Something stirs in my chest, something sharp and unexpected.“So you’re not worried?”
Her smile lingers.“Oh, I’mdefinitelyworried.”She leans in slightly.“I’ve seen you without supervision.You’re a menace.”
I laugh, shaking my head.“That’sbullshit.”
She smirks.“Is it, though?”
I shake my head again, but my chest feelslighterthan it has in days.Weeks.Maybeyears.
And then—fuck it.
I shift closer, dropping my voice, watching her closely.“You could come with me.”
Anna blinks, her expression unreadable at first.
Iwatchit register.
The way her breath catches.The way her fingers curl slightly against the table.
She doesn’t answer right away.
For a half-second, my stomach free-falls.
Fuck.What if she says no?What if I just laid it all out there, and she doesn’t want it?
What if I just proved I want more, and she’s not ready?
She swallows, then whispers, “What?”
I hold her gaze, steady and sure.“You can work on the road, right?I’ve seen you, you could practically run your whole business from your phone.But you have that badass laptop and if you wanted, you could even join me.Be a part of the music again.Anna, you’ve gotta miss the music.”
She blinks, opens her mouth, then closes it again.
And I realize—shedidn’tsee this coming.
All this time, all these moments,she didn’t think I’d ask her to come with me.
Like she thought she wasn’t part of the equation.
Like she thought she was something I’d have to leave behind.
Fuck that.
“Please come with me, Ace,” I say again, softer this time.“Stay as long as you want.As long as youcan.I need time with you.”
I watch her face, the flicker of emotions playing across her features—shock, hesitation, something unreadable, something softer.
And then?—
She kisses me.
Not out of heat.
Not out of desperation.
Not to distract from what we’re saying.
But because sheknows.