“You are what I deserve.” I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life. This peaceful kind of knowing fills me, so my whole body floods with warmth. I set the flowers on my coffee table and turn back to the man I still love—the man I never stopped loving, never stopped wanting. “You make me happy, Blake. You’re what I want.”
“It feels damn good hearing you say that, Flower Girl.”
It feels good to say it, too. To put my everything on the line for him and not be afraid to ask.
“And I’m able to give you all of me now.” Blake blows out a breath. “I got my personal training certification.”
“You did?”
He nods. “And I can take it anywhere. I sold the place in Rochester, so I can go wherever I want.”
My heart skips as I realize everything that means for us, every door that’s opened up.
“Have business, will travel, Kenn. I was thinking State College might be a good place to start.”
I smile up at him and cock my head to the side. “The weather’s shitty.”
“Uh-huh.”
“And this town is filled with young people.”
“Uh-huh.”
I step forward and poke a finger into his chest. Lift an eyebrow like a dare. “Think you can keep up?”
“There’s only one way to find out.” He catches my hand and threads his fingers through mine, pulling me all the way against his body.
He’s solid and warm and real and mine. And when he cups his hands around my face and brushes his talented lips against mine, I melt against him.
“I love you,” I whisper, and I kiss him back.
I part my lips and open my heart, falling into this moment. Falling into Blake, knowing he’ll catch me. Falling into Blake, knowing I’ll catch him right back.
He utters a low groan like everything he wants is right here in this room, in this kiss. “I love you back,” he says.
I smile against his mouth, wiggle my hips against the length of him that strains between us. “I know.”
Then I look around, and somehow it’s just the two of us—Brooke has slipped out of the apartment unnoticed, and it’s raining outside and cozy and warm in this space heated by our hearts.
So I take Blake’s hand and lead him into my bedroom. Together we walk toward our future, side by side.
32
Blake
May
“What’s the very first thing you’re going to do when we get to the house?” I ask. I sneak a glance at McKenna from the corner of my eye, struck, as always, by how pretty she is. Wind from the open window of the Jeep blows her hair into a blond mess, and her face has this blissed-out, happy grin on it like it’s exactly perfect that we’re heading back to the place where our story started.
“Easy.” She flashes me a smile. “I’m going to check on my plant babies. And then I’m going to throw myself into the ocean.”
“With or without clothes?”
She shakes her head and snorts at me, ignoring my tease. I’ll take her either way, but I admittedly have my preferences.
Right now McKenna’s wearing cutoff shorts and a bikini top, full of life and perfectly at home by my side. I take a second to admire her, and my heart thumps hard in my chest.
God, she’s gorgeous. Always was, always will be.
We sail past the intersection of Long Beach Boulevard and East Wyoming, and McKenna nudges my arms. “Where are you going? You missed the turn.”
She’s accustomed to me avoiding the street that Nardi’s Tavern is on, only I’m not afraid of its temptation anymore. Over a year sober now, and I haven’t wavered at all. Turns out when you fill your life with love—real love, the grounding kind where you’re accepted for everything that you are—it’s easier to love yourself enough to say no. It’s not a perfect solution. But it’s easier.
“We’re taking the direct route, baby.”
It’s not just that it’s more direct, it’s also that it gives us the best view of the house as we approach.
“Oh my god, what?” McKenna gasps as I park the Jeep and she realizes everything I’ve done.
She scrambles out of the car to look closer, and I laugh and follow her. A warm breeze kisses our skin with the scent of the ocean, and the sky is endlessly blue overhead. Inside the garden, color bursts from every surface—deep green stems and pale green leaves. Flowers in pink and red and purple and white.
Thick and healthy foliage, more plants than ever before.
“Did you do this?” McKenna asks.
I reach for her waist, thumbing over the tattoo on her ribs while I hook my chin over her shoulder. Together we stare out at this thing we’ve built.
“I might have had a hand in it,” I admit. “Consider it an early graduation present.”
She laughs and shakes her head, then turns in my arms. “Graduation’s not for another couple of days,” she says, but her eyes dance with happiness. “What if I fail?”
I draw back to arm’s length and look deep in her gorgeous blue eyes. “There’s no such thing.”
She grins. “When did you even do this?”
“Before I came to Penn State.”
In the fall, after Jodi had told me where I could find my girl, I’d revisited the beach house and planted bulbs and seeds for spring. I needed to understand McKenna, to be in her head before I saw her again. Digging my hands into the earth was the right way to go, and I knew that even if she said no when I finally found her, she deserved to have a piece of her dreams.
I shrug. “Sometimes you have to plan for things.”
She nods. “Like this weekend.”
Not long after we got back together, McKenna turned her business magic onto my personal training company, and my phone and my calendar blew up. Between the two of us, things are firing on all cylinders, but I made it a point to schedule this weekend months in advance. I wanted the flowers in full bloom. I wanted a day as perfect as she is.
“Mmm,” I say, but the weekend’s not the main thing I’ve been planning for. I gesture at the garden. “Did you notice what kind of plants they are?”
McKenna’s eyes widen and fill with tears as she realizes.
I take her hands in mine. “Sweet peas for pleasure. Because with you, I feel alive in my skin. You make me feel better than any man has a right to.” My voice shakes, and I gulp in a steadying breath. McKenna stays quiet like she can guess what’s coming and doesn’t want to breathe in case she’s wrong. “Gladiolus for remembrance,” I continue. “Because I will never forget how much I love you. The way you saved me.”
McKenna raises a hand to my cheek, and it comes away wet. “Maybe we saved each other,” she whispers.
I nod and press a kiss to her palm, tasting my own tears. “Maybe so. But that’s not everything. You can’t forget peonies for a happy life.”
I drop to one knee and pretend to reach for a handful of soil, but instead, I slip a ring from the pocket of my shorts and hold it up to her.
McKenna’s eyes shine, and the smile on her face stretches wide and true. I know it mirrors the smile on my own face—the one I feel myself wearing every damn day. With her, I’ve had the best year of my life, and I’ve been around for plenty of them to know.
“McKenna Maycomb, if you’ll let me, I’ll spend every day of my life trying to bring you the same kind of happiness you bring me. I’ll spend every day of my life loving you. I’ll rub sunscreen on your shoulders and make you cups of coffee as big as your head. I’ll build you gardens and let you throw back every fish that we catch.” I take another deep breath and ask the question I’ve wanted to ask ever since October. Ever since I knew I didn’t want to spend another minute without her in my life. “Will you marry me, Flower Girl?”
McKenna’s eyes shine with tears, and she bends down to kiss me. “Yes,” she whispers against my mouth. Her shoulders shake with laughter and tears. “Obviously.”
I slip the ring onto her finger and bury my hands in her hair, cradling her head to kiss
her long and hard and true.
Tonight our friends and family are joining us at the beach, and the house will fill up with so much laughter and love that the walls won’t be able to contain our joy. But for another few hours, we’re alone the way we were last summer. Us and ocean and our whole lives waiting to start.
A seagull spreads its wings and calls high overhead, and I break the kiss to smile at my fiancée. I squeeze her hand and nod toward the beach, where the ocean beckons and the future begins.
“What do you say, Flower Girl? How about that swim?”
——
Author’s Note
A little over a year ago, I was in the middle of writing the X Enterprises series when I had to make a sudden trip from Seattle to the East Coast. I arrived at the start of summer, and stepping into the humidity and heat brought back a flood of memories from my summers spent at the New Jersey shore. From days spent on a boat to sandy nights at the beach, each moment was crisp and clear, and I knew I had to tell a story set at the shore.
McKenna and Blake’s romance came to me quickly, but I was in the middle of other projects at the time, so their story stayed half written until the temperatures had already cooled here in Seattle. When I dove back into it, I spent the whole time dreaming about warmer weather, sunshine, and the kind of love you can’t ignore.
This story was a little different for me, and it was definitely a break from my other romcoms to a more angsty feel. But goodness gracious, I love it so. I hope you enjoyed reading McKenna and Blake’s story as much as I enjoyed writing it. Thank you for spending time between these pages, and if you’d consider leaving a review, I’d be forever grateful.
Wishing you days that make you feel alive, love that cracks open your heart, and a summer kind of happiness.
xoxo Tanya
P.S. If you love sneak peeks, exclusive giveaways, and all the book news, head on over to tanyagallagherbooks.com and join my mailing list.
Acknowledgments
Part of being a writer means living in your head for days and weeks at a time, but nobody becomes an author without the support and love of humans out there in the real world. It’s easy to get lost in fiction, but that makes it equally important to have people in your life to pull you out and remind you why you started. I’m so grateful for my tribe.
To Jenny, thanks for tirelessly cheering me on and for giving me the thumbs up on this book’s title. Your careful eye for detail and insightful character notes helped me tease out the heart of this story. Walking and talking with you is my fave.
To the amazing authors and readers who I’ve met through Instagram, thank you, thank you, thank you. It’s such a joy to connect with you and hear your stories, and I appreciate every bit of love and encouragement. It’s so fun to see your enthusiasm for romance, and I’m indebted to you for your help in spreading the word about this book.
To the beautiful members of the Eastside RWA, thanks for your friendship and your dedication to this rollercoaster ride of writing. Your guidance has been invaluable, and your camaraderie even more so. I’m so proud to be part of a group that champions inclusivity and love.
To my parents, thanks for every summer spent at the beach and for traveling near and far. A sense of place is so important to this story, and it wouldn’t have been nearly as rich if you hadn’t given me the opportunity to sink my toes into the sand and just breathe.
To Lily and Ian, thank you for the gift of time. Thanks for walking the dog and cooking breakfast for the family and generally making it possible for me to sneak off and write this story. I love you so, so much. Donuts every time.
Books by Tanya Gallagher
Standalones
A Slippery Slope
Step Summer
The X Enterprises Series
His Distraction (X Enterprises Book One)
His Inspiration (X Enterprises Book Two)
His Invitation (X Enterprises Book Three)
His Temptation (X Enterprises Book Four)
About the Author
Tanya Gallagher is the Seattle-based author of contemporary New Adult and Adult romances about smart, strong women and the sexy men who love them. She traded pencil skirts in the boardroom for stories in the bedroom and hasn't looked back since. You can find her traveling the world in search of beautiful scenery and delicious cake, and at penchantforpleasure.com, where she happens to sell one of the most popular brands of personal lubricant for your naughty bits. True story.
Let’s Hang Out
Website: www.tanyagallagherbooks.com
Instagram: tanyagallagherbooks
Twitter: TGallagherBooks
Facebook: tanyagallagherbooks
Step Summer Page 19
