Crazy (The Gibson Boys 4)

“What are you doing?” he asks.

“Don’t steal my thunder.”

I face him, my chest rising and falling. His cologne hits me and almost knocks me on my ass.

I’ve missed him so much.

He watches me, unsure as to what I’m doing and what I mean.

“Let me finish. Please,” he says.

“No. My turn.”

“It’s not your turn,” he says. “I haven’t had mine yet.”

“Because I’m going first.”

“Will one of you just fucking go?” Machlan shouts.

The people in the bar laugh. I vaguely hear their voices.

I turn toward the bar. “I want you all to know something,” I say.

No one says a word. It’s absolute silence as I scan the crowd.

Machlan and Walker stand side by side with amused grins on their faces. Lance stands next to Nana. She clutches his arm and watches us … proudly, I think.

Old Man Dave nods slowly, his golf-style hat propped poshly on his head. And then there’s my best friend, Navie. She stands at the end, her elbows resting on the counter.

“Get him,” she mouths, making me laugh.

“If anyone is curious, even if you’re not …” I look at the man beside me. “I’m sorry.”

“You wanted to tell us that?” Lance yells. “Come on. Give us something good.”

“Lance, you be quiet,” Nana says.

The bar laughs, teasing Lance, as Peck reaches for my hand. We step closer as I put my palm in his. Just like that, the world shifts. The ball of pain in my stomach and the crack in my heart begin to heal.

“I’m sorry,” I say again. “I got scared.”

“I’m sorry,” he says, repeating my words. “I should’ve come to get you, but I just … panicked.”

“You shouldn’t have had to come. I should’ve stayed.”

We exchange a soft smile.

“I have this … fear,” I say, “that I won’t be able to handle things as good as you do.”

He laughs. “It’s cute that you think I know what I’m doing.”

“We’re a pair, huh?”

“Let’s just … agree that neither of us leave. That we talk things out,” I say.

“Oh, like I wanted to do yesterday?”

I take our hands and shove him. He uses the motion to tug me even closer.

I look up in his eyes, the pools of blue that have captured my attention from the first time I saw them. When I thought he was Logan and a pots and pans thief.

“The past few hours have been a revelation to me,” I say.

Something catches my eye. I glance down and see Molly standing there. She stares at me, and I’m not certain that she’s not going to grab my leg and jerk me on my ass.

But she doesn’t.

Instead, she gives me a smile that’s kind of sad but maybe resolved. I smile back. She tucks her chin with a little nod and disappears into the crowd.

I turn back to Peck. “You were right about a lot of things.”

“I’m always right.” He winks. “Especially this.” He removes his hand from mine.

Sucking in a lungful of air, I watch as he brings his hands to my face. Cupping my cheeks, he plants a kiss against my lips.

The crowd cheers, and I think someone tries to spray us with beer, but I’m not sure. I’m too absorbed by this man and this kiss.

His forehead rests on mine as a shy smile touches his lips. “I love you,” he says.

My chest swells as tears prickle my eyes. Because he means it. It’s the one thing in life I’m absolutely sure of.

I pull away so I can look into his eyes again. “I love you,” I whisper.

The grin he gives me could fix the world.

“That’s enough,” Machlan shouts. “Get off the bar. Drinks half price for the next ten minutes!”

The crowd goes wild. We don’t move. We just stand on the bar as chaos ensues around us. The music starts, and it’s the same song that has nothing to do with a pony that we danced to before.

Peck laughs. I think he’s going to start dirty dancing with me again, but he doesn’t. Instead, he takes one of my hands in his and puts the other on the small of my back. And we dance, just differently this time.

Because this time, it is different.

But it’s us. And it’ll always be a little crazy.

Epilogue

Peck

“Why are you all so loud?” I ask.

I wince as Dylan and I step into Nana’s. It’s loud as hell, my family going balls to the wall for some weird reason.

And then I see that weird reason.

Old Man Dave is here.

Nana has a date to Sunday dinner.

“Your reaction looks about the same as mine,” Vincent says as he walks past me.

Dylan elbows me in the side. “Breathe.” Then she snickers. “How’s it feel to have your words delivered to you?”

“Baby, as long as it’s you bringing it, I’ll take it.”

She smacks my stomach.

Mariah and Sienna come over and whisk Dylan away. She’s never met them before, but you wouldn’t know it. They just envelop her like she’s family.