Henry grinned.“Excellent!I was hoping you’d say that.Maia never admits it, but she’s been rooting for you two since she heard your story.”
“What story?”Sienna asked, instantly on alert.
“Nothing dramatic,” Maia said.“Just that you’re new to Middlemarch and seem like lovely people.Local gossip.”
The paperwork was surprisingly straightforward—first month’s rent, a security deposit, and a simple lease agreement.When Maia mentioned they could move in within the week, a sharp flicker of excitement shot through Sienna.
“I’ll need to finish my contract with Cam first,” Liam said.“Two more months in the Mackenzie country.”
“I’ll start moving our things in,” Sienna replied.“Get it ready for when you return.”
Liam tapped on the doorway of the sunroom.“The office room will be perfect for Kitto’s studio.He deserves a space of his own.”
“He’d love that,” Sienna said.“Emily and Saber have been amazing, but I think he’s ready for a fresh start.”She paused.“I know I am.”
As they walked back to the car, the keys to their new place jingling in Sienna’s pocket, Liam halted and held her close.
She laughed.“What?”
He spun her once, grinning.“Just realizing we’re really doing this.House, jobs, figuring out a life.”
“Scared?”she asked once he set her down.
“Terrified.And positive it’s what I want.”
“Good.”She rose on her toes to kiss him.“Because you’re stuck with me now.”
“Forever?”
She winked.“If fortune favors you.”
“I’m the luckiest man alive,” he said, his gaze glinting with sincerity.
As they drove back toward town, the hills swallowed the view of their new home.Sienna shifted in her seat, aware of the pleasant ache between her thighs, the tender spots where Liam had marked her.
“You okay?”Liam noticed her subtle movement.
“Perfect.”She caught his hand and brought it to her lips.
His eyes darkened.“Wait until we have our own place.Our own bed.No more months apart.”
“Promises, promises,” she teased, but her body already responded to the heat in his voice.
Home wasn’t a place.It was this: the man beside her who’d worshipped her body all night, the road ahead full of possibility, and the certainty that whatever came next, they’d face it together—preferably naked and tangled in their own sheets.
Chapter 29
Two months later.
Liamhadcalledoncehe reached Tekapo, promising to be in Middlemarch by early evening.
“Stop fussing,” Kitto said, watching Sienna rearrange the roses again.“He’s coming here for you, not your flower arrangements.Though, okay, they look beautiful—please don’t throw a cushion at me.”
Sienna smiled despite herself until she noticed the bag slung over Kitto’s shoulder.“Where are you going?”
“Emily and Saber’s.I’m babysitting the twins while they sneak off for a romantic weekend.Very strategic, if you ask me.”His ears twitched with mischief.“Emily said you and Liam might want the house to yourselves.”
“Oh.”Hard to argue, considering everything Emily and Saber had done for them.
