I’ll introduce him to Lucy outside, in case Lucy isn’t happy with another dog in her house. Eli will see how hard I’m trying to move forward, and then I’ll ask him for a second chance. Oh, and I got him roses with a note of my own. Just like he did all those years ago.
I ring the bell, the flowers hidden behind my back, adrenaline racing through me.
Caleb answers with Lucy barking at his side. “Hey, Jenna.” He turns to Lucy. “Sit.”
She sits, and I reach out with my hand for her to sniff. She goes crazy sniffing me, probably because of Mocha.
“Is Eli around?” I ask.
“Yeah, come in. He’s upstairs, probably moping again. You broke his heart, you know.”
I grimace. Caleb always says what he thinks. “It was mutual. Should I just go up?” I pull the roses from behind my back and tuck them into the crook of my arm.
He stares at them. “Uh, he needs some warning. You don’t just spring up on a mopey guy. What if he’s in there playing some weepy song on guitar? Too embarrassing.” He goes to the stairs and yells, “Eli! You got company!”
No response.
He shakes his head and goes upstairs, knocking on his door. I follow him most of the way upstairs, eavesdropping shamelessly.
“What?” Eli asks.
“You got company. It’s a mopey-looking woman with roses.”
There’s a scuffle, and then Eli appears. “Jenna.”
Caleb moves on to his room and shuts the door, giving us privacy.
“Hi,” I say, my heart pounding.
He searches my expression. “Hi. Let’s go downstairs.”
I head downstairs on shaky legs. The moment we’re in the living room, I thrust the roses at him. “I missed you. There’s a note.”
He pulls the note from the small envelope and reads it. Then he grabs me with his free arm and crushes me to him. “Jenna.”
I wrap my arms around his middle, hugging him for a long moment, my heart thudding hard. I look up at him, emotion clogging my throat. “I mean it. I love you, Eli.”
He cradles my jaw, his face flushed, his eyes watering. “This is exactly what I wrote in your note all those years ago.” He sets the roses on the coffee table and holds up the card with my three little words that encompass so much feeling—I love you.
My jaw gapes. “That’s what you wrote when you were sixteen? That was so brave of you!”
“As embarrassing as it is to admit, it’s true.” He tucks the note in his back pocket, frames my face with both hands, and kisses me tenderly. “I love you. Still, always.”
Warmth spreads through my chest, my limbs light. It’s pure happiness like I’ve never felt before. This is a man who knows my strengths and flaws, and loves all of me. He holds me close, and I sigh, wrapped in pure happiness and so much love. We stay like that for a long time. I can’t stop smiling. I’m just so happy to be together again.
He pulls away and gazes deep into my eyes with so much love I wonder how I didn’t see it before. I feel energized like I could just spontaneously break out into square dancing. Ha! Instead I kiss him.
I run my fingers through the hair at the nape of his neck. “I would’ve been shocked at a declaration of love back then.”
His lips curve up in a small smile. “It was premature but heartfelt. I’m sorry for having such a chip on my shoulder about me being the adoring one for so long. I should’ve just started from scratch the moment we reconnected as adults and forgot all that other stuff.”
“It was nice in a way. A lot to live up to but nice.”
He strokes my hair back from my face. “I don’t want you to feel like you have to live up to some fantasy version of you I built up in my mind. I love who you are right now.”
“That’s a relief because I’m far from perfect.”
“Neither am I. Besides, most of my dream-girl fantasies were of the dirty variety, and you’ve far surpassed all expectations.”
I laugh. “That’s good to hear. How long were you having these dirty fantasies?”
He grins. “You don’t want to know.”
I take a deep breath. “I had a heart-to-heart with Sydney, and she’s good with me, with us too. I confessed everything, including how much I love you. That’s all she ever wanted for you.”
“I know. She got out of line though.”
I pull away. “Well, she admitted her mistake and