I blushed. “No. I’m going to ask East to stay here with me. But,” I pulled her in for a hug. “You’ve been the very best friend I could ever ask for.” She squeezed me back. “Giving me a place to stay. Letting me come and go with my drama.”
“Providing a hot brother.” She cleared her throat. “What about that?”
“Yeah, thanks especially for that. That was a slam dunk on your part. You’d been hiding him from me.”
“Looks like you have it in the bag now,” she teased. “Go get your man.” She brushed a kiss over both cheeks. “Call me tomorrow, but not too many details.”
East came in through the mudroom and leaned a shoulder on the doorjamb. I wasn’t sure I’d ever seen anything so sexy. “See you later, sis. You want me to walk you?”
“Nah. You stay here with Lila,” she said sweetly, making moon eyes at her brother. “I’ll be just fine. Just going across the way.”
I smacked her ass lightly, but she just laughed, darting toward the door. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do!” she called, and the sound of her giggling faded as she closed the door.
I turned back to East, who was definitely grinning now. “She’s incorrigible,” I muttered.
“So, did I hear right?” his voice was low enough that it curled warm down my spine. “You’re going to stay here?”
I tried not to blush again, but I failed spectacularly. “I was thinkingwe’dstay here.”
“I was hoping that was what you meant.”
He reached out, brushing a curl from my cheek, his hand lingering against my skin. For a second, I just stood there, looking up at him, the quiet around us deep and safe. This was a good feeling with him here, and I wanted to lean into it, but I suddenly felt awkward.
He peered at me for a minute. “What’s going on in that pretty head of yours? Is the cottage making you feel ancy?”
“No. I don’t know what to say,” I murmured.
“You don’t have to know what to say.” He leaned inand brushed a kiss against my lips, and I was tempted to deepen it. “I’m just happy that we’re here together.”
I hesitated because the idea of being back here, in this place where everything had gone wrong, frightened me a little still. There were some complicated feelings now surrounding the cottage. It still held all the warm memories of me growing up here, but new ones had started to layer over it. Ones that I’d like to try to stamp out.
“It’s weird being back here,” I said finally. “After everything, but I want to stay here. Everything is beautiful. You did a great job.” I let myself take it in. It was all a little overwhelming, especially with him looking at me so intently.
“Good,” he said, and his voice softened. “I’m glad you like it. Hopefully, it won’t feel so weird once you use the kitchen and stay here regularly again.” He tilted his head toward the kitchen. “How about we break it in? I figured I’d show off some other skills I have. I’m not a one-trick pony after all.” He winked. “I even brought a costume.” He picked up a barbecue apron, and I just about swooned. It was definitely game over.
43
Easton
The storm was closing in, covering Wildwood Meadows with quiet snowflakes. Inside, everything felt perfect—from the hum of the fridge to the smell of fresh wood, especially the woman beside me.
Maggie had told me not to let my fears or Lila’s get in the way. Her advice had been to step forward when she stepped back, and I’d been trying hard to remember that. I owed Maggie all the credit. It wasn’t a surprise that her advice led me on the right path.
Lila stood at the edge of the counter, her fingers tracing the smooth grain of the butcher block like she was memorizing it. Her hair had come loose from her typical ponytail, and now it curled around her shoulders. There was just a faint flush on her cheeks that made my chest ache. When Levi and Maggie had taken me in, I’d tried really hard tomake it my home, but it wasn’t until Lila that it truly felt like one.
“Show off some skills, huh?” she teased, the corner of her mouth curving as she leaned back against the counter. “You are pretty good with those hands.”
I moved in close enough that the warmth between us started to hum. “I was thinking about showing off my cooking skills,” I said, voice low. “Gotta take care of my girl.”
“Sure,” she murmured, eyes flicking up. “That’s what you meant.”
Her breath caught when I reached past her in the refrigerator to start pulling out the ingredients for dinner. Our bodies brushed just enough to make her shiver. I wasn’t in any rush. I wanted to draw this out.
“Don’t you worry, sugar.” I brushed a finger along the back of her neck. “You’ll be seeing those too, but I figured we could use something warm with the weather outside,” I said.
She didn’t move away when I turned on the stove. Her voice was softer now. “You’ll stay with me tonight?”
I looked over my shoulder. “You better believe it. I’m not going anywhere.”
