Page 113

One of his eyebrows lifted in a flirtatious way, and Skylar’s heart pitter-pattered in her chest. “Why didn’t you ever say anything?”
“Because I didn’t think you felt anything more than friendship for me, and I was scared of losing you and what we had.”
He brushed a hair back from her face. “So, you love me, huh?”
Her cheeks warmed, and her lips spread into a shy smile.
“I knew it all along.”
She rolled her eyes. “You did not.”
He chuckled. “I mean, I always felt the chemistry between us, but I did my best to ignore it.”
“I’ve loved you since I was thirteen years old,” she admitted.
His mouth fell open at that. “Are you serious?”
She nodded. “I tried to date other people, and we know how badly that all turned out.”
He growled at her subtle hint at Milton.
“I never thought you’d see me as anything more than a friend, and my heart broke every time you dated someone else. But when you actually met someone you were serious about, I felt more heartbroken than I ever had with any of your other girlfriends. Maybe because of how close we got last year. I don’t know. I’ve spent the past couple months alone with my thoughts, praying, going to therapy, figuring out how to accept the reality of my life without you in it, and learning to be okay with that. I was ready to move away for good if I had to so I’d have some distance.”
He kept her close, softly caressing her back as she talked.
“I didn’t expect you to come here. I never thought …” She broke down in tears again, and he brought her head to his shoulder and kept his hand there, running his fingers gently through her hair.
“I knew I felt something for you,” he said, “but I was so afraid it wouldn’t work out, and the thought of you walking out of my life was unacceptable, so I drew the line between us.” He pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “I’m sorry it took me so long to get over myself and do the right thing. But now that I have, there’s no going back for me.”
She lifted her head to look at him, and he cupped her cheek, brushing her tears away with his thumb.
Franky smiled. “I know what I want, and it’s you, Skylar. Only you. What do you think of that?”
Skylar’s heart felt as if it might burst in her chest. She answered by sliding her arms around Franky’s neck and kissing him as if her life depended on it.
When their lips eventually parted, he leaned his forehead against hers. “Good answer.”
A giggle escaped her, and he chuckled, and then they were both laughing and hugging and kissing.
Skylar leaned back to look him in the eyes. “I love you, Franky.”
The grin he gave her was bigger than any she’d ever seen on his face before. “I love you too.”
EPILOGUE
Since Franky’s declaration of love at the end of August, they’d been inseparable. It was as if they had always been together, and the friendship they had built blended perfectly into the relationship they were exploring. Getting to be in his arms and kiss him all the time was better than any daydream Skylar had ever had over the years. And the best thing was they weren’t taking things slow or easing into the relationship. They were all in from the start, and that felt amazing.
In October, they returned to the winery for a weekend together, and on their last morning, Franky asked her to take a sunrise walk together before they headed home.
Franky draped his arm over Skylar’s shoulder as they walked, and she slipped her arm under his jacket, behind his waist, leaning into him.
“This has been a perfect weekend, and two perfect months together.” She leaned in to kiss his cheek, and he turned his head at the last minute to capture her lips with his.
“Mhmm,” he hummed as they kissed.
“I hate leaving here. I always feel so at peace.”
“We’ll come back in the winter and stay in a cabin and cozy up by the fire.”