Page 60 of Ardently Yours

I glare at him and smack his arm.

“Ow. What was that for?” he asks, rubbing the spot even though I know I didn’t hit him that hard.

“For not being honest with me. For being rich and not telling me how rich. For working in my cafe like some normal person who actually needed the money.”

“I needed a fresh start, Lizzie,” he says quietly. “I was honest. I wanted to work with you at the cafe.”

“Only after your original deal fell through and you couldn’t get a place to open your bakery.”

He sighs. “True. But I’ve wanted my own bakery for years. Working with you has shown me that it’s not just about owning your own business. I see how hard you work. You’ve shown me there’s more to it than having your name on the contract. I don’t regret working for you.”

“With me,” I correct, crossing my arms.

He gently uncrosses them, taking both of my hands in his. The rule we created about holding hands seems to be our favorite. Holding hands and finding reasons to touch has become second nature.

I don’t pull away when he pulls me closer. Then I realize he’s using another rule. The one where we give each other meaningful compliments.

I say, “And you don’t have to say nice things to me or hold me close when no one else is around.”

“I know,” he says, his voice low and inviting. He still doesn’t let go of me.

“I thought we were only supposed to pretend when other people were around to see it, Will.”

“Who says I’m pretending, Lizzie?”

There goes another rule I hadn’t realized we’d stopped following. He hasn’t called me Boss Lady in a while. I’ve been calling him Will more often too.

I’m tempted to lean into it. To believe the facade. But the way my heart is pounding makes it hard to lean in. And even harder to pull away.

“We should get some rest,” I say, needing to put some distance between us before I do something stupid.

He takes one slow step closer. “Are you tired, Lizzie?”

There he goes saying my name again. I think about his question. I think about my hands in his. I think about all the reasons I should say yes. I think about why I should back away. Why I should drive back to Selah Falls and never look back.

But I can’t bring myself to do it. I can’t keep running from the idea of us anymore. I don’t know if I can keep pretending.

I close the space between us. Being bold. Looking up at him, my hands still in his, I rise onto my tiptoes and lean in. He meets me there.

“I think I want a new contract,” I say, breathless.

“What kind of contract?” he asks, just as breathless.

“One that lets me do this.”

I press my lips gently against his. I know it then. I don’t want to be his friend anymore. I don’t want to be Boss Lady to him.

I’m not just the woman who gave him a job. Or invited him to church. Or invited him to hang out. I’m not just Lizzie, the fake girlfriend. I never was.

I melt into the kiss, the facade fading away. I hold on to him. His arms wrap around my waist like they belong there.

And I know now he is exactly what I want.

For real this time.

Chapter Twenty

Will