Page 63 of Look My Way

“You can come stay at my place. Only if you want to.”

“Your place?”

“Yeah. You were supposed to come over for movie night anyway, remember?”

My heart beats loudly in my ears. “Yeah. Yeah, I do now.” I peck his lips, and he presses his to the corner of my mouth, then my nose and forehead. I laugh as he comes for each of my eyes and cheeks.

“Let’s go eat and we can discuss the rest of our plans at the table.”

“Okay.” I wrap my fingers in his and we walk hand in hand into the kitchen.

He stops as soon as we reach the table, letting me go as I lower myself into one of the chairs. Scooting closer to the table, I smile at how good he looks in my kitchen. He’s walking around like he’s always been here. Nothing at all seems out of place right now, when before he came along my life seemed distorted.

He swings his hips, singing as he sets our plates down. Parking himself in the chair next to me, he reaches for a pitcher and fills each of our glasses with orange juice.

I wiggle in my chair, lifting one leg up as my body quickly reminds me of last night and this morning’s activities.

“You okay?” His brows fold over. “Did I hurt you?”

“Maybe a little, but it’s a good kind of hurt. I can handle it, remember?”

“Yes you can.”

I take my first bite of food, lifting my face as I hum around the sweet fluffiness melting in my mouth. My eyes are met with the recipe box on the windowsill, and I lower my fork, tilting my head. “You’re the one who moved the box, aren’t you?”

“What box?” He stops mid chew, eyes big and bright.

“The recipe box.”

His lips turn up in a grin, and I already know the answer before he solidifies it. “Yes.”

“You made me think I was losing it.”

“You weren’t. You were seeing everything the way I wanted you to see it, and it all led you closer to me.”

“This is messed up, isn’t it? Me eating waffles with my stalker and planning to introduce him to my family tomorrow?”

“Technically, I’ve already met your sister.” He smirks. “And does it feel messed up to you?”

“It would be to anyone else.”

“But is it to you?”

I lower my head, stirring my food around on my plate, and then I meet those molten brown eyes. “No, and I don’t know why.”

“Some things don’t need explanations. You want what I want and that’s all that matters. There’s this need in both of us that the other can fill that no one else can. So why does anyone else’s opinion matter?”

“I don’t know.”

“You kept leaving the door open for me. You never covered the windows. I saw all that as an invitation to move forward. Was I wrong to think that?”

“No.” I nibble on the inside of my cheeks. “I wanted you closer. I didn’t even know who you were, but I needed to keep seeing those eyes. It was dangerous and exciting. It was different from what I had with Daniel.”

“It is different, and so am I.”

“How do I know?”

“Because I’ll keep showing you I am. Everything between us is out in the daylight now, and I can’t wait for everyone to see usthe way we are. To be with you outside this house, the back yard, and the diner.”