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In my mind, he was a cruel, money-grubbing city guy. Like Patrick Bateman without the murder, or a younger, hotter Ebenezer Scrooge. But the man who’d sat with me, asking thoughtful questions and explaining the intricacies of the timber business, wasn’t an asshole.
I patted her steering wheel and gave Owen a wink. “Priscilla here is a van-imal.”
He bit his lip and smiled, and my stomach dipped. Damn.
But we were truly past that and now veering into hopeless tween crush territory. If I wasn’t careful, I’d dig a Lisa Frank notebook out of my mom’s basement when I got home and start doodling his name surrounded in hearts.
He shucked off his coat, draped it over the boxes on the table, and rolled up the cuffs of his dress shirt, revealing tan, muscular forearms that temporarily distracted me from my righteous indignation.
And when she did, it was like standing in the sun. Her attention was warm and comforting, and it created an ache inside me, one I’d never felt before and couldn’t identify.
“Enjoy the blandly handsome man who can barely act.”
“Lila, you are my best friend, and I support you 100 percent regardless of whether you’re working for the Heberts or taking your clothes off.” “Those are not equivalent options,”
How had we gotten so far away from one another? How had our family gotten so splintered? And why were we all so angry at one another? Our dad was the villain. He was the one who’d fucked everything up.
He was looking less city boy and more lumberjack by the day. And it was a problem. Because he looked good.
While snack food might not mean much to the average person, to someone like me, for whom food could be dangerous, it was huge.
We did not have emotional conversations. Ever. We were Hebert men. We’d been conditioned to repress and then repress some more.
God, why couldn’t we just fistfight like we did when we were kids and move on? His words were so much more devastating than a punch to the face would have been.
“As cheesy as this sounds, I’m trying to enjoy the journey rather than fixating on the destination.”
“I’ve realized that real life is now. The decisions I make today matter. My attitude and effort and the way I show up for others matters.
You’re beautiful. You’ve always been beautiful. Period. And if people don’t notice how smart and empathetic and intuitive you are, then that’s their fucking problem.”
“And regardless of how painfully gorgeous you are, your mind, Lila, your mind is magnificent.”
Damn, I’d never been so attracted to a woman in my life. Lila could completely destroy me. And I would gladly let her.
“I think you’ve been forced into playing a specific role your whole life. But the woman I saw in there today, the one I see most days, actually, is the real you. You are fierce. You are smart. And you deserve to be heard.”
“I needed some weirdness today.”
“Happy to get weird with you anytime.”
I took up the space I needed. The space I’d earned. I woke up every day and presented my true self to the world, brown hair, flat shoes, and all. It took a long time to get to where I was, and I had a way to go yet, but I was doing things my way.
A wink. Owen Hebert, Mr. Super Serious Corporate Bossman, just winked at me. And it caused my legs to stop working properly.
“Because I don’t want you to be cold. Or hungry or tired. I care about you. And if I can make your life easier, even in the smallest of ways, then I’ll do it. Every time.”
“You can have whatever you want. I’m all yours. For tonight, this year, or forever. I’m here if you want me.”
“We will find a way to live our dreams. We’re scrappy, gorgeous, and smart.” Magnolia held her glass aloft. “The world better get the fuck out of our way.”
God, he was such a grown-up. An actual man. He listened, he validated my feelings, and he apologized so willingly. What a fucking turn-on.
Adele snorted. Her eyes were tired, but her smile was blinding. “The kid’s only three hours old, and he’s already promising him his own baby ATV.” Gus snorted. “In fairness, that’s the Maine equivalent of promising your kid a pony.”
