Page 14 of The Hang Up (Lilac Harbor #3)

FOURTEEN

Holden

I’ve been pacing the floor of the workshop for the last thirty minutes, checking the clock a dozen times. Lena’s shift ends at six, and it’s five fifty-three. I don’t want to be the guy sitting in the parking lot like a lovesick teenager, but let’s be honest, I am that guy. And I don’t even care.

I’m taking Lena to dinner tonight.

A real date.

Just the two of us, no spectators, no distractions. No awkward silences or tears between us, at least, I hope not. I want to take her out, hold her hand, feed her good food, and remind her that we can do this. That we’re doing it.

That we’re okay now.

I grab the bouquet I picked up on the way back into town—sunflowers and baby’s breath, her favorite—and head for my truck.

I pull into the lot behind Clay & Cupcakes. Lena is already outside with Arlowe, laughing about something. I watch her for a second, soaking her in. Her hair is loose around her shoulders, cheeks pink from the cool air, apron still tied around her waist.

She looks like happiness personified.

She looks like home.

When she turns and sees me, her laughter stutters, but her eyes soften.

I climb out of the truck and walk toward her. “Hey, sunshine.”

She raises a brow. “Sunshine?”

I grin and offer her the bouquet. “I figured if I’m the grump, you’re the sunshine.”

Her lips twitch as she takes the flowers, holding them close to her chest. “You remembered.”

“Of course I did.”

Arlowe whistles low under her breath and mutters something about swooning as she heads back inside, giving us space.

Lena tucks the flowers into the passenger seat when she climbs in and glances over at me as I pull out of the lot. “So, what’s the plan?”

“You like Italian?”

“Is that a real question?”

I laugh and head toward Mancino’s, the only Italian place in Lilac Harbor. It’s small, family-owned, and the kind of place where they give you fresh bread the moment you sit down. The lights are dim, the tables covered in checkered cloths, and everything smells like garlic and butter.

I open her door when we arrive, and Lena slides her hand into mine as we walk inside.

It’s not a big gesture.

But it’s everything.

Dinner is… easy. Comfortable. She orders gnocchi, I get the lasagna, and we share bites across the table like we used to. I make her laugh twice, and every time her eyes crinkle, it does something dangerous to my chest.

We don’t talk about heavy stuff. Not yet.

Instead, we talk about the ridiculous new ceramic pieces Arlowe ordered, how Auden’s planning an engagement party without losing her mind, and the old man who comes into the shop every day to buy a single sugar cookie and tell a story no one asked for.

It’s familiar. Normal.

And for the first time in what feels like forever, normal doesn’t feel boring. It feels like the best thing in the world.

After we finish dessert—tiramisu, Lena’s favorite—I drive her back to my place. She slips her shoes off the second we walk in and drops her coat over the back of the couch.

I watch her move around my living room like she belongs here.

Maybe she does.

She turns toward me slowly, her eyes darker now, voice softer. “Thanks for dinner.”

“You’re welcome,” I say, stepping closer.

She meets me halfway. Her hands slip into the front of my hoodie, fingers curling in the fabric like she’s pulling me toward her.

Then her lips brush mine.

It’s gentle at first.

Testing.

But the second I wrap my arms around her, she melts into me.

Her mouth opens under mine, and I groan, lifting her off the ground and walking us back to my bedroom like it’s the only place we’ve ever belonged.

I don’t flick on the lights.

I don’t need to see her to know where every curve, every freckle is located on her beautiful body.

Her sweater comes off first, followed by my hoodie. Our shoes are lost somewhere between the hallway and the bed, and I don’t even care.

All I care about is her.

Touching her. Tasting her. Making her forget every single ache she’s ever carried in her chest.

She kisses me like she’s starving. Like she’s been waiting for this moment for years.

Maybe she has.

I know I have.

When she’s under me, skin bare and glowing in the moonlight spilling through the curtains, I pause.

She brushes her fingers over my jaw, her breath catching. “What?”

“I missed you,” I whisper. “So damn much.”

“I know,” she whispers. “Me, too.”

I kiss her again, slowly, deeply, reverently until everything else fades.

We move together like we’ve never been apart.

Every sigh. Every moan. Every shift of her hips. It’s all familiar and new at the same time. Like rediscovering the home I thought I’d lost.

She says my name when she comes, and I swear it sounds like heaven.

Afterward, I roll onto my side, pulling her with me, our limbs tangled beneath the sheets. Her head rests on my shoulder, her fingertips tracing lazy circles on my chest.

“Can we stay like this forever?” she murmurs.

“Works for me,” I say, pressing a kiss to her hair.

We lie in silence for a while, the whisper of the lake outside the window soothing in its endless rhythm.

Eventually, Lena speaks again. “I talked to my mom.”

My body stills.

“I told her I was moving out. That I needed to start living for me.”

I turn my head to look at her. “How’d she take it?”

“She wasn’t thrilled. She yelled. A lot,” Lena admits. “Told me I was ungrateful. Said she needed me.”

I run my thumb over her bare shoulder. “I’m sorry.”

She shakes her head. “I’m not. Not anymore. I should’ve said something years ago.”

“You shouldn’t have had to.”

She falls quiet again before adding, “I told her I’d help her figure things out. But I’m not putting my life on hold for her anymore. I want something different.”

“You deserve something different,” I say, my voice thick with emotion.

She lifts her head to look at me, her eyes searching mine. “I haven’t told anyone else yet. Not even the girls.”

“You can tell them when you’re ready.”

She nods, then hesitates. “Holden?”

“Yeah?”

She bites her lip. “Would it be crazy if I asked to stay here for a bit? Just until I find a place.”

I sit up, heart racing. “Crazy? Lena, you can stay here forever if you want.”

She laughs, cheeks pink. “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.”

“No, I’m serious.” I grab her hand and lace our fingers. “Stay here. Please. Move in. I know it’s fast. I know it’s a lot. But it feels like we’ve finally found our way back, and I don’t want to waste a single second.”

Her eyes soften. “You’re sure?”

“I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life.”

She looks around the room, then back at me. “Okay.”

That one word hits me like a punch to the chest.

Okay. It’s happening. She’s staying. We’re doing this for real this time.

I let out a breath I didn’t realize I was holding and pull her into my arms, pressing kisses to her hair, her cheeks, her mouth.

“I’m going to take care of you,” I whisper. “You don’t have to do everything on your own anymore.”

She presses her mouth to my chest, and I feel her smile against my skin.

And at that moment, everything clicks.

The past, the pain, and the time we lost are still there, but it’s no longer the end of our story.

Because now we’re writing a new one.

And I think it’s going to be my favorite chapter yet.