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“Oh God,” he said, cringing a little. “That’s really fucking embarrassing.”
I chuckled. “It’s no biggie. And I do think the rain garden is a fantastic idea for the edge of the brewery lawn.”
“I can’t believe I ever tried to date anyone but you,” Sawyer said, cuddling back against my arm. “That was dumb of me. I feel like I could do this with you forever.”
My heart was so full I felt like it could burst. I turned and buried my nose in Sawyer’s soft hair, breathing in his clean scent mixed with the smell of freshly baked pie.
“I’m so happy,” I said softly.
“I didn’t even think I was capable of this,” Sawyer continued. “Dating someone and feeling this comfortable. I always thought it was going to take work. Hard effort. Forcing myself into uncomfortable situations.”
I swallowed. “I didn’t think I’d ever get to experience this, either,” I told him. “For the past eight years I’d gotten resigned to thinking friendship was the best I’d have, for the rest of my life.”
“And you still do have my friendship,” Sawyer said. “Forever. Just… with more.”
“More benefits?”
Sawyer snorted. “I am not trying to say we’re friends with benefits,” he protested. “Hell no. No. You’re my boyfriend. God, I’m so fucking glad to call myself your boyfriend.”
I pulled in a long breath. “I meant it when I said I feel like I could do this forever.”
He laced his fingers through mine, holding my hand, and somehow that small gesture was enough to send my heart racing.
“I would do anything with you,” he said. “Including the things it’s way too soon to talk about.”
The man was trying to make me pass out. All at once I was overwhelmed with how much I wanted what he was talking about—a future where there were rings and wedding bells and anything else the two of us wanted.
But I was also overwhelmed with how good it already was. How simple it felt to tease my best friend about a video I’d already made him watch. How good it was to come home and find out he had a secret talent for baking incredible lemon pie.
How good both of us were at making the best out of the lemons life gave us—no matter how goddamn hokey it might have sounded.
I loved Sawyer more than I’d ever be able to express, but I was ready to spend the rest of my life showing him how much he meant to me.
Every damn day.
EPILOGUE
SAWYER, TWO MONTHS LATER
“And that,” Charlie said, “is what I call a job well done. Crushed, if I do say so myself.”
He cut a big red ribbon we’d wrapped around the finished patio at the back of Jade Brewery as everyone around erupted into applause. The Fixer Brothers TV cameras surrounded us, scattered across the patio and lawn.
“Now, we party,” Shawn announced, beaming. “Happy summer, everyone.”
Kace hooted and hollered from the edge of the big patio, always ready to get a party going. And tonight, all of us were celebrating. The premiere of Season Two of The Fixer Brothers was set to start airing tomorrow night, and the back renovations here at the brewery were officially completely done. The patio renovation had been almost completely finished for over a month, but today we had finally received the last pieces we’d been waiting on, shipped specially from Italy: six giant, cozy cushioned benches, which we’d placed around the edges of the lawn, with plenty of glowy twinkle lights strung above them in the trees.
The back doors of the brewery were opened wide. A lot of the customers that filtered outside had their eyes glued to Kace, excited to see a famous pro football player.
But I couldn’t help noticing the eyes on me, Charlie, Nathan, and Shawn, too. The Fixer Brothers show wasn’t exactly as famous as football, but slowly, ever since the teaser trailer had come out two months ago, I’d noticed more eyes on me. A few times, I’d even been stopped in public, and people had asked to take selfies with me.
At first, the recognition had made my impostor syndrome flare.
Who the hell was I, anyway? Certainly not a celebrity, and usually, I didn’t feel like I had a clue what I was doing at all. But the last couple of times I’d been stopped in public, Harlan had been there with me.
And when people asked to take a photo with both of us, it slowly started to feel better.
Everything felt better when he was with me.
I didn’t have to do anything but be myself. People had seen me in the teaser video and some online social media promotional interviews, and soon, they were going to see a lot more of me in the real TV show.
“There’s the man of the hour,” Harlan said from behind me, and I turned and wrapped my arms around him, pressing a kiss to his lips. He was wearing a purple colored flannel today, and something about it brought out an amber color in his eyes that made them look like jewels.
