Page 31 of More Than Words (Trickle Creek: The Lyons #2)

Chapter Twenty-Four

Delaney

B y the time I made it back to the shop, the sun was dipping low, casting golden streaks across the snow-dusted plaza. I tugged my scarf tighter around my neck, more as a security mechanism than to keep out the chill that seemed to be seeping into every part of me.

I was beyond exhausted. And it wasn’t just the long hours spent getting ready for the holiday season. Opening up to Avery, even if it was just a little bit, had left me wrung out. I felt like I could crawl into bed and sleep for days.

Lucky for me, Rochelle was scheduled for the rest of the night and would close up the shop.

The bells over the door gave their usual cheerful jingle as I stepped inside.

The familiar warmth of the shop wrapped around me. Instinctively, I moved to the front counter and set down the canvas bag with the books Avery didn’t want, before shrugging out of my coat.

That’s when I noticed it.

Or rather, I didn’t notice it at first.

Something felt different.

I looked behind me, but didn’t see Rochelle. I turned slowly back to the front counter and froze.

The old, rickety desk that I’d inherited when I bought the store—and was constantly propping up with an old book under one leg—was gone.

In its place was something new.

Something stunning.

A dark-stained wood, smooth and polished to a soft sheen. Clean, simple lines, with a gentle curve to stand behind.

Slowly, I moved to look at the front, and the inlay of the lighter wood, made to look like a mountain range with books. It was a piece of art.

I stepped closer, blinking in disbelief that this piece of furniture was in my shop. And that it looked as if it had always been there. Like it belonged.

My fingertips brushed along the edge before I even realized I was reaching out.

There was no doubt who’d crafted such an exceptional piece.

And just as I knew Reid Lyons had made the counter, I knew who’d commissioned it.

He’d heard me. He’d noticed.

He’d remembered.

My throat tightened, and hot tears stung my eyes.

Behind me, I heard movement, reminding me I wasn’t alone.

I swiped at my eyes and spun around, expecting to see my employee.

“Quinn.” I couldn’t hide my surprise to see the girl standing there with an envelope in her hand. “What are you?—”

“It’s pretty nice, huh?” She jerked her head toward the counter.

I could only nod in reply.

“Here.” She thrust the envelope at me and took a step back, waiting for me to open it.

I hesitated.

“Go on,” Quinn said softly, rocking on her heels like she was trying to play it cool. “I’m not leaving until you do.”

My hands shook as I slipped my finger under the flap and pulled out a single sheet of paper.

Delaney,

I can’t undo what I did. And I won’t pretend that a counter can erase how I made you feel. But I hope it will at least serve as enough of a peace offering that you will agree to hear me out.

Please come next door.

~Ethan

I stared at the words, reading them once and then again. My heart beat so loudly, I was sure Quinn could hear it.

“Well?”

I glanced up at her. “I?—”

“I told him you’d come,” she said, her voice quiet but determined. “You don’t even have to say anything,” she continued. “But if you don’t go, then I’m going to have to deal with him, and I don’t think I can handle that.” She offered me a half smile and a shrug.

“Fair enough.” I couldn’t help but smile. “You’re very bossy for a twelve-year-old, you know?”

“Only when it matters,” she said seriously. “And this matters. A lot.”

I sucked in a breath and nodded. “Okay.”

“Don’t worry about the shop,” Quinn said. “I’ll stay here and help Rochelle close up. And then I’ll head over to Uncle Reid’s for the night. He said something about a coffee cake.”

My heart swelled, knowing how orchestrated this whole thing had been. But that didn’t change…well…anything.

I looked back at the note. My fingers trembled a little as I folded it again.

Without another word, I slipped it into my coat pocket, nodded once to Quinn, and walked out the door.

Ethan

I’d gone over every detail a thousand times.

We’d arranged for Delaney to be at the inn all afternoon.

We’d delivered the countertop and put it exactly in place.

I shut the brewery early.

I sent everyone home.

I’d written the note.

I’d set everything up.

But still, I wasn’t sure that she’d come.

Quinn promised that she’d make sure of it. I knew that it was playing dirty to get my daughter to make the request, but I also knew that Delaney wasn’t likely to deny her. And I just needed her to get here so I could look into her eyes and tell her exactly how I felt.

Finally.

The brewery had never been this quiet. Not since the night before we’d opened.

No music.

No clinking glasses or happy chatter filling the air.

Only the light hum of the coolers and the soft flicker of candlelight cast shadows across the bar top.

I’d pushed back most of the tables in the main seating area and set up one small low table with an eclectic mix of candles on top and two oversized cushions on the floor, just like the ones we’d sat on in her living room during the snowstorm.

I had a crockpot behind the bar, keeping the homemade beef stew warm. But instead of a bottle of red wine, I had something different in mind.

I glanced out the front window again.

Still, there was no sign of her.

Avery texted when Delaney had left the inn. She should have been back at the shop at least ten minutes ago. Had she seen the counter? Had she gotten the note?

I paced the length of the shop and wiped my palms on my jeans.

What if she wasn’t coming?

My heart thudded, slow and heavy.

What if it was too little, too late?

And then, the door opened.

I froze, and all the air escaped my lungs as she stepped inside.

Delaney.

Her hair was loose over her shoulders, her cheeks just a little pink from the cold…she looked beautiful. But uncertain, too. And vulnerable in a way that took my breath away.

“You came.”

She pulled her hand out of her pocket. She was holding the note. “I wasn’t given much of a choice,” she said with a small smile. “Not fair sending in reinforcements.”

“Sorry.” I shrugged. “No,” I added quickly. “I’m not. I needed to make sure you’d come.”

The smile slipped off her face. “I’m here.” She took a tentative step forward. “Thank you for the counter. It’s…it’s stunning, Ethan. I don’t know how to thank you.”

More than anything, I wanted to reach for her, but I didn’t want to spook her. I needed to move slowly and with certainty. “You can thank me by taking your coat off and staying for a minute.” I waved my arm behind me to encompass the table and the setup on the floor.

“Oh.” She shook her head slowly. “I didn’t expect this.”

I waited while she walked toward the table and took it all in before she looked up. “Is that beef stew I smell?”

“It sure is.” I held my hands out for her coat, which she gave me after a moment. “If you’re hungry.”

She hesitated, but only for a moment, before she said, “Honestly, what I could use is a drink.”

There was no stopping me from grinning. “I’m so glad you said that,” I told her. “Because I have just the thing.” I gestured for her to follow me to the bar.

I draped her coat over a stool before moving behind the bar to the brand-new tap that had been installed.

“I have a new brew I really want you to try.” Before she could decline, I grabbed a pint glass and kept talking.

“Truthfully, I’ve been working on this one for a while.

” I filled one glass and then a second. “I’ve been trying to find the right balance.

It’s bold. A little stubborn and kind of soft and special at the same time. ”

She knitted her brows together and assessed me.

“But the best part is that it surprises you in the best possible way.” I handed her a glass.

“All that in a beer?”

I nodded seriously. “Wait until you try it.”

She gave me a skeptical look, but when I held my glass out, she met mine with her own in a clink and lifted it to her lips.

I took my own drink, but didn’t take my eyes off her, wanting to see every second of her reaction.

Delaney swallowed and looked at me. “It’s delicious.”

“You sound surprised.”

She chuckled a little. “You know, beer usually isn’t my favorite.”

“That’s why I brewed this one,” I told her. “Just for you.”

She couldn’t keep the surprise off her face. “For me.”

“Well, more like for us. ” I pointed to the new tap and the name that had been engraved on it.

Delaney leaned over to read it. “Chapter One?” She looked at me in question.

I held my breath for a moment before blowing it out.

“As in, our chapter one,” I told her. “Because there’ll be many more chapters for us to write.

Together.” Her face changed, but I kept talking.

“I mean, obviously I hope there’ll be more chapters.

” I shrugged and forced myself to stop trying to overexplain.

“Like I said, I’ve been working on it for a while.

Before, I…well, before I screwed it all up. ”

Her eyes met mine.

“I should have told you about it earlier. I should have shown you. I should have—” I stopped and forced myself to slow down. “I should have done a lot of things, Delaney. The truth is, I wasn’t paying attention when it mattered most.” I took a chance and reached for her hand.

She didn’t immediately pull away, which I took to be a good sign.

“I know I hurt you because you thought I didn’t consider you.

And you’re right,” I added quickly before she could interject.

“I didn’t. Not in that moment. And that was not okay.

I’m so sorry for that. I promise you, I will do everything in my power to make that right.

” I squeezed her hand. “But I need you to know that I do consider you. From the moment you walked into this brewery when it was little more than an old Chinese food restaurant full of dust and mess, I have considered you.”

Her chin trembled slightly.