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“That’s okay.” I waved him off.
“So, Maggie,” Scott started. “I was meaning to ask Tommy about this when I saw it, but now seems as good a time as any.”
Tommy’s eyes narrowed, like he still didn’t quite trust his dad enough to not say something terrible following that sentence.
“Linda and I saw those horrible articles that were put out about your late fiancé. We wanted to make sure you were okay.” Tommy’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. I was expecting my heart to clench at the mention of those dreaded articles that had photos of me and Luke plastered all over them, but it didn’t. Instead, I felt grateful that someone was asking if I was okay first and not digging to find some version of the truth that fit whatever narrative they had made up from the article.
“I’m okay,” I told him. “It wasn’t a lot of fun when I first saw it, but I’ve since realized that I owe them a thank-you for posting it. It let me close some doors that I had left open.”
Tommy gave me a soft smile. It was one that was full of care and support, like if something were to be said next that I wouldn’t be able to handle on my own, he had my back. I drew comfort from the feeling that gave me. Not even Olivia or my parents knew the extent to which I was still trying to heal from Luke. It had always been a journey I needed to take on my own. Until Tommy. His steady presence gave me the confidence to unburden some of my guilt and share it with someone else. Someone that would help me finish this path of healing I had taken.
“We’re here if you need anything, sweetheart,” Linda added.
It was an odd feeling the moment it seemed like your family was growing. Linda and Scott were checking on me like they would a daughter, like someone they cared about. It reminded me of Luke’s parents. The loss of Luke had rocked my village more than just losing the love of my life.
Having Tommy’s parents care about me was like filling a hole that I didn’t realize had existed.
The conversation over dinner flowed. Scott and Tommy chatted easily about the season and Chicago, catching up over topics that previously had been off-limits to avoid arguments in the past. As the night wore on, I could see Tommy grow visibly lighter.
After dinner, Tommy walked his parents to the door. Linda reached up to give him a kiss on the cheek and whispered something in his ear before she followed Scott out into the night. Tommy closed the door behind them and paused for a second before he turned back around to look at me. There was a slight flush to his cheeks, and I wondered if that had been a result of whatever Linda had said to him.
“So I’ve been thinking about something all night.” Tommy started walking slowly toward me. “Either my father was abducted by an alien and they replaced his brain, or somebody talked with him in a way that actually got through to him for once.”
I turned away from him quickly and walked toward the living room to hide the nervous smile that was trying to spread across my face. What I had said to Scott was not done for appreciation from Tommy. I did it with his happiness in mind, not for selfish reasons.
“So what did you say?” he asked as he sat down on the couch next to me. His arm immediately rested on the couch cushion behind me, his fingers rubbing circles into my shoulder.
“I wasn’t going to say anything to you,” I told him.
“Did you think I wouldn’t figure it out?” The smile on his face was quickly becoming my new favorite accessory of his.
“I wanted your dad to see all of the amazing things you’ve done this year. You’ve been trying to pave a new path for yourself, and you’ve done a damn good job.”
Tommy didn’t say anything right away. That smile stayed on his face, though, while he looked at me, his fingers now rubbing circles on my lower back. His head began to shake slowly from side to side as his eyes roved over my face.
“What?” I asked.
“I think you’re amazing.” The look he was giving me made a pressure fill inside me. My mind flashed back to what his mom had said earlier at dinner, that she knew when her son was in love. I wasn’t sure if that was necessarily accurate, but the look on his face was making me wonder if Linda wasn’t too far from the truth.
“You’re pretty amazing yourself,” I told him.
“Stop doing that.” Tommy sighed.
“What?”
“Stop brushing off my compliments. You are an expert at dodging them and reflecting them back onto me. I want you to take them. Just take the compliment, Maggie.” Tommy’s arm encircled my shoulders and pulled me into his chest.
An awkward laugh rumbled out of my chest as my body curled into his. He had called out one of my worst qualities: my inability to graciously take any compliments anyone ever gave me without feeling extremely awkward.
“Will you let me call you amazing?” Tommy continued. “Because I think you are fantastic. You exude such passion for your career, you’ve got one of the biggest hearts I’ve ever seen, and you are always taking care of the people around you.”
The intensity in his eyes as he told me what he thought about me practically took my breath away. There wasn’t a single sign of him being insincere. Silence fell over us as we looked at each other. Tommy’s fingers traced down the side of my face before they hooked under my jaw and drew me closer to him. His lips brushed mine before he pulled back, now inches from me.
“I never want to let you go.” The words were barely loud enough for me to hear, making me wonder if I had heard him right.
Tommy’s arms wrapped around my waist to support me as he slowly lowered me onto the couch. My body sank into the cushions before his body covered me from above. Every inch of me was yearning to be pressed against him, like Tommy was the other half of me and I was desperately trying to make us whole again.
His mouth covered mine again and it was like his kiss had me running on all cylinders. I was tired of feeling hesitant about giving in to my feelings for Tommy. Everything about him drove me crazy. The way he kissed me, the way his hands seemed to want to feel every part of me, the way his eyes crinkled when he smiled, and how all of these were quickly taking root in my head as some of my favorite things.
