The Quietest Shop on Main (Shops on Main #3)

Chapter 28

28

W as it really possible to go from the worst day in a person’s history to the best?

Dalton sat upright. “Wait…before this goes further. Where’s your medication?”

Skyla started to stand, but Dalton gently pushed her back in her chair.

“Skyla… where is it?” Dalton said firmly.

“It’s easier to just get it myself,” she began to argue.

“Maybe so, but I’m here and I want to help.”

Skyla blew out a slow breath and set her mug on the table before leaning towards Dalton. Reaching out, she cupped cheek. “Dalton…I want you to know that I love you.” She wished her voice didn’t shake, but there was no way to control it.

This conversation terrified her, but had to be done. Dalton had already taken the first step, and Skyla couldn't continue to leave him waiting for her response.

His breathing picked up, and he gripped her hand that was on his cheek, then turned his head and kissed her palm. “I want to kiss you so bad right now.”

Skyla laughed softly. “I want that too, but I think maybe I need to say a couple things first.”

Dalton nodded, his eyes never leaving hers.

“I’ve loved you for a long time,” she began. “And honestly? I don’t have a lot of experience with people taking care of me.” She put her fingers over his mouth before he could argue. “Having said that,” she declared with a smile. “I love that you step in and go out of your way to ease my load.” Her smile grew sad. “But I struggle with guilt if you do that too much. I don’t want to be a burden to you or have you resent how much work it is to help me.”

Dalton watched her for a moment before responding. “First of all…you’ll never be a burden. Second,” he said quickly, raising an eyebrow at Skyla when she started to interrupt. “I want to take care of you. I want to because I love you. I took care of Analiese because I love her. It’s what we do for our family.”

“Family?” Skyla leaned back, her heart fluttering. Dalton had said a couple things now that had Skyla wondering what exactly he was aiming for.

Dalton chuckled. “Yes. Family.” He ducked his head a little as he spoke. “I meant it when I said I wanted to care for you permanently.” He took her hand again, pressing another kiss to her palm.

A shiver ran down her spine.

“I do have one caveat, though.”

Skyla was sure her heart stopped, and her breath caught in her lungs.

“I love taking care of you, but you also need to take care of you,” Dalton pressed. “You’re so worried about others, that you don’t watch out for yourself. You’ve been running yourself ragged trying to take care of all of us, but you can’t and you shouldn’t.”

Skyla hung her head, nodding a little. “I know, I just…I wanted you to have a reason to stay.”

Dalton used his knuckle to bring her face up to meet his. “How much you work has nothing to do with my feelings for you. But I want us to be partners. That can’t happen if I can’t trust you not to hurt yourself.”

When his thumb began rubbing back and forth on her jawline, goosebumps broke out on Skyla’s neck. “I’ll work on that,” she promised. “Having you in my life has been the best thing that’s ever happened to me, and I want to be partners as well.”

He smiled tenderly. “I don’t have a ring,” he said. “I didn’t plan this out at all, though I assumed I would, eventually. I’d hoped to get through the holidays and let your stress load come down before I said this, but…Skyla Bowen…I want you in my life. I want the right to hold you through the night. I want your face to be the first thing I see when I get home from a long day fishing. I want to wash dishes with you for the rest of my life and sip cider together while you warm your feet under my thighs and read a book. I want to expand that stupid staircase in the back and be the one to drag that tree down every year, so you can flutter around and kiss any scratches I get.”

Skyla laughed even though more tears were coming down her face.

“I want to let you quit your job at the library so you can start to write that book and eventually turn the bookstore into something full-time.”

A sob broke free and Skyla’s head hung down, but Dalton pulled her back up, his thumb wiping her cheeks.

“I want to stop leaving you every night,” he whispered hoarsely. “I want to have you all to myself without having to fight for it. I think your grandpa and I have come to an understanding and Analiese is my sister, but I’m tired of sharing you every minute of every day.”

Grandpa! Skyla had completely forgotten about him in the hubbub of everything.

Dalton smiled and shook his head. “I sent Analiese over,” he said with a sigh.

Skyla shook her head. “I wasn’t?—”

“You were,” Dalton said. “I get it. He’s older and needs help.” Dalton leaned back, and that familiar guilt tugged at Skyla. “I don’t know how to compete with that, sweetheart. He needs you.” Dalton shrugged. “I need you too, but only because I want you first.”

Skyla swallowed hard. “I…”

A knock on the door had them both jumping, and Dalton growled. “Dinner.” Standing, he marched out of the room, and Skyla waited in her seat.

She needed to make a decision and make it quick.

What was she supposed to do?

It felt like she was having to choose between Grandpa and Dalton, and it felt wrong.

“I got orange chicken again,” Dalton said, his eyes not meeting hers.

Skyla pinched her lips together. This isn’t what she wanted. How was she supposed to take care of Grandpa and have a life with Dalton? Her heart was beating so hard, she felt as if it would go right out of her chest. Sweat was beading on her forehead, and her stomach was churning to the point where Skyla wasn’t sure if she’d be able to eat.

Memories flashed through her head.

The pain of Grandpa having a stroke.

The thrill of Dalton holding her hand.

The terror of Grandpa falling in the hospital.

The ecstasy of Dalton’s kiss.

Grandpa…Dalton….Grandpa…Dalton…

“I want that too!” Skyla shouted, jumping to her feet.

Dalton froze, his hand midair with a container in it. “Want what?” he asked carefully.

Skyla clenched her fists, her heart and head still warring with each other. “I want you,” she choked out. “I want time alone. I want your attention and your kisses, and I want your arms around me while we’re watching a movie.” She squeezed her eyes shut, looking for courage she didn’t usually possess. “I want to stop being watched when we say goodnight, and I want to let my mind think on you…” She opened her eyes to Dalton’s wide-eyed stare. “And only you,” she finished in a whisper. “I want you to know that I do everything I do because I want to take care of those I love as well.”

Her bottom lip trembled.

“I want all those things you mentioned as well,” she rasped. “But I don’t know how to take them. I don’t know how to make everyone happy?—”

Her words cut off when Dalton lunged around the table and pulled her into his chest.

Skyla wrapped her arms around him and held on for dear life. If only she could soak up his strength and calmness. How did Dalton do it? How did he stay steady when everything felt like it was falling apart?

“You aren’t supposed to make everyone happy,” Dalton said against her hair.

His beautiful, little bookworm. It was no wonder she was so stressed all the time.

“Life isn’t perfect, and we’re not going to make everything perfect.” He leaned back so he could look at her face. “But we’re going to make everything alright,” he assured her, tucking a piece of that glorious hair behind her ear. “All I needed to know was that you wanted the same things as me. Everything else will work out in time.”

“But if we got married, what would happen to Grandpa?” Skyla asked. “And Analiese? She relies on you.”

“Analiese is an adult,” Dalton said calmly. He ran a hand up and down her back, trying to soothe Skyla’s worries. “She’ll figure it all out. When we moved back, we both knew it wouldn’t be a permanent situation.”

“But—”

Dalton shook his head and put a finger on her lips. “No buts. We can make this work, Skyla, but only if we both want to.”

Skyla relaxed in his arms. “I do want to make it work,” she said in a softer tone. “I’ve wanted you for so long.”

Dalton chuckled. “And all this time, I thought you were scared of me.”

Skyla rolled her eyes. “I have no idea where you got that idea. I’ve never been scared of you. Intimidated by how handsome you were, maybe, but not scared.”

“You barely spoke!” Dalton argued playfully.

“Because I can’t think straight when you smile at me!” she shot back.

Dalton laughed and huffed her again. “It’s a wonder we got together at all,” he teased.

“Mm…” Skyla snuggled in. “Why did we get together, by the way? You seemed to change your mind about me overnight.”

“It was your ears,” Dalton said, giving her hair a slight tug.

Skyla leaned back, frowning. “My ears? What?”

“That night we came over for dinner, when everything changed?” Dalton began.

Skyla nodded, obviously remembering.

Dalton moved her hair so he could trace a finger over the shell of her ear. “Analiese bet me ten bucks that you liked me back. I didn’t believe her, so I did a little test.”

Skyla reached up to her ear. “You tested my ear?”

“No.” He laughed softly. “I let you pull me forward when you took the coat, pretending to be off balance.”

Her eyes widened and mouth opened. She smacked his chest. “I knew it! I’m not that strong!”

Still laughing a little, he tapped her ear again. “When I got close, your ear turned pink. Your cheeks don’t really blush, but your ear gave you away.” Dalton leaned in until they were nose to nose. “That’s how I knew you were attracted to me.”

Skyla’s eyes searched his. “That’s it?” she asked breathlessly.

Dalton nodded slowly, their noses brushing together. “That’s it. From that moment on, I set out to make you mine.”

Her hand on his chest tightened, fisting his sweater. “I was already yours,” she whispered. “I had been since you first came into the library.”

Dalton closed his eyes and pressed his forehead into hers. “Think of all that time,” he lamented.

“What about it?” Skyla asked.

“You’re telling me I could have been kissing you for the last year?” Dalton groaned. “Instead, I’ve only been doing it for a couple of months. What a waste.”

Skyla’s mouth spread into a smile, but Dalton didn’t let her get very far, instead tilting his head and capturing her mouth for something far better than a smile.

There it was.

The sensation that the world was finally right.

Skyla had an ability to make everything feel perfect, even though Dalton knew it wasn’t true. They had a long road ahead of them in order to make this work. His abrupt proposal might have brought them back together, but the way to the altar was far from straight.

Their kissing slowed, and Dalton had to remind himself that this wouldn’t last. Eventually, he wouldn’t have to slow down or step back or keep his hands to himself. He was absolutely going to push for a short engagement. None of this year-long nonsense. He’d give Skyla the moon if she asked for it, but a year-long engagement wasn’t happening.

“I love you,” she whispered sweetly.

Dalton smiled, his eyes still closed. He would never get tired of hearing that. “I love you too.”

Her fingers flexed against his chest. “Two things.”

“Hm?”

“The food is getting cold.”

Dalton laughed and straightened. “I suppose I can let you go long enough to eat.” He led her back to her chair and got settled with her orange chicken before grabbing the beef and broccoli. “And what’s the second thing?”

Skyla took a deep breath. “What are we going to do about Grandpa? I haven’t even spoken to him about what he pulled on the boat.” She gave Dalton a sideways look. “I’m sorry about that, by the way. I had no idea he was trying to find a way to separate us.”

Dalton shook his head and swallowed. “Not your fault. He and I had a chat on the boat, and I think we settled it between us.” He took another bite, taking his time to think for the next answer. “And I think maybe we need to talk to him. I don’t know how we’re going to make this work, but I don’t think we can continue as we are.”

Skyla nodded. “I know,” she said softly, her voice sad. “I love my grandpa. But I want a life.”

Dalton rubbed her knee. “We’ll find a way,” he assured her. “I promise not to drag you to the courthouse before we’ve got him settled in a satisfactory way.”

Skyla smiled at him, then scooted her chair over so they were shoulder to shoulder. The shop grew quiet as they ate together, the pleasant buzz of electricity thrumming between them like it used to.

Content for now, Dalton focused on the food and looking forward to seeing Analiese’s face when they shocked her with the news that she’d be looking for a new roommate soon.

Maybe he should put a bug in Montoya’s ear…