Page 84 of Love: Take Two

I rush to grab the box in her hands, and her smile shines even brighter.

"Why—?" She stops, swallows back what I hope are happy tears, and starts again. "What are you doing here?"

I move closer to her because I can't help it.

"Camila heard through the rumor mill that you quit today." I hoist the box onto one hip and cup her cheek. She leans into the contact.

"Is everything OK?"

"It's fine." She gives a small shrug. "Great, actually.

"I woke up, went straight to Jill's office, and when she told me the case was closed and I signed the paperwork officially dropping Yong-rae as a client, two thoughts popped into my head."

I kiss her then—a quick caress of lips to tide me over—then move away to let her continue. We're both breathing hard.

"One, I couldn't wait to finally be with you for real, out in the open. And two, I was done working for those jerks upstairs." She glares at the building behind us. "I gave them loyalty, years of my best work, and still they did everything they could to undermine me."

"No," I insist. "They didn't get your best work. Not if they were putting you through that every day." I kiss her again, and this time, when I pull away, her eyes are watery.

"Thank you, Noah." She swipes her knuckles at the corners of her eyes, then takes in my disheveled appearance. "Did you…run here?"

I wince.

"Maybe?" I reply sheepishly. The tears in her eyes break free.

"Like in 'When Harry Met Sally'?" she asks, voice quavering.

I put down the stupid fucking box that's keeping me from holding her and brush away the moisture on her cheeks with the pad of my thumb.

"I was thinking 'Pretty Woman', but yeah. I guess I did."

We don't speak then, crushing our lips together, pouring out everything in our hearts. When a passerby whistles, we break apart, chests heaving and a little embarrassed.

"I love you," I blurt. "I'll embarrass myself a hundred times over for you. I'm so sorry I didn't realize sooner."

The words are frank and not enough, but I couldn't hold them in any longer. Still, she clings to me, her body trembling.

"I love you too," she whispers against my neck. "And feel free to embarrass yourself whenever you want."

I huff out a laugh against her hair and squeeze her tighter, too overwhelmed to speak. That this amazing woman saw past my bonehead mistakes and gave me not just another chance, but herheart, is a miracle. I'm taking my miracle, and I'm never letting her go again.

Epilogue

Noah

Eight months later…

"Yong-rae! Yong-rae! Piper Dickinson from Edge News. 'Forced Proximity' is projected to gross between sixty and seventy million dollars over the long weekend, so I've got one question for you." The spunky reporter who barely reaches Yong-rae's shoulder leans in with her microphone as if sharing a secret. "How does it feel?"

The grin on Yong-rae's face is blinding, and he proceeds to gush about the film as only a young actor at his first big premiere can.

He praises Rory, whose masterful organization skills kept the production on schedule even with the unexpected interruption. Pinnacle now has her lined up to producethreemore movies on their slate.

He praises Tabitha, who stood by his side through the scandal and at almost every press event since. Audiences have been raving about their undeniable chemistry since previews, and there's already Oscar buzz for Tabitha's performance.

He praises Awa, who was instrumental in protecting him when that sleazy nightclub owner tried to end his career before it started. She doesn't represent him now, but he's working with another young lawyer who just joined her firm: Camila Sanchez. I couldn't even be mad when she gave notice at Luxe.

And of course—