Naughty Neighbor: Falling for a Libra (Falling for the Stars, #1)

by Jeannine Colette

She nods knowingly. “I see. Did he panic too?” “Nope. He’s pretty steadfast in his feelings.” “And you still love him?” With a nod, I’m finally ready to say it out loud. “Very much so, yes.” “But you’re scared?” I nod again. “Very much so, yes.” “Then, there’s only one more question,” she says, and I look up and wait for her to ask it. “Do you love him more than you’re scared?” Closing my eyes, I smile. “I think so.” “Then, it looks like you have a new epilogue to write.”

Jake is at the front desk, doing a floral design for a client. He’s smiling that gorgeous grin I’ve missed and making the client laugh. His ease while working actually makes my racing heart simmer down a bit. That’s just what he does. He calms you with his presence. That is, of course, until he looks at you. Those chocolate eyes make me melt into a puddle of goo as he stares at me.

Jake leans back on his heels and crosses his arms in front of his body. “Oh yeah?” He seems intrigued. “How does it end this time?” “Well …” My hands fiddle with the flowers I’m holding. The cellophane crinkles with every push of my fingers. “She walks into his flower shop and buys a bouquet of flowers. Daisies, to be exact, because he once told her they were the best way to show your love.” I turn to Kent and Sydney and explain, “They’re actually made of two flowers—the yellow middle is one, and the white outer ring is another. Together, they become one.”

“So, the ending to your book,” he says, “she walks into the shop because she knows all of these things, but what does she tell the hero?” He looks to Sydney and winks. “That’s me, by the way.” I’d roll my eyes if I wasn’t so damn determined to get this guy to realize how serious I was about him. He’s not making it easy though. “She could say …” I pause and swallow, looking up to him. Then, I say with conviction, “I haven’t changed my view on if a forever kind of love exists because the past hasn’t been kind. However, I can’t deny how truly, madly, deeply in love I am with you, and I’m willing to lay it all out and see where this love takes us. Because I’d rather be scared and in your arms than safe and lonely because you’re gone.”

With a lift of my chin, I say, “Then, she asks him to tell her how he feels. I didn’t know what to write, so I thought I’d ask you for some input.” Seeming intrigued, he nods with a grimace as he looks down. “Interesting. You know, she did break his heart pretty bad. Everyone saw how in love she was with him, except for her.” He turns to Sydney. “Even her best friend was on his side.”

“You really read them all?” I ask, dumbfounded. “I did. Well, the hero did, and he’s exhausted. Stayed up way too late last night, reading the last one. Turns out, his sister was right. The books were an inside peek into what he’d already known. Your past might have hurt you, but it also built you.” “Then, why didn’t he come back home?” He stands before me, and I tilt my head up as he gently explains, “It wasn’t to be cruel. It was because it’s what she needed. She doesn’t need a man coming into her life and telling her what she wants. She deserves a man who will let her figure out what she desires on her own.” My heart leaps, and I bite my lip to control my smile. “She desires him. Enough to get all gussied up in a gold dress and do her hair and makeup because she knows he likes the way she looks in that dress.” “He has inappropriate dreams about her in that dress.”