Finding Mr. Write (Business of Love #5) - Ali Parker Page 0,76
for friends to have.”
She shrugged.
I shook my head. “It doesn’t matter. I didn’t come here to talk about your friends. I came to talk about us. If there is even a chance at an ‘us’ anymore, that is.”
Briar rubbed her lips together. “I still want an us.”
“You do?”
She smiled at me. “Of course, I do, Wes! I was having so much fun with you. I mean, yeah, I didn’t expect to come to New York and meet someone like you. I thought I’d be on my own. Hell, I wanted to be on my own. But meeting you changed all of that. And that’s part of fresh starts, isn’t it? Rerouting? Changing course? Accepting the things you didn’t realize you wanted and just going with the flow?”
“I think so, yes.”
“Well, you were the flow.”
Her words made me smile. Before I had a chance to answer, the waiter came back with our ciders. Briar put in an order of flatbread for us to share and we were left alone again.
“So what does this mean?” I asked. “Do you want to come back to New York?”
“I never wanted to leave in the first place,” she admitted.
“Then why did you?”
“I didn’t feel like I had any other options. I ran out of my work like an idiot. There’s no way they’re going to take me back, especially when I know full well how hard it’s been for them to find reliable staff. And I left my roommate. Sonia’s probably looking for someone else to take my room as we speak.”
“Maybe not.”
Briar shrugged. “It wouldn’t feel right to come back and just assume she’d be flexible for me again. I’d need someplace fresh to land and figure my shit out while we figure our shit out.”
“Move in with me.”
Briar paused with her drink halfway to her lips. Her eyes widened. “I’m sorry?”
“Move in with me,” I said again. “You’ve seen how much space I have. And if you need a place to stay while you look for work, I can give you that. I can give you your own room, too, if you want to take things slow. We can do whatever works and—”
“Wes,” she said firmly, “if I’m staying with you, then you’d best believe I’m staying with you. Know what I mean?”
I grinned in spite of myself. “I think so.”
She giggled softly. God, was it ever nice to hear her laugh again.
“I still can’t believe you got on a plane to come find me,” she said. “I never thought I’d ever get a romantic gesture like this.”
“Think again.”
She looked down at the table and the happy wrinkles in the corners of her eyes disappeared.
I reached out and put a hand over hers. “What’s wrong?”
She lifted her gaze. Her eyes were glassy.
What had I done wrong? Why was she crying? Was it something I said?
“What did I do?” I whispered.
She sniffled and tried to laugh away her tears. “It’s nothing. I just… I’m really sorry, Wes. I feel so bad for slipping up and telling Callie. And now this Kelly Green woman knows who you are and I feel like I ruined something you can never put back together. I just feel so—”
“Stop.”
“I can’t help it! I feel like such an ass. I knew how important it was to you and I still—”
I stood up, leaned across the table, and kissed her. Briar fell quiet. The restaurant around us faded to blurry nothingness and conversation became a muted buzz in my ears. Her lips were warm and tasted like apples and rum. She smiled against my lips, and when I pulled away, her cheeks were rosy pink and her tears were gone.
“I forgive you,” I said simply.
Her eyebrows lifted. “You do?”
I nodded as I sat back down. “It was unfair of me to ask you to keep such a secret anyway. I forgive you. I swear. And I’m the one who should be sorry. I never should have told you to get out of my car. I should have heard you out. I’ve regretted how I handled things since the minute I drove away.”
Briar’s eyes twinkled. “Does this mean we’re okay?”
I grinned. “As long as you’re coming back to New York with me, I’m a happy man.”
Chapter 33
Briar
So that was it.
We were doing this thing. For real.
My little heart could hardly take it.
“I think it’s time to turn the tables on you,” I said, a sly smile playing on my lips while I watched Wes enjoy his piece of flatbread.