“The best there is,” Grace said, still watching us from the doorway. She pointed to me and then made a throat-cutting gesture. “I can dig a deep hole and I don’t believe in second chances.”
When we were alone again, I said, “I should file that under Grace being Grace rather than a serious death threat, right?”
“Graceisa serious death threat,” she said. “But tell her you’re thinking about getting me a beagle. That might change things.”
I gathered her in my arms and pulled us down to the mattress. She held on tight and it didn’t matter that we were in an awkward position or that her friends were on the other side of the walls and they would claim most of her attention tonight. I had everything I needed.
Though one thought pushed its way to the front of my mind.
With my lips on her neck, I said, “There’s something else I should tell you.”
“Is it crazier than your postcard stamp tattoos?”
“No,” I said quickly, but then doubted myself. “I was going to buy your building. In the North End.”
She was quiet for a second. “To evict me? And force me to move in with you?”
“No, I wanted to get the fucking roof fixed,” I said.
“Oh, no, that’s fine. That’s entry-level crazy.” She traced the orange blossoms on my chest, her eyes bright. “Wait, were you going to tell me that you bought the building?”
“Probably not.”
“You were just going to buy the building, fix it up, and never mention it to me? And then what? You’re a landlord on the side? How does that make sense?”
“I’d figure it out when the time came,” I said. “Just had to get a read on the situation.”
“Such a quarterback.” Her shoulders shook as she laughed. “My god. I really fucking love you.”
I pressed a kiss to her forehead. “I love you. Always have. Always will.”
I woketo dappled sun streaming in through the large, old windows and my wife tucked up against me, her backside nestled in my lap. A mild breeze billowed the diaphanous curtains, carrying with it the scents of green and saltwater. I ran a hand over her hip, across the soft of her belly, and then lower, into her sleep shorts.
I just didn’t see how life could get any better for me. There wasn’t a single thing I’d change.
When Emme stirred, she shot a glance at me over her shoulder, eyes bleary. There was a white cast on her face from some kind of skin product and hot pink half-moon stickers under her eyes. The gods must’ve smiled down on us because I didn’t see any bruising from last night’s incident.
“Are you petting me?” she asked, nodding down the length of her body to where I gently stroked between her thighs.
I kissed her shoulder. “Is that a problem?”
She shook her head. “No, but waking me up this way seems like a hobby of yours.”
“And what a fine hobby it is.” I slipped a finger along her seam and back up to circle her clit. “What time did you come to bed?”
“A little after two.” She stretched, the movement pushing her ass right against my shaft and forcing a groan from me. “Shhhh.” She turned her face to moan into the pillow. “The walls are thin.”
I knew all about that. I also knew Audrey talked in her sleep and that Jamie’s phone had three different notification sounds. Didn’t care. “Then be quiet, wife.”
I worked her shorts down to her knees, kicked off my boxers, and pushed into her just like this, with my mouth on her shoulder, her plush, gorgeous ass cradled in my lap, and my rings on her finger.
She reached back, her arm twisted around my waist and her other hand layered over mine as I went on tracing her clit. We moved in slow, lazy thrusts like we had all day, all weekend to get lost in each other.
We didn’t and that became increasingly apparent as doors banged open, showers turned on, vehicles rolled up outside—but we did have the rest of our lives and that was good enough for me.
A string quartetplayed a song by The Smiths as I took in the lush grounds of Twin Tulip. It wasn’t the dusty, fallow field I’d expected. Quite the opposite. Trees and flowers burst from every corner in a scheme that I could only describe as cultivated chaos. Gentle hills rolled down toward the sparkling blue of Friendship Cove. It was like a secret garden with a wickedly wild side.
I understood now—and I kinda loved it.
