Page 100 of Bastard Bartender

He leans in and places his hand on my cheek. “Evette, I’m so in love with you. I was a fool for not saying it before, but I was too scared to admit it. I thrive on experience and thought a relationship would bring boredom, but I was wrong. You’re my adventure, my unpredictable girl. You challenge me intellectually and stimulate me sexually. You mesh with my personality and expand my horizons. I don’t want to be anywhere on this earth unless you’re there too.”

“You love me?” I ask, barely above a whisper.

“Dangerously.”

All the words a girl could want to hear are said, and yet history could just repeat itself.

“This doesn’t change our problem. You still want to leap off of cliffs, and I can’t handle that.”

“I can find new ways to get my thrills.”

I shake my head, so happy yet so unsure of how this could possibly work. “You’re making this so hard because I was going to stay. I chose you first, but now that I made the commitment, I’m excited I did. I want this job, but I want you too.”

“Then, have us both.” He holds up a ticket. “I told you I was taking a leap, and this is it. I’m jumping, cariño. Heart, body, and soul. Believe it or not, it’s terrifying, and yet I can’t think of anything I’d rather do.”

“You’re coming with me while I sign my contract?” I ask slowly.

“Actually, no. You see, I bought this ticket, so I can be here to see you off. I’m not allowed to leave the state until my court date for this,” he says, raising his casted arm, and I frown because a small piece of my heart got its hopes up. “But in about six months, I plan on using this ticket to fly to New York and be with you indefinitely. If you’ll have me.”

“But your house and your job—”

“We can put my place on Airbnb, and I’ll make a profit. I can bartend anywhere.”

“You’d do that for me?”

“I’m doing it for us.”

I start to cry. It’s slow with only a few drops falling from my eyes. His other hand swoops into my hair and brushes a tear away from my cheek with his thumb.

“I’ve heard people say, When you know, you know. And I promise you, I know. I know because you fit me, in my life, in my heart, like you were always meant to be there. I can’t just let you walk away now.”

I’m not sure if I should laugh or cry. I’m just so surprised to see him here, saying everything I’ve wanted him to say.

“Are you going to say something?” he asks with a nervous laugh.

“I want to you say it again.”

He quirks a brow in question and then slowly nods with a sinful smirk.

“Evette,” he drawls.

“Yes, Nicolás?”

“I love you.”

I don’t bother saying it back. Instead, I throw my arms around him and kiss him. Hands, lips, tongues, groans, we kiss like no two people should in an airport, and I don’t care. I’m in love with this man, and he loves me too.

As I pull back, I have to wipe the tears falling down my face. His expression of pure joy fills me with so much happiness that I could burst.

“Wait a minute.” My palms are on his chest while I look up into his eyes. “How do I know you won’t flake on me in six months?”

He gives a crooked grin and winks. “Easy. It might take me a while to commit to something, but when I do, it’s with ten thousand percent of my being.” He grabs my hand. “Ready for your adventure?”

I breathe a long, heavy sigh of contentment. “I am. Because this time, it’s an adventure for us both.”