My Sweetest Escape (46 page)

part to Dusty, and I turned around.

“You invited him?”

“I thought you should have something of

the old you. You know, something old,

something new.”

“That’s for weddings, Dusty.”

“I know, but it couldn’t hurt, could it?”

He wrapped his arms around my waist.

“Not at all.” I gave him a kiss and

everyone else came over to say hello.

“Isn’t this against company policy?” I

said as I stared at the table covered in

presents and realized there were balloons

tied everywhere, too.

“Um, I pulled some strings,” Dusty said.

“The store is yours. That’s the other part of

your present. You can go through and pick

anything you want. I mean, you can’t have

the whole store, but go crazy.”

I put my arms around his neck.

“I can have anything I want?”

“Anything,” he said, leaning down and

putting his forehead against mine.

“Then I pick you.”

“You’ve got me, Red. I’m yours. What

else do you want?”

I pretended to think and then kissed

him.

“This.”

“That’s good. What else?”

I kissed him again.

“Anything else?”

“Maybe the new Avett Brothers? And A

Fine Frenzy? And Ed Sheeran, and Sparks

the Rescue, and Pete Kilpatrick, and Sia, and

The Airborne Toxic Event, and—”

He cut me off with a kiss.

* * * * *