Ryan swallows and his eyes tell me just how much my validation means to him. The air between us goes from thick and tense to crisp and calm. We can finally breathe, drifting through the moment like we’re floating down a lazy river.

He’s the first to break the spell when he holds up my manuscript.

“So, this was a quick read. I finished it in less than five hours. I only took one break and that was to take Duke for a walk. Surprisingly, I needed some air after all that.” He takes a final step, now standing directly in front of me. “This feels a little more lighthearted than your other contemporaries.”

“I figured I’d try my hand at rom-coms.” Ryan chuckles and I can’t believe that this is my new reality. My book-boyfriend is my real boyfriend. “And just so you know, this is just a first draft. I’m going to change the names and other aspects, obviously.”

“I hope so. Every time you describe me in here you call me cute. The guys in your other books get virile and warrior-like and a bunch of other manly stuff.” He moves in then, leaning closer and bracing his hands against the door frame around me. “And all I get is cute? Your other characters are going to laugh me off the shelf.”

He’s still so cocky. I want to kick him. And kiss him forever.

“This novel isn’t even about you,” I tell him in my haughtiest voice. “The fact that the male lead has the same name as you is a coincidence.”

Ryan smiles and shakes his head. “I don’t think that’s true, Sullivan.”

Oh, I’ve missed him. “It is,” I say. “I would never write a book about you. I don’t even like you.”

“I don’t think that’s true either. In fact, I think you love me.” He pushes off the door frame and steps back as he opens up the manuscript. I close my eyes and scrunch my face as he begins to read aloud.

“‘Nothing could change how we felt—not the mistakes we made, the pain we put each other through or even our years apart.’”

“‘When love is real you can feel it,’” I say instinctively, knowing most of the words in my manuscript by heart.

“We felt it when we were kids, and we feel it again now. Every second we’re not together is a complete waste of time.”

My eyes pop open. “Every second we’re not—I didn’t write that line.”