His Forever Girl (New Orleans' Ladies #4) - Liz Talley Page 0,103

set down the Hendrick’s and reached into his back pocket. Tess pointed toward where Graham sat and Ron raised his eyebrows. “Okay, then. I’ll show you later.”

Tess made her way down to the very end of the bar where sitting right next to the trivia machine was her new boss.

And, God willing and the creek didn’t rise, her new man.

Graham hooked his foot around a stool against the wall and pulled it over close. “Would the lady like a seat?”

“She would,” Tess said, sitting.

Graham smiled and she remembered the last time they’d sat in this very bar. There had been an aura of mystery, of excitement, of crazy attraction. All of that was still there, but joining those feelings was a certainty she’d found the right man for her.

Finally.

Ron set the drink in front of her and slid Graham another of what he was having. “I suppose you two want to watch baseball,” he said with disgust.

Graham hadn’t taken his eyes off her. “Nah, man. We’re good.”

“So I see. What started months ago seems to have ended,” Ron joked, and swaggered off to wait on more customers and drive up the tips for him and his new family.

“He’s wrong,” Graham said softly.

“Oh?” Tess asked.

“It’s a new beginning. The one we should have had after that night.”

“Well, I’m wearing my black dress.”

“Very well, too, I might add,” Graham said, his eyes sliding down her body. “Very, very well.”

She wanted to say so much to him, and yet at the same time she wanted to say nothing at all. She was so tired of all the drama. Complicated was so overrated. “I’m sorry.”

“I’m sorry, too.”

“I want to start over—with a clean slate. No more grudges, blame, or wounded pride. No more embarrassment over who we are.” Tess reached out and touched the rugged hand cupping the sweating tumbler.

Graham turned his hand over and clasped hers. “Agreed. I’m ready to start clean.”

“And I’d also like to say thank you.”

He arched a dark eyebrow. “For what? Telling Miles the truth? For hiring you? Everything I did was aboveboard. You’re deserving of all those things.”

“No, though those things are nice.” She swallowed the anxiety that cropped up. She needed to just say it. Do what she’d said she would do when she told Monique she couldn’t work for Upstart… when she’d strolled into the warehouse she’d vowed never to step into again months ago. “I wanted to thank you for loving me in spite of my being a complete asshole.”

Graham started laughing.

Tess gulped. “I mean, I love you. I shouldn’t necessarily presume you—”

His mouth shut her up.

Tess swallowed the stupid words and kissed him, her heart breaking apart and knitting back together at the sheer rightness of this man kissing away her fears.

Pulling away slightly, he smiled at her. “You can shut up now.”

“Is that all you have to say?”

“No, I got tons to say, but I’m only going to say two key things. Are you ready?”

She nodded.

“First, tonight we are going to have a real date. I’m going to take you out for a nice dinner, we’re going to drink wine, maybe dance beneath the stars then go to your place and make love until the sun comes up.”

“Sounds good,” Tess said. “But I need to remind you, I have a new job to start tomorrow.”

“Sleeping with the boss has benefits,” he joked, before becoming serious. “I’m not really your boss, you know.”

“I know. You’re my partner. My dad ordered you up for me. I just didn’t realize it.”

Graham kissed her hard and fast.

“Now, two.” He held up two fingers, making sure she focused on him.

“I’m listening.”

“Therese Ullo, I want to spend the rest of my life loving you. I’m not talking about a fling. I’m talking about forever. My partner in every way. I love you.”

Tess’s heart burst, and she tried not to cry because she didn’t want to mess up her makeup. It really looked good for once. Sweeping her bottom lash with a finger, she stopped the tear from falling. “You do?”

Graham grasped her face between both hands and kissed her before looking deep into her eyes. “You make me crazy, but I love it. This is a forever thing.”

Tess smiled. “You don’t know how good that sounds.”

“You don’t know how good it feels.”

They smiled at one another, laughing as they heard Ron tell someone how he’d brought them together one rainy night months ago. And how he totally knew they were meant to be when he saw them together. And