Alicia instantly stopped laughing and reached a hand out, obviously uncertain whether to touch me. She let her fingertips brush my stomach. “I’m sorry.”
I took her hand, brought it to my lips, and kissed those fingertips. “It’s totally okay. I’d much rather laugh with you and have a little pain than see you look sad. So stop being sad, okay? At least about us. Because I think you and I? We’re kind of awesome together.”
“Do you know what you made me realize?”
“Tell me.”
“How very, very lonely I was.”
I swallowed down the lump in my throat, tightened my grip on her hand. “Oh, sweetheart…”
Alicia’s expression was hesitant. “I’ve got a lot of baggage, you know.”
“I’m aware.” I made sure my face was open. I didn’t care about her baggage. I wanted her to be with me. “Big suitcases don’t scare me.”
“I’ve got a couple of trunks, too. And a storage locker.”
“Still not scared,” I said. “Have I never mentioned my bellhop fantasy?”
Alicia’s grin broke through like sunshine after a summer rainstorm. “Who doesn’t love a woman in uniform, right?”
“Exactly. Me, in a burgundy pantsuit and cute little hat, carting around all your baggage while you tip me? Come on. That’d be awesome.”
Alicia’s grin broke into a full-on laugh. Our gazes held, and it occurred to me that I would never get tired of looking into the deep blue of those eyes, especially when they looked like they did right then. A beat passed, and Alicia took my hand, held it in hers, looked down, studied it. When she raised her eyes again and looked at me, really looked at me, I felt a warmth deep inside. A comfort. A certainty. She had trouble with the words; I knew that. It only made sense that she would. But I also knew what the words were, and they were right there, on her face, in her eyes. I felt them. Solidly. For now, that was enough.
A wave of sheer, blissful contentment washed over me as I reached out and rested my palm against her face, stroked my thumb across her cheek. I smiled softly at her and whispered, “I know, baby. I love you, too.”
About the Author
Georgia Beers is a Lambda, Foreword Book of the Year, and Goldie award–winning author of lesbian romance. She resides in upstate New York, where she was born and raised. When not writing, she enjoys too much TV, too little wine, not enough time at the gym, and long walks with her dog. She is currently hard at work on her next book. You can visit her and find out more at www.georgiabeers.com.
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