Total pages in book: 25
Estimated words: 24935 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 125(@200wpm)___ 100(@250wpm)___ 83(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 24935 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 125(@200wpm)___ 100(@250wpm)___ 83(@300wpm)
“We need to work on that since we don’t hate each other anymore.”
“You’re right.” I kiss her forehead, so relieved that the Earth has shifted back on its axis. “How do you feel about us waiting on the dessert?”
“What do you have in mind?”
I drag my fingers down her cheek, her neck, and outline her collarbone. “I want to be inside you.”
“Dessert can wait for that.”
Before I can lift her, she hops off my lap and practically skips to the bedroom.
When I make it to the threshold of my room, she’s already half-naked.
“I was going to do that.” But I lean on the doorjamb, cross my arms over my chest, and enjoy the show.
“You’re slow,” she replies. “You were way back there, so I decided to get this party started.”
I laugh and push away from the door, stalking toward her, relieved that she’s here and will be staying.
And later, when we’re both panting and pleasantly exhausted, an idea occurs to me.
“You know, if you plan to sell the condo, you’ll have to get the hot water heater fixed.”
Cherry snorts with laughter. “I guess so. I’ll call around tomorrow.”
“I’m going to miss that heater.”
She lifts her head and frowns up at me. “Why?”
“Because without that piece of crap, you wouldn’t be here. With me.”
“Oh, I don’t know. I think we would have gotten around to it eventually.”
Epilogue
Three Months Later
Cherry
It’s been nice to be able to slowly move my things over to Zeke’s condo.
Well, our condo now.
It took a full week to decide how we were going to integrate all our stuff. We didn’t have room for two couches, two dining sets, and well, two of just about everything.
But with very little arguing, we figured it out and kept the castoffs in my old condo so we could take everything over to Samson House for donations when the time came, and someone else could get life out of the things that Zeke and I didn’t need.
“I think that’s it,” Zeke says as he sets the last box in the moving truck we rented for the occasion. We have some fragile things in the back of my SUV, and I reach up to hit the button to close it. Zeke fixed that for me last week, and I have to admit, the gesture made me swoon. He seems to find ways to do that to me often these days. “Let’s head out.”
“I’ll follow you.”
“No, we’ll come back for the stuff in the car later. I want to go together.”
I shrug and climb up into the truck.
“I’m so excited.” I buckle my seat belt in the truck that sits super high up, my stomach jittering. “So many people can use these things.”
“There’s some good stuff in there,” he agrees. “I still say we should have kept my dining room set.”
“It looked like something out of a gothic horror novel,” I reply, rolling my eyes. “Where did you even get it?”
“It was on clearance in Alabama years ago.”
“Exactly. It was on clearance because no one else wanted that monstrosity. But I think someone could sand it down, paint it something other than black, and make it nice. I just don’t have the time for it.”
“Not to mention, you hate it.”
I grin over at him. “I really do. Sorry, babe.”
“It’s just a dining set.” He shrugs and pulls into the Samson House parking lot, where they accept donations.
When I jump out of the truck, I’m surprised to find that we’re not the only ones here.
In fact, there must be a dozen trucks of all shapes and sizes, and our friends are stepping out of them.
Luna and Wolfe, Sarah and Tanner, June and her new husband, Apollo. Montana, Indigo, Amaryllis, and so many others from town are all grinning big as they hurry over to us.
“What are you guys doing?”
“We decided to make this a huge donation day,” Montana says with a proud grin, winking at Zeke.
“What did you do?” I ask him.
“This is my town now,” he says with a shrug. “I know people. And we decided that we’d all support you today.”
I don’t know if I’ve ever loved anyone more as I lean in and kiss Zeke’s shoulder.
“Thank you,” I whisper and then turn back to the others. “Thank you all so much.”
“No, thank you,” June says with a laugh. “Thanks to you, I managed to purge a hell of a lot of stuff out of Annabelle’s house. That woman never throws anything away.”
“There’s no need to throw it away,” the manager of Samson House says as she walks outside. “Because we’ll happily take it. Let’s get started, shall we?”
Everyone returns to their trucks to dig in and get everything organized, but I turn to Zeke first.
“I love you so much for this.”
“Just for this?”
“It tops the list right now, yes. Thank you.”
“If you’re happy, I’m happy, baby.”