It still hadn’t sunk in that she was living here now. All these years Quinn had been working toward one goal only: making Aster House her own. The moment she’d given up on her dream and accepted her fate, she’d fallen head over heels for a beautiful woman, and here she was, waking up in her childhood home. It was surreal, but Riley’s steady breathing grounded her. She looked angelic in her naked pureness, only partially covered by the sheets. With one arm draped over Quinn’s waist, a thigh resting on her legs and her hair tousled, she was the most stunning vision Quinn had ever laid her eyes on.
“Good morning.” Riley smiled sweetly as her eyes fluttered open. “Did you sleep well?” She shifted and scooted under the covers, aligning her body with Quinn’s.
“I did, babe. This is nice.” Quinn took Riley in her arms and brushed her lips over her forehead. “Are you looking forward to seeing your sister and Mindy tomorrow?”
“Yes. I can’t wait.”
“Good. Would you like me to stay on the barge? I can be out of your way. That’s what the boat is for.” Quinn grinned. “For our trial period.”
“No, I want you to get to know them.” Riley kissed her. “I’m entirely comfortable introducing you to Jane and Mindy. If anything, it will be more of an adjustment for Jane than it will be for me, as she only knows me as the stern, straight, and distant workaholic.”
“A stern, straight, and distant workaholic… I have trouble seeing you that way.” Quinn smiled against her lips. “Especially the straight part,” she joked.
Riley chuckled. “Well, the workaholic part is most certainly true. I used to get up at six a.m. every morning. I’d go to the gym, then head to the office where I worked for about fourteen hours straight before I’d have a working dinner either alone, with clients, or with my assistant. I had no time for anything or anyone unless it was work related, and my sister always called me out on it.” Riley yawned and stretched out before she curled up against Quinn again. “You’re the missing part of my life I didn’t know I needed, and Jane will see that. She’ll adore you.”
“I’m sure I’ll like her too.” Quinn kissed her cheek. “How about we get my family over for a barbecue while they’re here? The weather will be beautiful this week, and Mindy can play with Lila. I’ll organize it if you like.” She hesitated. “Maybe toward the end of the week? To give Jane some time to get used to you having a female partner before bombarding her with your new in-laws?”
“Thank you, that’s very sweet of you.” Riley nuzzled her neck. “Do my new in-laws know they’remyin-laws yet?”
“No, but I’m meeting them for a coffee this morning. Will you come with me?”
“While you tell them?” Riley blushed. “Are you sure?”
“Yes. I don’t think they’ll be surprised. They’ve seen me around you, and they noticed my barge was gone from the dock in town. My mother messaged me yesterday, so I told her I’d explain everything over a coffee. They all love you. You have nothing to worry about.”
“Then why don’t you ask them to come here instead?” Riley suggested. “So, you’re a barbecue kind of woman, huh? There’s so much I still don’t know about you.”
“Who isn’t?”
“Me,” Riley admitted. “It will be a first for me.”
“What?” Quinn laughed. “You’ve never been to a barbecue?”
“No. Unless Korean barbecue in a restaurant counts.” Riley shrugged. “So you’ll have to help me out.”
“I know my way around a grill. There’s nothing better than smoking coals and the smell of burgers on a nice sunny evening. If you don’t have a barbecue, I can borrow my brother’s.”
“I don’t, but I’m happy to buy one,” Riley said. “If you man the station, I’ll do the prep.”
“Sure. Or we could get one together?” Quinn suggested, realizing she’d never purchased anything with a lover. Not even a set of coffee mugs. She’d kept her cards close to her chest and now was the time to start sharing.
“If you’re not sick of shopping with me.” Riley smirked. “Now that you’re living here, we need to make Aster House your home as much as mine, so if you want a bigger TV in the bedroom or a toolshed in the yard, we’ll make that happen. Anything you want.”
Quinn kissed Riley’s forehead and smiled. “Honestly, a toolshed would be a dream. I’ve never had anywhere to store my tools properly.” She paused and reminded herself that although she loved living here, they shouldn’t rush things. “But let’s take it slow and see how we go first. I don’t want you to feel like I’m taking over in any way.”
“And I don’t want you to feel like it’smyhouse,” Riley said. “I want you to feel like it’sourhouse.” She hesitated. “You’re right. Let’s see how this goes, but later this year, if it still feels right and you still want to be with me, then maybe…”
“What?”
“Well, maybe you could put your name on the deed, so we’ll own the house together. If you’d be interested in that,” she quickly added. “No pressure. I don’t need the money, but since you have the capital now and you’ve always wanted to buy it…”
Quinn’s eyes welled up as she stared at Riley in adoration. It wasn’t even the fact that she’d have the chance to get Aster House back in her family; knowing that Riley wanted to share this dream with her choked her up.
“What I want is to be with you,” Quinn said softly. “But yes, of course I’d love to own the house with you eventually.” Her phone lit up, and she hesitated when she saw it was a message from her mother. “She wants to meet me at ten.”
“Go on, tell her that’s fine and that I’ll be joining you,” Riley said, glancing at her screen.
“She’s going to be over here a lot once I tell her we’re together and that I’ve moved in with you. You know that, right? She has no idea what to do with herself now that she’s not working anymore. That’s why I’ve been putting off telling her. I guess I just wanted to stay in our private bubble for a little longer.”
