34. Always

34

Always

Emma

Bittersweet. That’s how I’d label the emotion I’m feeling right now. Hey, I’m getting pretty good at this.

Auston left for LA this morning. Meanwhile, Hayley, Alice, and I are back where we belong—shelving novels in our bookstore. Luckily, the crew put everything back together nicely. Max’s quote is back on display, and Mr. Darcy is snoozing in his nook.

It’s like nothing has changed. Except everything has changed. In fact, life is nothing but changes. A year ago, this space was empty, and we weren ’t even sure we were going to open. Now, we’re earning more than we ever could have dreamed of.

A year ago, we were all single—Alice not for lack of trying—and today, we’ve all set aside our book boyfriends for real ones. In a way, it does feel like the end of a series.

“Are you okay?” Hayley asks, wincing.

I sigh, placing a new Jana Ruck book I can’t wait to read on the shelf. “I am. We’ll be fine.”

“Phew,” Alice says. “I was afraid you’d go all dark and be like, ‘This was a mistake. I shouldn’t have opened myself up to love again,’ et cetera.”

Hayley and I laugh. “First of all,” I retort, a hand on my hip, “I do not sound like that. And how could it be a mistake when I’ve never been this happy?”

Alice’s eyes widen. “Yeah, it’ll take us a while to get used to that.”

“Don’t worry,” I say, draping an arm around her shoulders. “My sarcastic remarks aren’t going anywhere. You’ll just get a side of mellow comments to balance them out, that’s all. Who knew they were compatible?”

Our laughter fills the bookstore.

“Well,” Hayley says, shaking her pink hair, “I’m glad you found that balance in your life. I can tell he’s making you happy.”

I press my lips into a smile. “He really is. It’s not ideal that we’ll spend the winter apart, but we’ll manage. And if we don’t, well, that just means we were never meant—”

“Shh!” Alice covers my mouth with her hand. “Stop it. We like Positive Emma more.”

Pushing her hand away with a chuckle, I return to shelving my books when the front door jingles. Hayley must have forgotten to lock it.

“Sorry, we’re not—”

I stop dead when I see Auston, panting on the threshold. He’s gorgeous, as usual, wearing a simple black T-shirt with jeans. Dropping the book I was holding, I run up to him. “You’re back?”

“I’m back,” he says, a huge smile lighting up his face.

“What happened?”

He takes my hand and squeezes it. “I can’t leave you, Emma.”

“Auston.” I frown, laying a hand on his chest. “We talked about this.”

“I don’t care.” He shakes his head. “I’m not repeating my mistakes. That movie isn’t my dream anymore, Emma. There will be other opportunities here in New York. Taking this role won’t make me happy. I already am.”

“But—”

“Look at this,” he says, grabbing his phone . He taps on the screen, then shows it to me. “Cillian showed me this earlier. I had completely forgotten about it.”

I take his phone and watch the video. It’s a clip from a late-night show dated five years ago.

“Now, I know you don’t like talking about your personal life,” the host says, folding her hands. “But surely, a handsome man like you isn’t single, right?”

Auston smiles, but I can tell it’s forced. “Um, there is someone I hold in my heart. I always have, but I made the mistake of leaving her when she needed me most.”

“Well,” the host says, looking straight into the camera. “Maybe she’s watching this and considering giving you another chance.” She laughs. “You are Auston Buckley, after all. Your new—”

The video cuts out, and I’m left speechless.

“There are more clips like this, Emma. Every time someone asked about my personal relationships, it always came down to you.”

My throat goes dry. “I’m confused.”

His forehead presses against mine, and my eyes flutter closed. “It was always you, Emma. How can I leave when I’ve finally found the love of my life again?”

At those words, my heart bursts into a crackling firework display. It’s like that scene at the end of a book or movie when everything is finally rig ht again. He loves me. I knew he was serious about us, but he hadn’t yet uttered those magic words. You know how you get those tingly feelings when the character pronounces their undying love? Well, the feeling is a thousand times stronger in real life. “I love you, Auston. It was always you, for me too.”

Tilting my chin up, he pulls me closer. His brown eyes are shining with joy, and I love being responsible for it. “We’ve found each other again, and we’re not going anywhere.”

Auston’s cologne envelops my senses, transporting me into my own personal heaven. It smells like forever—my forever. And there’s no one else I’d rather have as my co-star in this movie. It was always clear that Auston was my first love. But little did I know, he would also be my last.