A seriously fabulous listener.
And my boyfriend.
He finished his third cookie, licking crumbs from his lips. “And how are you feeling?”
I thought for a minute. “I guess it’s all a work in progress. I’m…” I swallowed, afraid of what it meant to say this again. “I’m calling Mum tomorrow. It’s time to bite the bullet.”
He nodded slowly. “Want me to come with you?”
Why did I feel so bashful after what we’d just been doing? “I…” I dipped my head. “If you don’t mind. You’d be the first guy I brought home to meet her.”
“Of course I’ll come,” he answered. “Will she be alright with me being there?”
“She’ll be delighted,” I said. “She pesters me about bringing a nice boy like you home all the time.”
He sat up straighter. “Like me? I’m a nice boy?”
I giggled, leaning over to kiss him. “Absolutely.”
He took my hand, planting a soft kiss on it. “I’d be honored to joinmyboyfriend.”
Ooo, I loved how it sounded. “Thanks. I’ll need the backup.”
I could already hear her losing her mind over the Dad stuff. Glasses may be thrown.
He shuffled closer. “Let’s get some sleep.”
I yawned in response. “Good idea.”
We snuggled down under the duvet, Drake reaching over to kill the lights before becoming the big spoon.
My God, the comfort he brought me. A haven of muscles. I wriggled, pressing my back into his chest as much as possible, drifting away under the caress of his warmth and the relaxing power of his minty scent. Despite the difficulties of, well, everything, at least I’d found him. At least I had this beautiful, big sparkling joy to call my own.
How lucky was I?
Chapter 29
DRAKE
Blue Orchard sucked Riley’s loving warmth from my body.
Shit. What now?
I faced the cottage as heavy snow fell silently around me. The front door hung open, the top hinge ready to break.
“Come inside, Sweetvoice.” The fae woman’s voice crawled through the air.
Shivering, I did as she asked. There might finally be an answer as to who she was waiting for me.
Dust and cobwebs choked the cottage, every wall lined with shelves filled with rotting apples, rusted pots and pans, and the odd book.
The rest of the cramped space hid in the shadows, only the light of a dying fire providing illumination.
What a shit hole.
I walked through a small corridor with gaps in the floorboards, a couple of dripping candles on rickety-looking shelves lighting the way.
“In here, Sweetvoice.”
