Page 109 of Meant to be Mine

“The store will be fine. Better than fine. Edith’s awesome. As a manager. I’m still not a huge fan of her personality, but she’s way better than I am at keeping everything on track with the store. She cares about every detail.” I squeezed Kensey’s hands. “You’re the real thing. And I’m not losing you because I was too stubborn to make a change. You love your job and I love anything that is important to you. I’ll never ask you to walk away from that.”

She was crying now, tears streaming down her face. “I was going to tell you I’m staying.”

“What?”

“I was going to tell you I’m staying in LA. I’ve been thinking about it all night, all morning. I can find another teaching job here. There are good schools and kids who need help. My parents are getting older and I want to be near them.” She took a shaky breath. “Mostly I want to be near you.”

I stared at her, my brain trying to process what she’d just said. “You’re staying?”

“I was going to stay,” she said, laughing through her tears. “I had this whole speech planned about how we could make it work and I wasn’t going to let the best thing in my life walk away just because I was scared.”

I couldn’t help it—I started laughing too. The absurdity of it hit me all at once. We’d both spent the night miserable and panicking, both coming to the same conclusion. We were both willing to upend our entire lives to be together.

“We’re idiots,” I said.

“Complete idiots,” she agreed. “But it seems we’re on the same page.”

I pulled her into my arms and kissed her. Not the careful kiss of two people in public. I didn’t care who saw us anymore. This was the kiss of two people who’d finally stopped running from what they wanted. Her hands fisted in my shirt, pulling me closer. When we finally came up for air, both of us were breathing hard, and I rested my forehead against hers.

“You’re crazy,” I said.

“I know.”

I kissed her again, slower this time, savoring it. My hands cupped her face, thumbs brushing away her tears. She melted against me. I had the sudden urge to find a desk.

Someone cleared their throat behind us.

I pulled back and turned around. My entire family had materialized while Kensey and I had been too focused on each other to notice. Mom and Dad stood at the front, both of them grinning. Behind them were Callum and Victoria, Hollis and Micah, Cleo, Beau, and Jeremy. The New York contingent—Dash and Krista, Briggs and Mandy, Sebastian and Bernadette, and Adrian and Elizabeth—had gathered too. Even Kensey’s parents stood off to the side, her mother with her hand over her mouth and her father looking pleased.

“Well,” Mom said, her eyes shining. “It’s about damn time.”

The entire group erupted in laughter and cheers. Hollis raised a green shake high in the air like it was champagne. “To Drew and Kensey! Finally pulling their heads out of their asses!”

“Hollis!” Mom swatted at him, but she was laughing.

I kept my arm around Kensey’s waist. She’d turned bright red, burying her face against my chest.

“How long have you all been standing there?” I asked.

“Too damn long,” Micah said with a goofy grin.

Kensey’s mother rushed forward first, wearing a pretty silk scarf. She pulled her daughter into a tight hug. “Oh honey, I’m so happy for you. And for me, because my baby is coming home.”

Her father followed, embracing Kensey and then extending his hand to me. I shook it, and he pulled me in for one of those masculine half-hugs that involved a lot of back-slapping.

“You take care of my girl,” he said quietly.

“I will. I promise.”

“I know you will. You’ve been taking care of her since you were kids.”

My own parents descended next. Mom hugged me so hard I thought my ribs might crack. Then she moved to Kensey and did the same. Dad clapped me on the shoulder, his grip firm and proud.

“I knew there was something going on,” he said. “Welcome to the family, Kensey. Officially.”

The rest of the Blackwells crowded in, offering congratulations and making jokes at my expense. The celebration continued for another few minutes before people started drifting back toward the event. There was still a sidewalk sale happening, after all, and guests were probably wondering where the Blackwell family had disappeared to.

Everyone else could take care of the event. Kensey and I were together. Finally, permanently, completely together.