Page 48 of Hammer and Hops

“Can we talk?”

Cameron put his clipboard down, looking at me with concern. “Of course, what’s up?”

“Move in with me.” Way to blurt it out. I probably sent him into shock.

“What?” Yep, shock.

“I mean it. Hear me out. You’ve been working so hard on this, the renovations with me, and taking on other side jobs on top of that. The brewery is almost finished, and I think you should do this rather than work on someone else’s crew. You should run your own crew. Seriously, Cam. You’re good at it.”

“Takes money to get started.”

“That’s why you should move in with me.” I held my hands up, as if that was everything. But it hardly said everything I was thinking at all.

“Not a reason to move in.”

“How about because I love you?”

“You should have started with that.”

“Wait. What?”

Cameron picked me up and spun me around. “I love you too. Let’s do it!”

Everything was working out for once. Renovations nearly done, the beer started, and that fucker, Mitchel, behind bars. And for the first time in my life, I felt like I was enough. I was happy.

Cameron smothered my face with sloppy kisses, making me giggle. “St-Stop. Cam. Stop.”

He finally stopped with the silly kissing, but he didn’t put me down. In fact, he squeezed a bit harder. “I love hearing you laugh, Ever. I promise I’ll try my best to get you to do that again. At least weekly.”

So I laughed for him again.

Chapter forty

Parents – Cameron

It was time.

With the renovations complete and the beer now brewing, or whatever it was that beer actually did to be made, and my house on the market, we decided to meet the parents. First up—mine.

They agreed to have us over for brunch rather than breakfast since they lived in Fish Springs, which was a good forty-five miles or so away. Jay was already there when we arrived. I’d asked him to join us to help break up any awkward tension, not that I thought there would be any. But just in case.

Mom had the house smelling delicious with spices including vanilla and cinnamon, so I knew she had made her delicious Cinnamon Coffee Cake. I hoped she made an extra one we could take home. She greeted us at the door with hugs for both of us, which made me happier than I wanted to admit. Everett needed more unconditional love in his life, and that was something my mom was pretty good at.

“Come on in. I have tons of food on the bar. Your dad has already started.” She peeked around the corner to glare at him, but Dad just shrugged and kept eating.

“We’re informal around here, Everett.” I guided him to where the food was laid out, and we loaded our plates.

Jay walked into the room and gave me a high-five. “Everett. Good to see you again.”

“You, too.”

We sat around the table, chatting between big bites of her delicious spread. She’d made three types of eggs, two different sausages, toast both wheat and white, and even pancakes. There were a few plates of fruit and neatly cut avocado slices, though I had no clue how she managed that without turning them into mush like I normally did when I cut avocados. There was something for everyone, proving once again how amazing she was.

“Let me get you another coffee, Ever.” I picked up his mug with mine and headed into the kitchen.

Mom joined me a moment later. “Hey, you.” She bumped her hip into mine. “He’s really a cutie, right?”

“He is. And so sweet.”