Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 79155 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 396(@200wpm)___ 317(@250wpm)___ 264(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79155 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 396(@200wpm)___ 317(@250wpm)___ 264(@300wpm)
There were words at the tip of my tongue that I knew it was far too early to say. But the way Nathan looked at me—full-hearted, with an affection I’d only dreamed about until now—I knew that those words were swimming in his mind, too.
Love was the only way to describe what I’d been full of all night. What I’d finally had access to in all of my moments with Nathan.
And that was what I was going to fill my life with, going forward.
What we were going to fill our lives with, I hoped.
“Thank you for bringing me into your world, Nathan,” I said simply, bringing my lower lip into my mouth.
“And thank you for letting me into yours.”
His lips were on mine a moment later, and I knew that there was no better world I wanted to be in than this one. Ours.
EPILOGUE
NATHAN, TWO MONTHS LATER
“Goblin! Goblin on the far side!”
“What? Where?”
“To the left of the treehouse!”
“Shit, okay, I’m heading there now.”
“Oh, the goblin is going to tear the place up,” I heard Kace saying as I walked into the living room.
He and Maddy each had their eyes glued to the TV, which Kace had plugged a gaming PC into. They each had video game controllers in their hands.
“I feel like I just walked into a life-or-death situation,” I said, hanging back and looking at their game on the screen.
“Yes, Dad,” Maddy said, her eyes wide. “There he is! Goblin!”
“I’ve got him,” Kace said, and the clicking of the two of their controllers filled the air. From what I could see, they vanquished the little goblin that was terrorizing their treehouse quickly, the two of them making a great team.
“He’s gone,” Maddy said, smiling. “I thought it was all over for the treehouse.”
My muscles ached in the good way, after I’d been out back pulling weeds and tending to the lawn all day. Kace had been helping me until Maddy had emerged, looking to play the new treehouse-building game they’d both been obsessed with.
It was my version of a perfect Saturday.
“Okay, if I don’t get to Sarah’s in, like, five minutes, she’s going to kill me,” Maddy said, picking up her phone and jotting out some quick text message.
“And you really are going to Sarah’s, yes?” I asked Maddy, raising an eyebrow.
“Yes, Dad,” she groaned, rolling her eyes. “And her parents will be there. We’re literally just going to swim in the pool, make homemade ice cream, and then fall asleep watching movies in their living room.”
Sarah was a friend of Maddy’s who lived just a block over from us. I trusted Maddy with my whole heart, and I knew she was going to do the right thing. But that didn’t mean I still didn’t worry, sometimes.
“If you have any leftover ice cream tomorrow, bring it home,” I said.
“Will do.”
Within another couple of minutes, Maddy had her shoes on and was out the front door, making her way down the street toward Sarah’s family’s house.
We were alone now, and Kace ended up in the kitchen with me. He slid his arms around me from behind, watching as I cut up some watermelon slices for the two of us.
“You look good cutting watermelon, you know,” Kace murmured.
“The other day you told me I look good writing an email,” I said. “And the day before that, you said I looked good just watching TV. I’m starting to think you might be bullshitting me.”
“It’s not my fault you look good doing all of the most mundane things,” Kace protested. His fingertips skimmed along the skin above my waistband, and I leaned back into him after I was done cutting up the watermelon.
“This is a good one,” I said, my voice low. I took a cube of watermelon and brought it backward toward Kace’s mouth. He took it, moaning immediately.
“That is so good,” he said. “Damn.”
“Maybe I’ll bring a bunch of fresh watermelon for the crew next week,” I said.
“Do it. They’ll be grateful.”
I was nervous for next week. We were meeting with the TV crew who would be ultimately filming the new Fixer Brothers TV show. Kace had spoken with the producers of his own show, and they’d agreed to test a pilot episode of a Fixer Brothers Construction show, all about the renovation work we did.
When Kace had mentioned us getting our own show a couple months back, it had seemed like a pipe dream. But now it was a real possibility, and some part of me really wanted it, now.
I knew it would be great. I already knew Charlie had enough screen charisma to make a Fixer Brothers show something great. But it was still nerve-wracking to want something so much.
“Guess what?” Kace said, and I felt him nuzzling against my neck.
I just hummed in response.
“I love you,” he said, kissing a slow kiss against the back of my neck.