So Karen had kept mum, just as she’d promised. Sam had become a regular fixture at the Loving Page, desperate for any connection to Sydney he could get. He was there the morning Rowena Willow had stopped by to sign the paperwork.
His hands stayed pinned to his sides. Was he allowed to touch her yet? He couldn’t make a single wrong move. Not now. “So, you might come back, huh? Help expand the shop?”
“Yeah. Maybe. Among other things.”
“I tried calling you.”
Her lips pressed together, and her nostrils flared as her gaze focused on his chin. “I know. I wasn’t ready yet. Being in Pine Ridge made me feel more like myself than I ever have before. I needed to know if this place was the reality or the escape.”
Did he dare jump to a conclusion? She was here, wasn’t she? Nimble fingers dancing along his abdomen as if his body belonged to her?
“And?” he asked.
“It’s both.” She huffed out a laugh and met his eyes. “I didn’t know that was possible.”
His pulse, after racing for the better part of the day, finally slowed. She did that to him: infused his blood like heroin when she wanted to and soothed his soul in the very next breath. Despite Liv and her all-consuming addiction, no woman but Sydney had ever had as much power over him. He’d let her take him anywhere she wanted to go.
“So,” she said. “Was that the end of your speech?”
She was close enough to kiss, her plump pink lips begging for it. But not yet. Not until he’d said it all.
“No.” He didn’t need the paper. “Sometimes in life we think we know exactly what we’re headed for, we can see the map of our future laid out before us. I was content with that life. Until I met Sydney. And when you meet someone who shows you all the ways life can be so much better, it’s hard to go backward.”
Her grip on his waist tightened, her fingers hooking under his belt as she looked up at him curiously.
“Sydney, I’m in love with you. You are passionate and stubborn and smart. I’m glad you hit me with your car, and I’m glad Connor had no idea what a prize he had, and I’m glad your mom’s store was on the verge of bankruptcy.”
Her face collapsed as she laughed, two tears breaking free as she went. “Oh, you’re glad for all that, huh?”
“Did you miss the part where I said I’m in love with you?”
“No, I didn’t miss it.” She reached a hand behind his neck, burying her fingers in his hair. “I’ve been waiting for that for a long time.”
“I’m sorry. I’m so unbelievably sorry.”
“I know you are. I think I just needed to hear you say it.”
Before he could linger on the ways she soothed him, filled him up, eased his troubled mind, she laid her soft lips on his. She sucked gently on his bottom lip, sending up a flurry of sparks in his chest.
“I’m in love with you, too.” Her breath warmed his chin. “And when I move back to Pine Ridge, I’d like to see what could happen between us.”
“Move back. To Pine Ridge.”
A smile tugged at her lips, and his focus darted between the sight of that gorgeous mouth and the sensation of her fingers lazily trailing over his neck. He swallowed down the last whisper of fear. She’d forgiven him. At the very least, she’d agreed to put it behind them.
“Yeah,” she said. “I think this is where I belong.”
He grinned. “I think you’re right.”
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Where to begin? This book was a colossal group effort, and I’m not sure it would’ve happened without each person below.
Thank you to my tireless agent, Eva Scalzo, who believed in this story enough to polish it, help build a series from it, and then pitch it to the world with all the enthusiasm I never dreamed someone could have for something I’d created. Thank you for supporting my work and my career, for fighting for me, and for being a friend.
Thank you to Sarah Blumenstock for championing this story, and for your guidance. I’m so proud to have my very first published work as part of your roster, and I’m beyond excited about what’s next for us.
Thank you to the team at Berkley for welcoming me into your family. It’s a dream come true to be one of your authors.
Thank you to Brittany Kelley, Michelle McCraw, and my #RChat ladies for literally turning me into a better writer. You have offered unbridled enthusiasm when I needed it, tough love when I really needed it, and the kind of friendship I never thought I’d be lucky enough to find in adulthood.
Thank you to David Glenwright, Jenna Gerry, Kerri Farrell, Meagan Drillinger, Meredith Mooney, Michelle Onufrak, Saskia de Jonge, and Timothy Meola for being the best cheerleaders a girl could ask for. For the early manuscript reads, the photoshopped covers, the shared joy, and the encouragement. Your positivity means everything to me.
Thank you to my parents, Chuck and Joanne Miller, who always “knew” I’d make it, even if we didn’t always know exactly what I’d be making it at. Thank you for giving me the gift of the Adirondacks and for always having my back.
And to Josh. Thank you for your unwavering, relentless belief in me, and for making even the craziest pipe dreams seem possible. I know I wouldn’t be here now without you. I love you so much.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Lauren Accardo writes steamy contemporary romance featuring strong women and the men who love them. Originally from Western New York, Lauren now lives in Queens with her stand-up-comic husband. She loves karaoke, cake, and the Adirondack Mountains, where her debut novel, Wild Love, takes place.
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