My throat tightens.
“From the moment I saw you,” he continues, voice low, steady, devastating, “I knew. Or at least I really hoped. Way down deep. That this was going to be more than I thought it was.”
He smiles then, small and vulnerable, but also absolutely fearless.
“Because there was something about you, Juliette Gianelli,” he says, “that had me hooked from the start. It’s not that I am falling in love with you, it’s a case of Iamin love with you.”
For a beat, the school gym disappears.
Then I’m stepping into him, my hand drifting up his chest, feeling the steady rise and fall of his breath beneath my palm.
“Good,” I whisper. “Because I’m pretty sure I’m already in too deep. I love you, too, Sawyer Stockton.”
He laughs softly, like the sound slips out before he can stop it, and then I kiss him.
It’s not rushed this time. Not careful in the way that pulls back. It’s careful in the way that chooses. My hands curl into the front of his jacket, and his mouth meets mine like he’s been waiting for permission he already had. His hand slides to my waist, steady and warm, pulling me just a fraction closer, like he’s anchoring us both.
For a few suspended seconds, nothing exists but this—the warmth of his mouth, the confidence in his kiss, the way my heart answers without hesitation.
Then footsteps echo down the hallway.
We break apart, laughing softly, foreheads still touching, his thumb brushing once at my side like he can’t quite help himself.
He grins, eyes bright and unmistakably happy. “Worth it.”
I smile back, heart full and steady instead of racing. “Absolutely.”
And standing there in an elementary school gymnasium, stealing kisses and building something real, I know this part for certain?—
This isn’t a moment that fades.
This is the beginning of the kind of love that shows up.
Every. Time.
EPILOGUE
JULIETTE
One year later…
Ilove days like this, when it’s easy and everything flows. Theo went to school without drama, my hair looks incredible, and I can’t complain about anything.
Leaf & Letter has been a busy little shop for a while now, and it doesn’t seem like that will slow down anytime soon. The shiny sparkle of Sawyer being here everyday may be over, but the store has made its impact and now we’re up for Small Business of the Year. Will wonders never cease.
Grinning, I listen to Charlie, who’s near the register explaining—very earnestly—why classical music helps the fiddle-leaf figs thrive.
“It’s the vibration,” he says, adjusting his soil-smudged apron. “Plants respond to intention.”
The customer nods like he’s explaining quantum physics.
I smile and lean back against the counter, glancing up at the wall behind me. Of course when he saw this particular photo in the local paper, he framed it.
What is it? A full-page feature from the Alexandria Gazette—right there between the seasonal wreath display and thevintage postcard rack. Its title:From Kiss Cam to Championship: Second Chances Reign on the Big Screen.
The photo takes up half the page. Me. On the Jumbotron, of all things! Except this time, I won’t need therapy after.
This time I’m kissing Sawyer.
