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“Sorry. I’m sorry.” Cody was fighting not to laugh. “I didn’t mean to. I thought you saw me hurrying down the sidewalk when you let everyone out.”
I shook my head and relocked the door.
Cody slipped his arms around me and pulled me close. He lowered his lips to mine and all the thoughts drained out of my head as he kissed me.
“Well, hi.” I eased back, but stayed in his loose embrace. “Was your day as good as mine?”
“Probably better, since I was off. I almost came by, but I didn’t want to distract you on a hopefully busy day.”
“Super busy, but I would have been glad to see you. Come on back, I just have a few things to do so I can head home.” I stepped out of his arms and aimed toward the office. I’d already closed out the register, so it really was a matter of putting the cash drawer in the safe and shutting down the office machines.
“Today was good?” He leaned against the door frame.
I felt his eyes on me as I picked up the cash and squatted by the safe. I glanced over my shoulder at him. “Best Black Friday I think we’ve ever had. I’d have to verify it with Grandma, but honestly, if she had better, I think I would remember. It was amazing. It helped a lot that C. J.—you remember my first author to do an in-person event?”
Cody nodded.
“Well. She’s been spreading the word everywhere she goes, apparently. So many people came in today and mentioned that she’d told them about the place. I should give her a commission.”
“Or maybe just ask her back for another signing?” Cody grinned.
“Oh, definitely. That’s a fantastic idea. But I still might send her flowers as a thank you.” I spun the dial on the safe and checked the handle to ensure it was locked, then stood. “What did you do with your day if you weren’t working?”
“Lots and lots of dishes.”
I laughed. “We offered to help.”
“I know. But you clearly didn’t catch the look Mom gave me. I won’t lie, I thought because she did that she’d stay around after everyone left and help, but nope. She headed out right after you.”
“Aw.” I faked a sad face for him. Of course, if I’d known his mom was going to leave, I might have stayed around longer.
Something still felt a little off between Cody and me, and I didn’t know how to fix it. Or even what it was. But some quiet time snuggled on the couch probably wouldn’t hurt it. “She seems like she’s doing really well.”
“Yeah. I think she is. I don’t always understand it, but she said something yesterday that got me thinking. I’m going to work on forgiving my dad.”
My eyebrows lifted. “Good for you.”
He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “Yeah. I’m not sure what that means in terms of meeting his new girlfriend, though. If I forgive him, do I have to play happy family like none of this happened?”
I shook my head. “No. I’m pretty sure forgiving someone doesn’t mean you have to have a restored relationship. Restoration requires a lot more—repentance, for one.”
“Ha. Well good luck on that. Dad still leaves messages explaining how he didn’t really do anything wrong.” Cody waved his words away. “I didn’t mean to get into all of that. I wanted to come celebrate a big day with you. You probably had some kind of dinner, right?”
I didn’t love how he shifted the topic away from his parents, but I could also understand not wanting to belabor it. Kind of. “Can I ask a question?”
He looked confused. “Of course.”
“Is it that you don’t want to talk about your parents at all, or you just don’t want to talk about them with me?” I pressed my lips together. Was that too blunt? I was tired and had very little tact left after some of the customer interactions we’d had today. Which probably meant I shouldn’t have pushed right now, but I didn’t want him to keep doing this. If we were a team—and to me, being in love meant we were—then he needed to be okay talking to me about his feelings.
Even the ugly ones.
His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed. “Mostly at all. But also…I guess I’m worried you’re going to realize I come from a damaged family and decide I’m not worth the risk.”
“Oh, Cody.” I shook my head and crossed so I could wrap my arms around him and lay my head on his chest. “You didn’t have anything to do with this. Your dad made a choice. It’s on him. Even if things between him and your mom were terrible, he had choices of how to handle things that would have been better than the one he made. And none of that is your fault.”
My heart broke for him all over again. I hadn’t really thought that a grownup would have those same questions or feelings that I’d seen so often with the kids I’d worked with when I’d been a social worker. But why not? His world had shifted. Maybe he didn’t have to deal with alternating houses depending on whose week it was, but things in his family had still been broken and were getting rearranged.
He took a deep breath. His heart beat steadily under my cheek, and his arms tightened around me. “You’re sure?”
