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My stomach grumbles as I trace my thumb along the column of his neck. “What are we having?”
“Lobster Risotto.”
I bite my bottom lip and moan, “Delicious.”
“Not better than me, I hope.” He leans down and lightly brushes my lips with his.
Not enough. I pull him closer and swipe my tongue along the seam of his lips. Without too much provocation, he tightens his grip and dives inside, lazily circling my tongue until I’m gasping for air.
“Damn it.” I shiver. “You’re going to be impossible to resist all night.”
“That’s the plan, Princess.”
As he lays his arm over my shoulder, I settle against him. It feels perfect to snuggle next to him as we travel the sidewalk to his front steps. “How was work?”
He stiffens a bit, instantly putting me on high alert. Just because Meadow Bay is a small town doesn’t mean that bad things can’t happen. I stop, causing him to stumble. “Is something wrong?”
“No.” He shakes his head, and the momentary unease vanishes so fast I can’t be certain I saw anything. “Everything’s fine. I was thinking about the fire the other day.”
“Everyone’s fine, right?”
“Yes. Everyone’s fine.” He squeezes me closer and walks at a faster pace.
“Okay, I was worried for a bit.”
“Don’t.” He kisses the top of my head. That’s impossible. When I was pretending I couldn’t stand him, it was hard enough knowing he was putting himself into dangerous situations, but now, between Mom, Layla, and Cole, I know everything that happens in town.
Stop worrying. He knows what he’s doing.
The door opens and Ann Marie steps onto the porch. “Look at my beautiful son and his girl.” She beams as she rushes toward us and grasps my hands. “Sweetheart, you don’t know how happy this makes me and Garrett. We love you to pieces, and to see Cole so happy….” She drops my hand and clutches her chest. “It warms my heart so much.”
“Thank you.” Thank you? I don’t even know what to say to all that. The words swim in my head as I take in Cole’s cologne and sigh, “I’m the lucky one. You raised an amazing man, and I’m beyond happy he’s in my life.”
“Finally.” Ann Marie pats my arm while giving Cole a stern look. “He almost waited too long. When you were dating that Ian guy, I thought he’d screwed up. And then, when you didn’t move back after graduation, and Alice went on and on about how awesome your job was, I didn’t think Cole stood a chance of getting you back here and into his life.”
“Mom.” Cole gives her a warning look.
“It’s fine.”
“Ignore her.” He opens the door and leads us inside.
It’s on the tip of my tongue to tell him I’m going to quit my job and move back, but that’s a bit much with the company we have. We haven’t discussed the future outside of dating. Will he want me to move in with him? Or should I stay in my old bedroom until he’s ready to take our relationship to the next level?
I hope he wants me to live with him. I love his house. It’s perfect for a new couple–it’s decent-sized and cozy. And there are a couple of extra rooms that could be made into babies’ rooms. I stumble over the tip of my shoe. Slow down. He hasn’t even said he wants you to move in, let alone make babies and grow old together. Maybe he likes things exactly how they are, living in two different towns and seeing each other when we can.
“Hello, love.” My mom clasps my upper arms and kisses my cheeks. “You look lovely.” She tilts her head and clucks her tongue. “Radiating with happiness. If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were pregnant.”
“Mom.” My mouth drops open as sweat builds along my upper back. She’s going to scare the crap out of him. I still want to have sex with him tonight, but at this rate, he’s going to latch a chastity belt on me and sleep on the floor.
“I said, almost.” She says the last word with an exasperated tone and narrows her eyes. “Don’t get your panties in a bunch. That’s if you’re wearing any.”
“I’m going to ignore that comment.” I stomp past her and chat with my dad and Garrett, who’re not nearly as excited that Cole and I are together. Opposed? No. More interested in football? Yes. To which they’re knee-deep in a conversation about.
“Layla’s boyfriend, Kameron, is friends with one of the players on the Kansas City team. They went to the game when they were in San Francisco.”
“Do tell.” Garrett leans back into the sofa with his arms outstretched along the back cushions.
Chapter Forty-Two
