“I love you, Georgia. Everything about you is exactly what I want. And I want to spend the rest of my life showing you how goddamn wonderful you are. If you’ll let me. Don’t run away without telling me, okay? I couldn’t bear to lose you.” His eyes are intense.
I reach my hand up and stroke his jaw, running my fingers through his beard. “It’s going to take me a little while to get used to being so open. But I love you too. I knew it last night, I think. I just doubted that you could ever feel the same. That’s why I ran away.”
His big hands stroke my damp hair. “You can stop running now, Peaches. Stay with me. I promise I’ll spend every day making you glad you did.”
EPILOGUE - GEORGIA
Three months later
Aster, the store’s owner, has a huge smile on her face.
“These are incredible, Georgia. I think our customers would go wild for this. Especially the pajamas. Do you think you could do a holiday collection?”
I grin at her. “I certainly could. In fact, I have some red satin that would work perfectly.”
“I want itall. This is just what I’ve been looking for. We’ve wanted to branch out into clothing for a while, and it seems right to give the commission to a local business. You couldn’t have come in at a more perfect time.”
I’m still grinning when I leave the store. The last of the late summer heat is still holding on, but the leaves on the trees are a deep golden brown and the scent of cinnamon is in the warm air. This little town is so cute, especially the way everyone goes wild for the changing seasons. Hot on the heels of the Harvest Festival comes Halloween, and then Declan tells me ‘all that Christmas shit’ starts in earnest.
I walk to the bakery, picking up some of the donuts that Declan likes. My stomach growls at the scent of the powdered sugar. I’ve been so hungry recently, even though I’ve mainly been sewing at home. Maybe it’s all the sex, burning calories.
I press my thighs together, liquid heat pooling between my legs. Declan is insatiable. I just have to look at him a certain way and he pounces on me. And I love it. My big, strong woodsman is my ultimate fantasy. He makes me feel secure in a way I’ve never experienced before. I’m trying to learn not to run away when I feel vulnerable. Declan reassures me every time I worry about my body and I trust him more every day.
I sing along to the radio as I take the winding road up to my cabin. This route is so familiar now. The big patch of maple trees that marks the outskirts of Snowflake Falls, the sign for Bakersville and the road that leads to the ice rink.
Although it’s still September, I’ve already carved some pumpkins, which are arranged on the porch. As much as Declan grumbles about Halloween, he’s taken the time to light the candles inside each one because he knows how much I like it. As I get out of my car, the scent of pine and cedar mixes is carried by the cool breeze, mixing with the rhythmic noise of an axe hitting wood.
Declan is busy chopping wood in my front yard, his huge muscles flexing at every swing of the axe. I take a second to admire his broad shoulders in the flannel shirt I made him and the way his jeans hug his firm butt.
I wave the bag of donuts at him. “Thought you might like a snack!”
He sets the axe down and strides towards me, wiping the sweat from his brow. He reaches me and swings me up into his arms and I have to clutch onto the donuts to keep from dropping them.
“You’re a snack, Peaches.”
I giggle as he sets me down and takes a big bite of one of the donuts. “Are you nearly done?”
“I am for today. I thought we could drive over to my place. Albert has a gift for you.”
“Albertdoes? How kind of him. Sure thing.” I shake my head and go inside.
It’s warm and cozy here. The roof is fixed, we’ve repainted the inside and Declan’s made me some new furniture. The weather’s been cool enough to light the fire a few nights this month. At the same time, it doesn’t feel like home. I spend a lot of time at Declan’s place now.
I wash my hands in the bathroom, then reach for the packet I bought last week under the sink. Something is nagging at me, a feeling that I can’t ignore. I slip it into my bag and walk out to the front. Declan’s already blowing out the pumpkins.
“Does that mean I’m having a sleepover at yours tonight? Isn’t that a bit presumptuous, Dec?” I ask.
He laughs. “I don’t even know what that word means, but yeah. You’re in my bed tonight, Peaches. No arguments.”
When we’re in the truck, he loops his arm over the back of my seat as he reverses. He smells of pines and clean sweat, and my core clenches again.
“Shall we watch a movie tonight? I’m in a Cary Grant kind of mood.” I glance over.
“Sure. But let Albert give you his gift first.” Declan is a little distracted, running his hands over his thick hair.
There’s no sign of Albert when we arrive at the house, but Declan makes a low whistling sound. The raccoon scampers down from the roof and perches on his shoulder.
“Albert asks that you go inside and wait on the sofa.”
