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34- Hannah
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FALLING IN LOVE WHEN YOU'RE TEXTING 34.1
“I love that your hair is long enough to grab a handful,” I murmured as I slid my fingers through his dark hair.He backed away just a fraction. “Do I need a haircut?”I used my grip on his hair to pull him back to my lips. I shook my head even while I kissed one side of his mouth and did the same on the other side. “Absolutely not.”When my face felt sunburned from the scrape of his beard, Lincoln pulled back again. His eyes had gone hazy, and he’d lost the frown line. I’d done that to him. An overwhelming sense of needing to take care of this man, just like he’d been taking care of me, took root. I made it my mission to erase that frown.“Can we spend the day together?” Lincoln whispered.My brain tumbled into gear as I thought about what I had planned for the day. “I have to work a four-hour shift this afternoon, but we can spend the morning together.”Lincoln grinned before kissing me quickly and pushing to stand up. He held out his hand and helped me up. “How about we make breakf
FALLING IN LOVE WHEN YOU'RE TEXTING 35- Lincoln
Throughout Hannah’s shift, I texted her. Even though I was finding it easier to actually say what was on my mind, now that a lot of the uncertainty had been removed, it was easier still to tell her what I was really thinking without the pressure of her standing before me, her eyes on mine.Me: You look ridiculously hot in that apron.Paint Fairy: I can swipe it after my shift if you’d like to see it later.The very idea sent heat rushing through me.Me: Yes please.Paint Fairy: What do you want to do after I’m done with work? Me: Is this a question about dinner? Or something else?Paint Fairy: What kind of question do you want it to be? Me: Something else. Very much something else.Paint Fairy: I’ll keep the apron then.When Hannah’s shift was over, we stood on the sidewalk for a moment, looking at one another. We’d spent almost twenty-four hours together at this point, with the exception of the half hour at the beginning of her shift where I’d run home to shower and change, and while
FALLING IN LOVE WHEN YOU'RE TEXTING 36- Hannah
Funny how contentment could sneak up and fill in the little cracks in your heart when you least expected it. For me, it was opening my eyes to Lincoln’s smiling face, realizing I was now an owner of a house from the aunt I never knew and living in a town I was just getting familiar with. This wasn’t part of my one-year plan in any shape or form, but clearly, I’d have to come up with a new plan. I wanted more of this.“Good morning,” Lincoln whispered.I thought I’d be gone from this town in a few months and now I couldn’t imagine waking up without that greeting every single day for the rest of my life. Then again, I’d thought that once before and it had turned out badly. Better to temper my excitement and keep my eyes wide open this time around.“Morning,” I said back, stretching to get my body to wake up.“I was thinking we could—” Lincoln was cut off by a pounding on his front door. He groaned, leaning down to kiss me before sitting up and sliding out of bed.“I’ll be right back. Do
FALLING IN LOVE WHEN YOU'RE TEXTING 36.1
“Oh, you hush, child. I brought you into this world. I can take you out.” Pam pulled out of the hug with her two sons and slapped Dalton’s arm. Her gaze snagged on me standing there with the refreshments.“Hannah! You came! Oh, I’m so happy you’re here!” She rushed over and swept me into a hug, twirling me around with surprising strength for someone her size. I was at least a head taller than her.“Happy birthday, Mrs. Cunningham.” I hugged her back the best I could with bottles in my hands. Lincoln set the donuts down on a table nearby and rushed over to grab the drinks for me.Lincoln’s mom grabbed my arms and gave me a look I’d seen her give her sons. “You listen here, young lady. I’m Pam or Mom. None of this Mrs. Cunningham stuff. It may be my birthday, but I will not be made to feel old. I’m just another year wiser.”I liked her, despite years of trying to protect my heart from mothers. “You got it, Pam. Thanks for having me.”She smiled and wrapped her arm around my waist, pulli
FALLING IN LOVE WHEN YOU'RE TEXTING 37- Lincoln
Hannah had been gone more than fifteen minutes, and I was beginning to wonder if my family had been too much for her. Four boys, plus the assorted family friends we’d invited to help Mom celebrate, could be a lot. Of all people, I understood that.In the winery’s big tasting room, Mom’s birthday celebration had already turned into a party, despite the early hour. Mom was seated at a stool in the center of the long counter, and Robin sat next to her, the two of them cackling about something. Mom’s oldest friend and our next-door neighbor, Janice, sat on her other side, joining in but also deeply engaged in conversation with El about something, while Boston, Dalton, and Sophia were off to one side of the room. We’d invited a few of Mom and Dad’s other friends from the area, and all the little tables in the tasting room were full of happy faces, locals enjoying a mid-morning celebration of one of the nicest people in town—my mom.I stood across the counter from Mom and the ladies, sippin
FALLING IN LOVE WHEN YOU'RE TEXTING 37.1
She put one foot up, but then stopped, and the ringmaster leapt down to give her his arm. She leaned on him heavily, her thin spindly limbs shaking as she climbed to the stage, where she spun and gave us another grin, clearly something she’d perfected in her days as the Rubber Woman.“Why do I feel a little scared?” Hannah whispered in my ear. “Me too,” I assured her.The elderly Rubber Woman was surprisingly limber, I had to give her that. She began by doing a slow dance that involved kicking her leg up and catching it with her hands, then pulling it behind her neck before pirouetting around on the standing leg. She moved gracefully, and soon was on the floor, going through a series of splits and backbends in time with the music. For a few moments, we all sat enthralled—she was really very good.But as she reached her grand finale, which involved bending backwards and essentially crawling through her own legs to grin at us upside down, her weight on her elbows, the grin turned into a
FALLING IN LOVE WHEN YOU'RE TEXTING 37.2
“I think those circus performers could have used fewer drinks,” I mumbled.Mom looked absolutely thrilled, despite the questionable quality of the circus we’d put together for her, and as we all went back inside, she stepped between Hannah and me, putting her arms around us both.“Thank you so much, kids. That was just fantastic!” She squeezed Hannah close and added, “Now Hannah, you come sit with me. I have a million questions for you.”“Mom,” I warned.“Lincoln, go chat with your brothers. I want to get to know your girlfriend better. Come on, Hannah.”I kissed Hannah on the cheek as Mom took her to the end of the tasting counter and they sat on stools facing one another. Hannah looked happy to be chatting with my mother, so I didn’t interfere, and part of me loved seeing them together, which sent my mind whirling forward, considering questions about how well Hannah might fit into my family if we were to continue our relationship.“Mom giving Hannah the twelfth degree?” Dalton asked
FALLING IN LOVE WHEN YOU'RE TEXTING 38- Hannah
“And then the plan was to head back to Los Angeles. You know, back to the real world.” Pam’s face fell at that pronouncement and I realized how it sounded. “Well, at least that was my original plan. Now . . . well, now I’m not so sure.”I twirled the empty mimosa glass in my hand, wishing Lincoln and I had more time together before his mom interrogated me over my plans. Things were too new. I knew my old plan wasn’t going to work now that I’d found Lincoln, but I hadn’t settled on a new plan yet either. Which was super weird for me. I always had a plan for my life. That was the only way to get the things done that I cared about.“Oh honey,” Pam put her hand on my arm to still my fidgeting. “You don’t have to have it all figured out yet. I see how my son looks at you, so of course I’m going to encourage you to stay, but I also care about you, independent of Lincoln. Take the time to know what you really want before making any decisions. Listen to your gut and you can’t go wrong.”I til
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FALLING IN LOVE WHEN YOU'RE TEXTING 72- Dalton
Me: Guys, we need your help. Rae is leasing the Chest R. Cheeses next month and I’m going to need some muscles to get it into shape for her studio. Can I count on you to help?Lincoln: Dude. I’m almost finished with Hannah’s cottage. I’m practically a general contractor by now.Dillon: Well, I would, but I don’t live here. Maybe I can squeeze in a weekend?Boston: Of course we’ll help. But first, I need to get everyone together for an announcement before Dillon flies out. Can you make it to the winery at seven tonight?Everyone agreed to meet, but I was more focused on the fact that they agreed to help Rae and me. Now that we were back together and better than ever, I wanted to get her set up in her new space as soon as possible. Her business was exploding, especially after someone posted a snippet of the flash mob on TikTok yesterday. Fans were going berserk about us being together in real life.My phone rang and I picked it up, even though I didn’t recognize the number. Quite frankl
FALLING IN LOVE WHEN YOU'RE TEXTING 71- Raeanne
For two days after the flash mob, I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face. Every time I closed my eyes, Dalton was there, dancing and singing with half of Solano Creek. It was the perfect gesture, and I’d heard there was stiff competition between the Cunningham boys when it came to romantic gestures. And every time I wondered if I’d imagined the whole thing, my hand found the little gold key around my neck.We’d gone to dinner after the flash mob, along with Dalton’s family and mine, and the little Italian place we’d chosen had given us all free appetizers when they learned we were the ones who’d been dancing and singing out on the promenade.And after dinner? I’d gone home with Dalton after picking a few things up at my place. And so far, I hadn’t exactly left. We agreed it was too early to make big decisions, so no one was giving up an apartment or anything. Not yet. But that didn’t mean I wasn’t going to spend every second I could with the man I knew I was meant to find.“You look ha
FALLING IN LOVE WHEN YOU'RE TEXTING 70- Dalton
I didn’t know how Rae did it. Stepping up on stage for dance performances every few months growing up. I thought for sure I’d puke just getting everything set up for my make-or-break moment at the Promenade. If I thought about actually having to dance in front of everyone at the end of this ill-thought-out shindig, I just might lose my breakfast.“Don’t jack it up now, brother,” Dillon clapped me on the shoulder and gave me a shake. “Dude, you look a little green.”I didn’t like the way he was peering at me, like I’d grown a second head. “You try throwing it all on the line for a girl with everyone you know—and people you don’t know—watching you. You’d be a little green around the gills too.”Dillon flinched back. “Yeah, no. No way would I do that for a girl. Nope. The trend stops with you three.”He had a valid reason for concern. Us Cunningham brothers were notorious for putting on quite the spectacle to get the girl. When I’d hatched the original plan with Lincoln, it had grown leg
FALLING IN LOVE WHEN YOU'RE TEXTING 69- Raeanne
The days felt like they were dragging by. Like the kind of dragging weighed down by heartbreak and disappointment, by uncertainty and a little bit of self-loathing thrown in for good measure. The glass on the front of the studio hadn’t been fixed. I’d spoken to three glass shops and the landlord of the building, and evidently there was some kind of glass shortage in Solano Creek.“All those wine bottles we make here,” the landlord surmised.“I doubt that’s it,” I told him, pacing my apartment again. I could see a faint track worn into the brown rug where I’d been pacing regularly for days. Soon I’d probably go right through the floor. I needed to dance. I needed my life back.And I didn’t know if I needed him, but I really wanted Dalton. But my pride was still up and every time I picked up the phone I ended up talking myself back into anger. He didn’t understand me. And if this had been bad, it would only get worse if we dragged this thing out.Or that’s what I’d been telling myself r
FALLING IN LOVE WHEN YOU'RE TEXTING 68- Dalton
Twinkle Toes: I think so.I shut the screen off and tossed the phone on my nightstand. I couldn’t look at it any longer. I’d stared at our last text exchange so many times over the last few days I had the whole conversation memorized. Staring at it didn’t make the pain go away, nor did it provide answers as to what had gone so epically wrong. I mean, that had to be some kind of relationship crash and burn record right there. From I love you’s to broken up in twenty-four hours. Maybe Rae was right. I should probably stick to the light and funny stuff. Leave the grown up, complicated adult things for everybody else who could clearly handle them better.I was late for work, but who would really care? Boston was still on his honeymoon and Leslie was probably organizing his tackle box for the inevitable fishing trip right after his retirement party. My phone vibrated and my heart decided to gallop out of my chest, thinking it was Rae. But it wasn’t. Probably would never be again.Dillon Th
FALLING IN LOVE WHEN YOU'RE TEXTING 67- Raeanne
Inside my apartment I sank heavily onto the little couch I’d inherited from my grandmother. The cheery floral pattern was completely at odds with my mood. I leaned back into the dusty embrace of the yellow roses, my spine releasing some of the indignant tension I’d been holding there.What had Dalton been thinking? Was my studio a complete joke to him? How could he expect me to just pick up the whole thing and drop it down into the center of a Chest R. Cheeses? The place had been a total circus. I could still hear the shrieks of kids screaming over the maniacal music they’d piped in to float above the roar of the arcade machines.I was a classically trained ballerina. And while I didn’t expect Dalton to understand all the various implications of that and what it meant to me—about me—I did think he had respect for what I did. For the fact that I was running an actual business, and doing it increasingly well.But maybe I’d been wrong. Both Dalton and my dad had decided I couldn’t contin
FALLING IN LOVE WHEN YOU'RE TEXTING 66- Dalton
The rollercoaster of emotions over the last twenty-four hours had me up at dawn, energy crackling in my veins when I should have been sleeping in and enjoying my weekend. After we got Rae’s studio cleaned up last night, she’d gone home to her place, stating she was incredibly tired and needed rest. She’d been so busy with teaching and hiring, and now the added stress of a break-in, I didn’t push her to stay at my place. Plus, her parents were standing right there and I didn’t think that would make the best first impression. But her parents were on my mind now.I’d had an epiphany somewhere around three in the morning as I lay in bed trying to sleep. I’d gotten Rae into this mess by choosing her videos to duet to win my bet. I needed to get her out of this mess. The guilt of being the impetus for all of this would eat me alive if I didn’t make things right. I couldn’t undo what had been done. I couldn’t make her suddenly less TikTok famous. The only thing I could do was protect her goi
FALLING IN LOVE WHEN YOU'RE TEXTING 65- Raeanne
I’d never been the sappy type, not really. Sure, I could get a little choked up listening to music or when the corner bakery got the devil’s food exactly right. But this was different. As the Cunningham brothers proceeded down the center aisle with El’s bridesmaids on their arms, a little knot of emotion formed in my throat.Lincoln and Hannah went first, then Dillon and El’s friend Ashley. Dalton appeared next at the end of that long aisle, and my heart expanded inside my chest. He walked El’s friend Gigi down the aisle, but his eyes found mine in the crowd, and held fast nearly the entire time. When he took his place at the front, near the arch of white flowers, I realized I’d been holding my breath, and I let it go just in time to turn back to see El stepping out from the back and to the head of the aisle, her mother Robin at her side. El looked gorgeous—glowing and bright, her hair curled and shiny, and her dress was a satin sheath clearly made just for her. She gazed around, but
FALLING IN LOVE WHEN YOU'RE TEXTING 64 - Dalton
I adjusted the fancy tie around my neck for maybe the hundredth time that morning, unsure if my nerves were for Boston and El, the best man’s speech I’d need to give at the reception, or because I intended to man up and tell Rae exactly how I felt about her today. So many times over the last week, it had been right there on the tip of my tongue. The three little words that seemed so inadequate for what was going on inside my chest whenever I was around her, or thought of her, or caught a sweet jasmine scent that reminded me of her body lotion I was obsessed with. I hadn’t been looking for her, but she’d danced her way into my heart nonetheless.Was it too early to tell her I loved her? I mean, we’d only been dating for just shy of a month, but it wasn’t so much the time, it was the depth of what we’d shared. We were working on a shared goal, each of us supporting the other. To her, I wasn’t just the funny guy. Everything about us together was just plain nice. Maybe the word nice wasn’
