The Checklist by Addie Woolridge (color ebook reader TXT) 📗

all my careful organizing let me down. I wanted to be different from my family so badly that I missed the good things in front of me. You were the bridge between chaos and the order I was looking for.” She circled her hands in front of her to help her think, then added, “The feud, my family, your family. They are all easier to navigate when you are around. Everything is just easier.”

Mike’s confusion lessened into something sweeter. He smiled with one half of his mouth, showing off a dimple in his cheek.

“That is a lot for me, being with someone who doesn’t feel like a safety item on a checklist. I wasn’t sure that I could trust the feeling. Or you. But you didn’t spend time with me in order to make my parents stop howling at the moon. I can just be with you and have no plan. I know that nothing will explode, or you won’t forget and leave me at Costco if we improvise. It’s new to me, but I think I like it,” she said, feeling apprehension take root in her shoulders. “Does any of this make sense?”

“Dylan Delacroix, are you saying you like me?” Mike’s half smile transformed into something bigger and more reassuring.

“I guess I am.” Dylan felt herself settle into the warmth of his presence. Taking one step closer, she looked up at him.

“It’s funny, because I noticed something similar.” He looked up for a moment, watching the ceiling transition from the desert sun to a moonlit sky before looking back down at her. “I resolved to just leave you across the street where I found you. I didn’t want that spontaneity in my life. One minute it was all tuneless karaoke and emoji toes. And the next, I was getting yelled at. Then I missed you. And I couldn’t bring myself to cut you off. Hence Susan.”

Dylan groaned, dropping her head to her chest.

“Hey.” Mike gently placed a hand under her chin and tilted her face upward. “That is not where this is going.”

He moved his hand to her arm, the touch sending shivers up and down her back. She risked looking up at his face, surprised to find contentment where she expected pain.

“Here is the thing about your lists. You bring a kind of creative energy to them. I mean, I thought I was ambitious. But this . . .” He shook his head, watching the sky overhead, then continued, “You put this together in two weeks with nothing but willpower, a lot of organization, and a few highly motivated friends.”

“And Susan.”

Mike laughed, gesturing around the room before letting his hand come to rest on her other arm. “It’s what I missed about you. Why I didn’t cuss you out and leave you across the street. Sure, aspects of your life are hectic, but you seem to have a system all your own for the disarray.”

Joy pulsed through her as he spoke, and she instinctively leaned toward him, closing the gap between them without her mind asking her body to. She’d spent so long trying to put barriers between them, pretending her emotions were a product of chaos and his feelings some sort of mystery that was bound to dissipate. But here he was, and she couldn’t rationalize or explain him away.

“Dylan, you are brave. It takes guts to be different from the people who raised you. But you being brave makes everyone around you bolder, including me. When you are around, people dream as big as you do, and they work just a little harder because they see you going after it. I was ready to give up on this dream. I wouldn’t have been this brave or creative enough to chase this without you.”

Mike slid his arms around her. Looking down at her, he said in a voice so low only she could hear him, “And, I think your lists are sexy. That is the honest truth.”

Dylan laid her head against the solid muscle of his chest and laughed, the warmth of him seeping into her body as she returned his embrace. As the laughter slowed, Dylan turned her head back toward him, her neck elongating with the angle of her chin.

“So what do you say? Want to give it another try?” His question seemed simple; despite everything that had happened between them, there was no hesitation in his voice.

The idea coaxed a smile from her. “I sure hope you know a couple other slow-jam-and-sushi spots in town.”

“I’m sure I can think of a few.”

Her smile spread as the perfection of the moment sank in. Sliding her hands up Mike’s chest, she felt the fine texture of his suit glide under her palms until she could clasp her fingers around his neck. Stretching up, she could practically taste the champagne on him as he drew her up to him.

Out of the corner of her eye, a flash of gold caught her attention, and she paused, turning her head slightly to the left.

Mike’s patient sigh fell on her neck. “What is it? That yelling guy back?”

“Worse,” Dylan said, dropping from her tiptoes. “We are being watched. By our families.”

Mike laughed. “Are they waving or filming?”

Dylan peeked around his shoulder. “No cameras. Technically, only Stacy is waving, but Neale is giving me finger guns, which I think also counts.”

“Let me guess: my moms are there clutching each other, it’s adorable glued to their faces?”

“Pretty much,” Dylan said, peeking around his shoulder one more time. “How did you know?”

Tilting his head back, Mike chuckled. “Neale is the worst secret keeper ever.”

Dylan groaned, leaning against him, his shirt muffling her words. “She’d make a terrible spy.”

“You’re telling me. Mom and Ma have literally been asking about it for days. I knew the moment they walked in they’d be watching all night.”

“And you were going to kiss me anyway?” Dylan said, smiling up at him.

“Well, yeah. They are already working on a seating chart for the wedding,” he said, smirking and leaning in close