Page 128 of When We Were Young

I’m smiling so big my cheeks hurt.

“I missed you too,” I say quietly. “More than you know.”

He grins, then kisses my forehead. “Really?”

“Yes, really. But, are you going to kiss me sometime today?” There’s a flirty air to my words. I somehow feel lighter. Maybe it’s because I let myself acknowledge how I felt about my dad and finally had a chance to tell Landon off.

Without hesitation, Holden’s lips find mine.

After a few moments, I ask, “Is Simon in the office watching another bug documentary? I want to hug him.”

“He’s at Harrison’s with Georgie for an impromptu pool party. Let me clean up, then we’ll go.”

“Oh, that sounds like fun. How long do you think they’ll be?”

He glances down at his watch. “Whoa, have I been down here that long? He’s due home in about forty-five minutes.”

I’m eager to see him, but by the time we clean up and get there, it won’t be long until he’s home.

“It’s okay. I can wait. Maybe for dinner we can go to Smiley’s for burgers and milkshakes.”

“You sure?” he asks. “We can go now.”

I sit on one of the high barstools I keep around the kitchen island. “I’m sure. I could just sit and watch you do whatever this is.” I gesture to the mess on the counter.

“Hey! Don’t hate. I was just about to finish up. I’m making cinnamon roll dough so it has time to rise. Our boy asked for them for breakfast tomorrow, and I knew you wouldn’t have time to make the dough without staying up late.”

My heart pounds in my chest. He’s making cinnamon rolls simply because my son asked for them. He didn’t want me to have to stay up late making them.

He said, “Our boy.”

“Lizette? You okay?”

I blink a few times until my vision clears. Why have I been so afraid to really let myself hope until this moment? It’s so clear to me now that the beautiful soul I fell in love with in the library has grown into this marvelous man.

Holden steps between my legs and lifts my chin with the backs of two fingers until my eyes meet his.

“Hey, what’s⁠—”

“I love you.”

At first, the words are hushed, almost whispered. His eyes widen.

“I love you, Holden. So much.”

He lowers his mouth to mine and places the most tender, yet insanely sexy, kiss near the corner of my mouth. Then he pulls back and cups my face in his hands.

The smile on his face might be the most stunning I’ve ever seen on him.

“I love you too. I never stopped. Not even for a minute. I’ve known for a decade that my heart would only ever belong to you.”

“Kiss me again. Please.”

My voice is teeming with need.

His lips are on mine in an instant, and a split second after that, he slides his hands underneath me, cupping my ass. I wrap my legs around him, and he lifts me from the stool effortlessly and places me on the island. It’s perfect—our mouths align just right like this.

He peppers my lips and my neck with kisses, and he has me so turned on that every pleasure center in my body gets stimulated. I don’t even try to quiet my moaning. And the louder I am, the more intense his attention becomes.