanted this kiss to show her how much she mattered, how much her happiness mattered to me. My mouth moved against hers with steady pressure, unhurried, like I had nowhere else to be and nothing else pulling at me. She sighed into it, that familiar sound that went straight through my chest, and her fingers dug into my clothes.
I kissed her again, deeper this time, still controlled, still careful. My hands slid from her face to her back, holding her there, solid and certain. She melted into me, and when I finally pulled back enough to breathe, her forehead brushed my chin.
I rested my forehead against hers, eyes closed, breathing her in. “I know today was a lot,” I murmured. “And I know there’s still stuff hanging over us. My parents. Logistics. Everything. But this?” I lifted my head slightly so she had to meet my eyes. “This is real. And it’s yours.”
Her voice came out quiet. “I keep waiting for someone to tell me I’m dreaming.”
I smiled softly and kissed her again, a quick press to her lips this time. “You’re awake, Em. I promise.”
She laughed under her breath, a shaky sound that still carried joy in it, and leaned her forehead into my chest. I wrapped my arms around her, holding her there while the moment settled.
