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“No one’s ever called me sweet before.”
“That’s because no one knows the real you.” She took his hand. “Not like I do.” She started swinging their arms as they walked up the concrete steps side by side.
Summer’s apartment was a small three-bedroom, one-bath, with all of the original floors and fixtures from the forties when it was built. Black-and-white tile laid on the diagonal, arched entryways, and a reading nook in the front window—which was all leaded glass and cast rainbows across the room, filling every cranny with brilliant colors.
This was the apartment her grandparents first moved to when they’d bought the shop. It was the place where her mom was born, where Autumn and Summer had spent part of their childhood. And it was the place where the two had moved into when they’d graduated high school. There were so many memories and so much history tied to this place, Summer never wanted to leave.
She’d thought Autumn felt the same, but that had been wishful thinking. What was the reality? That they could both get married, have kids, and still share the apartment? It was nothing more than a silly plan made by a silly little girl who’d never imagined a reason good enough to be separated from her twin.
Well, that wish would be snuffed out as soon as Autumn packed her stuff and moved down to New York to start her new life with her new love. A reality Summer was trying really hard to come to terms with.
Wes gave her hand a gentle squeeze. “Thinking about Autumn?”
“A little.” He raised an eyebrow. “Okay, a lot. How did you know?”
“I guess I know you better than you think I do. Which makes us both lucky.”
Summer pulled her key out of her purse and put it in the lock, but couldn’t seem to turn it. She dropped her head against the wood and felt tears fill her eyes. “I was just thinking that this is the first time I’ve come home alone and Autumn won’t be here. Like ever again. It’s a lot to take in, you know?”
His arms came around her from behind and he pulled her against his chest and whispered, “I know. When my mom died I dreaded going back in the house because I knew it was the first page of my new chapter. A chapter without her in it.”
“How old were you?”
“Eighteen. A first-year at university.”
“And your dad didn’t offer for you to come out and live with him?”
“I didn’t want anything from him. And I still don’t. If it weren’t for Randy I would have let the board have the company. But now that they’re trying to take it away, they’ve awakened the beast. I will maintain control of BookLand until I decide I’ve done what I need to do for Randy. Plus, it was my mom’s dream for me to get my birthright, so I think she’d be proud of me moving here and what I’m doing.” He curled his body around her. “You’ll find your way too.”
“It’s not the same. I mean, I’m not losing her forever like you did with your mom,” she said quietly.
“But it’s the death of a dream, of how you imagined your future.”
She turned in his arms and didn’t bother to hide the emotion in her eyes. And when she looked up at him, her first tear fell. “Thank you for understanding. My family is so over the moon about the engagement my dad is the only one who took the time to think of how it would affect me. And I don’t want to sound selfish, this is a big moment for her—I guess I just dreamed I’d be more a part of it. At least meet the guy before they became official.”
He took his thumb and caught a tear with the pad. “Not to sound selfish, but if it had gone down any other way I wouldn’t be standing here with the most beautiful woman in my arms.”
She wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her cheek against his heart and let the calm rhythm soothe her. He rested his chin on top of her head and let out a deep, contented sigh.
“I know you have your doubts about my brother, but I have seen him grow so much since meeting Autumn. He might not be the most responsible guy and his follow-through is questionable, but I really think he is deeply in love with your sister.”
“Thank you for that,” she said, releasing him to unlock the door. Once the key turned she opened it and stepped one foot inside the entry and took his hand. “Do you want to come in?”
“And see where you live? Yes.”
“I was hoping you’d want to see where I sleep. Although I don’t think we’ll be getting much sleep tonight.”
Chapter 26
falling head first
“Sleep? Hell, love, I don’t think we’ll make it to your bedroom,” Wes said, and Summer’s nipples reached out to high-five him.
“How far do you think we’ll make it?”
“Let’s put it this way. I’ve been staring at you in the denim skirt with those thigh-high boots all night, imagining if you have underwear on. And if so, what style and color. So we’ll be lucky if we make it through the doorway.”
“Well, why don’t we see what’s behind door number one,” she said and very slowly pulled her blouse up over her head, letting the silky top pool at her feet. “As you can see it’s Wild Orchid.”