He laughs out loud. “Okay, I saw it on the internet. I watched a lot of self-help content while we were broken up.”
“Still sounded good.”
“Some of those apps are wild. It was like it knew that I was a miserable fuck who missed his girlfriend and wanted to figure out what went wrong.”
“I don’t want you to be miserable again, if we move.”
He rubs his thumb along the back of my neck. “I’ll tell you if I am. And we’ll tackle it together.”
“We can’t live at the farm, though.”
“God no. Cassie only lasted a day and a half. You wouldn’t make it six hours.” He shrugs. “We can rent a place to start? See how we like it. And if we don’t, then we’ll move somewhere else.”
“Just like that?”
He exhales and shakes his head. “Not just like that, babe. That took a year of being miserable, eight months of being broken up, a dozen ninety minute fights, you ovulating just extra enough to break down and need me, and a dead car battery to get to this point.”
“Well, when you put it like that…”
He slows down at the turn to Pine Harbour. “Yeah. I think this was a hard won gentle victory.”
I reach over and stroke the back of his neck as he needs both hands to make the turn.
And then as soon as he parks at Mac’s Diner, he tangles our fingers together and tugs me across the console for a kiss.
“I want you to be happy, too,” I whisper against his mouth. “I want to find a place where webothwant to be.”
“Shut up and kiss me.”
I’m laughing against his lips when there’s a knock at the truck window.
“You really want to move back to this town?” Garrett is grumbling. “Can’t even kiss my girl in peace.”
But as soon as he twists around, his expression changes to one of pure joy.
“Hey, buddy,” he says after lowering his window.
A big cowboy leans in and smiles at me. “You must be Rory. I heard all about you yesterday. I’m Zane.”
“Yeah, same.” I shake his hand. “You want to go inside?”
“For sure. You guys want to finish your kissing first? I’ll give you some privacy.” He winks and thumps Garrett on the shoulder.
“We’re good.” I scramble out of the truck.
Garrett catches me at the front, and in front of his new cousin and everyone else in the lot, he sweeps me into a big, hungry, dipping kiss.
“I’ll say when we’re good,” he growls against my lips.
I roll my eyes, but my cheeks are hot with pleasure at the possessive claim.
Then it’s time to initiate Zane in Boxing Day cousins lunch at Mac’s.
Garrett doesn’t let me go until we’re inside, and we’re sliding into one of four reserved booths.
Zane slides in across the way, with their cousin Owen, who drove him to the diner. Jules and Cassie arrive next, and then it’s an endless parade of Minellis and Kincaids, until every booth is full.
“Where’s Kerry?” I quietly ask Owen as I slide out from the booth, making room for his youngest brother, Adam.
