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“I’m picking you up. Let me do this right.”

“Okay.” I opened my car door, already missing the warmth of him. “Thank you for tonight. For your family. For everything.”

“Thank you for being here. For caring about Remy. For...” He trailed off, looking at me with such raw emotion that my breath caught. “For being you.”

I couldn’t speak past the lump in my throat, so I just nodded and got in my car.

Lane stood in the driveway, hands in his pockets, watching as I pulled away. In my rearview mirror, I could see him still standing there, illuminated by the porch light.

I drove home with shaking hands and a racing heart, replaying every moment—the dinner, the conversation, the kiss.

When I got home, I found a text from Cameron

Well???

I called her instead of texting back.

She answered immediately. “Tell me everything.”

“I kissed him.”

Cameron shrieked so loudly I had to pull the phone away from my ear. “FINALLY! I need details. All the details. Now.”

I laughed and settled onto my couch, telling her about the dinner, the family, the almost-kiss interrupted by Julia, and finally the real kiss in the driveway.

“And you have a real date Friday,” Cameron said when I finished. “This is happening. You’re really doing this.”

“I’m really doing this.” The words felt terrifying and thrilling all at once.

“How do you feel?”

“Scared. Happy. Overwhelmed. Like I’m standing on the edge of something huge and I can’t see the bottom, but I’m going to jump, anyway.”

“That’s what love feels like,” Cameron said softly.

“It’s too soon for love.”

“Jo. Honey. You’re already there. Jack and I were in love in days. It can happen.”

I wanted to argue, but she was right.

I was already falling for Lane Daniels. For his daughter. For his family. For the life I could see shimmering just out of reach.

“What if it doesn’t work?” I whispered.

“But what if it does?”

I didn’t have an answer for that.

After Cameron and I hung up, I got ready for bed, but sleep wouldn’t come. I lay in the dark, thinking about Lane’s kiss, about Remy’s joy, about Julia’s knowing looks.

My phone buzzed with a text from Lane.

Thank you for tonight. You were perfect. Sleep well, Josephine.

I smiled in the darkness and typed back.

You too, Lane. Sweet dreams.