The One with the Kiss Cam

by Cindy Steel

“I’ll take you back here in August, then. Next month. We’ll get us a box. Best peaches in the state.” I blinked as it clicked. We’ll get us a box. Promise. His earlier words had been lined with promise. Just like his promise to get a box of peaches. One tangible and the other much more open-ended. Maybe it was the strangeness of the day, or being with Duke like this again, but I found myself growing excited about both.

You could walk out that door right now and I never see you again, and I’d still do it. I’d do it again tomorrow. I’d do it a thousand times over.” At his continued approach, I took a step back,

“One day, when all the stars align for you, maybe you’ll date someone. Maybe you’ll get married. And I sure as hell hope that guy helps you shoulder a few of your burdens. Not because he doesn’t think you’re capable. Not because he wants to control you. But because he loves you.” He bent down closer, the heat from his words breathing life into my ear. “And I hope you let him.”

“Nora—“ He broke off, shaking his head slightly, pinning me with his stare. “You were never the rebound. She was.”

The audacity of Duke Webber. If my life were a romantic comedy, that would be the title.

My family needed me. They loved me, but they needed me. Duke didn’t need me. He wanted me, and that made all the difference.