Total pages in book: 124
Estimated words: 116455 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 582(@200wpm)___ 466(@250wpm)___ 388(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 116455 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 582(@200wpm)___ 466(@250wpm)___ 388(@300wpm)
“I need you,” I said simply. Two days ago, I couldn’t have imagined letting myself be that vulnerable around JT. Now I knew that I couldn’t do what I needed to do today without knowing he was on my side, even if he couldn’t be with me physically. “Fuck. I have the worst timing anyone ever had. You’re probably busy getting ready for Brew Fest, and you can’t help me right now, but… I just needed to hear your voice, at least. I needed to tell you…”
“Flynn—”
“Wait. Let me say this.” I grabbed a hank of hair at the front of my head and tugged on it as I walked aimlessly around the expo center. “Look, if you must know, I should have called you Sunday and asked you for help. I realize that, okay? I knew it even then, but I couldn’t make myself do it. There’s no shame in asking for help from people who care about you.”
“No, there isn’t. Flynn—”
“And I should have listened to what you were saying Saturday and not let my fear get in the way then either… though, I swear to Christ, Frog, if you say I told you so, I’m gonna make you eat fish sticks every day for the rest of our lives. The thing is…” I sucked in a breath. “I don’t know if I can do this Brew Fest thing on my own. Not this time. I really wish you were here with me right now. I hate that I pushed you away.” I huffed out a laugh and felt tears prick my eyes. “Hell, I’m so messed up, I can’t even find my own booth.”
“Ah, Flynn,” he breathed. “Baby, I wondered why you’d wandered down this row three times already.”
I stopped in the center of the aisle. “W-what?”
“Sweetheart,” he said in a gentle, affectionate voice, the kind of voice that poured warm honey down through my chest and into my soul. “Turn around.”
I closed my eyes and pivoted, almost scared to hope, but when I opened them, I saw the Honeybridge Mead display—literally fifteen feet away and looking incredible—and, even more amazingly, the handsome man standing out front in a Honeybridge Mead shirt.
“Jon?” I choked, lurching forward until I was safe in his arms. “You’re here. Thank god.”
He squeezed me tightly, one hand wrapped around my waist while the other sank into my hair. His scent—that expensive designer cologne that had become as comforting to me as any of Willow’s candles or the yeasty oatmeal scent of the Meadery—made me want to shove my nose in his neck for the rest of our lives. I wanted to crawl inside him and sleep for weeks.
“I missed you. Missed you so much.”
“Flynn, is PJ okay? Is he…”
“He’s home. He’s with McLean. I… I feel like I dropped the ball and let him down, Jon. But he’s safe.” My voice broke on the last word.
“Shh.” JT’s voice rumbled through his chest, and my fingers tightened. “Ah, Christ, baby. You’ve had a shitty few days, haven’t you? But I’ve got you now. I promise I do. And you don’t have to do anything alone anymore if you don’t want to.”
I sniffed, annoyed at myself for dissolving so completely in his arms—though not annoyed enough to break away from his hold. It had been a shitty few days. And I was so damn tired of being strong. It was nice to let myself be held, especially by JT.
“Firecracker, I’m sorry,” JT whispered. “I should have told you right away about the Fortress deal. As soon as I knew that you and I had understood things differently. But I swear, it wasn’t because I don’t believe in you or respect you—”
“I know. And I’m sorry I pushed you away. I’m going to work on that.” I pressed my forehead to his collarbone and let my breath coast over his skin. “Every single thing you’ve done this summer was about empowering me and setting me free, Jon. I should have put my faith in that instead of knee-jerk reacting.” I gave a watery laugh. “Thank you. For being here. For apologizing. It means a lot.”
“So… you forgive me?” he demanded, his body sagging in relief. He pulled back just far enough to see my face. “Shit, baby. I thought I was going to have to make some kind of big speech. Write you poetry. Declare you King of Brew Fest. Promise you a million blowjobs—”
“Well, I mean.” I dragged the heel of my hand under my traitorous, leaking eyes. “Let’s not take those things off the table just yet.”
JT’s lips quirked, and then he full-on grinned, and—damn that smug, sexy, adorable, wonderful asshole—when he started laughing, I couldn’t help laughing, too, right in the aisle of the expo center…
Because JT always knew how to make things better.