Page 82 of Snowed In with My Best Friend's Dad
“So, will you move in with me?”
I launched my arms around him. "I want to see your room."
“Ah, the best for last.” He carried me back toward the nursery and to the room next door. To be honest, except for the large, comfortable bed, I didn’t see much of the space because my attention was all on Brett.
We undressed, but this time, everything was different. There weren’t worries or questions. There was just love. Out in the open.
“Do you think I’m a pervert?” he asked as he trailed kisses down my body.
“What?”
He looked up at me from where he’d been swirling his tongue in my belly button. “Loretta says I’m a pervert for being with someone so young.”
“Don’t ever think about anything that woman says.” I frowned. “Does the age thing bother you?”
“Bother? No. I mean, I’m a cliché, right? But my life is yours, Miranda. Whether you’re twenty or thirty, that doesn’t change. But when you’re my age, I’ll be in my sixties. A senior citizen.”
“And I’ll still love you then.”
His expression filled with tenderness and awe. “Thank you for giving me another chance.”
“You can thank me by giving me a screaming orgasm.”
“Whatever you want, Miranda, I’ll give it to you.”
EPILOGUE I
Brett – Christmas, One Year Later
I did it. I fucking did it. I found a woman who loved me for me. I raised a daughter who was strong and independent, but kind and generous, and she graduated college and started a job in her dream industry. A year ago, I’d never thought about love and I worried that Lindsay wasn’t going to make it through school.
What a difference a year makes.
A year after thinking I'd made the biggest mistake in my life by sleeping with my daughter's friend, I was back at the cabin, living a life I couldn't imagine I'd ever have, and certainly, one I didn't deserve.
Miranda and I, along with three-month-old Grayson, were celebrating the holidays at the cabin, now as a family. Once Miranda moved in with me, my plan worked like a charm. The day after she graduated from college, I proposed to her and she said yes. I told her I’d give her the biggest wedding ever, but she said all she wanted were family and a minister. And of course, I gave it to her in mid-July.
And then in early September, I watched with utter awe as Miranda delivered our son, Grayson McKinnon, into the world. How the fuck did I get so lucky?
We arrived at the cabin two days early, partly to get ready for Christmas but also because it was an anniversary of sorts. While Miranda and I couldn’t pinpoint when Grayson was conceived, we both agreed that our time at the cabin had been magic and we wanted to celebrate it.
Lindsay would be driving up tomorrow on Christmas Eve. Once she arrived, I knew this was going to be the best Christmas I'd ever had. The only difficult part was Lindsay was still reeling over the loss of Liam. My worry about Lindsay and Liam back in April was justified. He came groveling back, and Lindsay forgave him. Maybe he tried to change, but it never stuck. In fact, it got worse. Liam was attracted by the lure of money and power, which put him in the path of dangerous people, and four weeks ago, it got him killed.
Despite Miranda’s being Lindsay’s stepmother, they’ve maintained their friendship dynamic. I was grateful that Lindsay had someone to talk to through the last eight turbulent months. I hoped that Christmas with us all together would help Lindsay begin to heal from her loss.
When we arrived at the cabin, we settled in. I brought our bags up to our room and checked the nursery to make sure everything was okay for Grayson. Once settled in, I pulled out the decorations. We went through them but didn’t put them up, instead waiting for when Lindsay arrived.
Later in the evening, after Grayson was in bed, I put a fire in the fireplace and made hot chocolate, without the liquor since Miranda was nursing.
“Did you see how he almost rolled over tonight?” I asked Miranda as we sat on the floor by the fire. "He's brilliant like you."
Miranda grinned up at me. "I wonder how long before he can beat you inTrivialPursuit."
I gave her a look but smiled because her knowledge and the way she put it all together, like an intricate puzzle, always amazed me.
“Maybe he gets it from you. You are smart. Plus, rolling over is a physical thing. That’s your area of expertise.”
I knew she was talking about the gyms, but I much preferred the innuendo. “You think I’m an expert in physical things, eh?” I pushed her back and lay over her.
