My pulse races as Nate’s truck pulls into the vacant parking space next to my Accord. I think I broke every speed limit on the drive here from Delaware, making it in record time. The fact that I hadn’t unpacked at Mom and Dad’s helped, as did the fact that Dad had been expecting me to flee from the moment I arrived. He always could tell when I needed to be somewhere else.

This is it. Aria Carmichael isn’t a quitter. I repeat Dad’s mantra over and over in my head as I watch Nate get out of the truck, his eyes trained on me.

“Aria? What are you doing back here?” He closes the door and looks like he wants to rush me like a linebacker.

“I need to talk to you.” I stand up, using the railing for support.

He nods. “I need to talk to you, too. Let’s go inside.” He moves toward the door but stops to wrap me in a hug.

I breathe in deeply, letting his scent fill me and give me courage.

“I missed you. I know it’s only been two days, but...” He pulls away and looks into my eyes.

“I know what you mean.” I smile and nod toward the house, not wanting to pour my heart out on his front porch, where his neighbors could easily overhear or see.

He lets go of me and opens the door, holding it for me to enter first. “Sorry it’s a mess. I haven’t been home much to clean up or finish unpacking.”

The pizza boxes from Monday night are still on the coffee table. If I had to guess, I’d say that’s what he’s been eating for breakfast. Good thing he has a strong stomach to handle food that should have been refrigerated. The notes I made for him are strewn along the couch, and boxes are stacked in the corner, all neatly labeled by the moving company.

“I’m surprised you didn’t hire a company to move you in, too.” I laugh.

“No point since I’m not staying.”

I whirl around, not sure I heard him correctly. “What?”

He tosses his keys on the coffee table. “I quit The Sentinel today.”

“Why? After everything we did? All the research? Did the staff still—?”

He grabs my arms and cuts off my words with a kiss. My entire body stiffens, not sure what’s going on. But then I remember why I’m here. Why I drove for three and a half hours to see him. This right here.

I press my hands to his chest and kiss him back. Our tongues dance, perfectly in tune with each other. He moves us toward the couch, swatting at the papers and sending them flying everywhere. One falls directly in my lap when I sit, and I laugh.

Nate pulls away and laughs with me. “Sorry. This place could use a woman’s touch.”

“Nate, I—”

He presses a finger to my lips. “Let me explain, okay?”

I nod, and he lowers his finger. His chest rises as he inhales. I watch it fall, and then he starts.

“I’m not sure what’s been going on between us lately. Why things started changing and getting...complicated.” He shakes his head. “I know I pushed you and it made you question us.”

He didn’t push me. It was the other way around. I came on to him. “It was me. I was drunk, and I crossed that line.”

His face falls. “Are you saying you only slept with me because you were drunk?”

“No.” I hold my hands up in defense. “I mean, that was part of it. I don’t know exactly. Believe me, I wanted it to happen. I really did, but then... I didn’t want to lose my best friend, and I was afraid our random...encounters would ruin this.” I motion back and forth between us. “This means more to me than you’ll ever know.”

He takes my hand, sandwiching it between his. “Aria, we’re not in college anymore. Why do you think I never pursued this before?” He pauses, but I know he’s not really looking for me to answer, so I let him continue. “Because I knew you were it for me. I couldn’t admit my feelings until you were ready to hear them and ready to accept that it’s you and me. Together. As best friends and as a couple.”

“I want that, too.” God, it feels good to finally admit that, but it’s not that simple. Something is still bothering me.

“I know you’re about to say ‘but.’” He squeezes my hand. “You don’t have to. There doesn’t have to be a ‘but.’”

I close my eyes, trying to gather my thoughts to make this as clear as possible. “I can’t let you lose this job for me. It’s what Drake did, and he resents Stephanie for it.” Once the words are out, I meet his gaze again.

“Drake?” His eyes shift upward, searching for a memory. “Do you mean Drake Malloy? When did you see him?”

“At my parents’.” I wave the thought away. “It doesn’t matter. What’s important is that you can’t sacrifice your career for me.” I get up and start pacing, the nervous energy overwhelming me.

Nate stands up and steps toward me, his hands finding my hips and rooting me on the spot. “I’m not. I called Monohan on my way home, and he agreed to hire me as the advertising manager of his new paper.”

“But that’s a step backward.”

He presses his finger to my lips to stop me. “To be honest, I’m not managing editor material. I don’t want to run every department. I want to be in advertising. It’s what I went to school for, what I do best. The hours are better, too.” He shrugs one shoulder. “But most of all, I’m not moving backward at all. For the first time, I’m taking a huge step forward.” His hands rise and cup my face. “You’re my future, Aria. You always have been, only I’ve been too afraid to say it or go after it. Being with you is more important than any job will ever be.” His mouth dips closer to mine, but he pauses mere centimeters away. “I love you.”

My heart skips a beat, and warm tears of joy fill my eyes. “I love you, too. I think I always have.”

His lips meet mine, softly at first and then with more passion. All the time we spent questioning our relationship and tiptoeing around the subject has made this long overdue. I wrap my arms around him, and he breaks the kiss long enough to grab my legs and wind them around his waist. He carries me upstairs to his bedroom, kissing me the entire time. When we reach the bed, he lowers me onto it, his body hovering above mine.

“Is this okay?” he asks.

“More than okay.” I smile and bring my lips back to his. Without the cover of a few drinks, we allow ourselves to explore our feelings as well as each other’s bodies.

Nate undresses me slowly, like he’s trying to commit my image to memory. I do the same with him, and we stare at each other in appreciation for a moment before he lowers himself back onto me.

Even though it’s not our first time together, it feels like it is. It feels like the first of many. Nate and I fit together so perfectly in every way. I’m not sure why it took us so long to get here. But I guess the saying is true. Some things really are worth the wait.