“Hyphenate, huh? You think so?” I reached over and tugged on the collar of his flannel.
“Well, you do have this family name to live up to. All those Reeds in history doing all that fancy god power stuff.”
“You think I’m fancy?”
He was leaning close, closer. I was stretching out to him, turning so I didn’t have to fight my seatbelt.
“I think you’re the most amazing thing in the universe,” he said.
His eyes were so close to mine, I could see the nebula array of stars there, in greens and golds. So close, I could see my heart reflected in them.
“I love you,” I said. Before he could reply, I took his mouth and claimed him as mine, telling him with touch, with taste, with desire, that he was all I needed. Telling him he couldn’t leave me because we were just at the beginning of this thing called us, just at the beginning of our lives together.
I wanted years and years of it.
With him.
Only him.
“Wow,” he said. “I’m taking you out into the middle of nowhere more often.”
“Good,” I said, kissing him once more just because I could. “See that you do that.”
I opened the door and full-on girly-shrieked from the cold. “You have the key, right?”
He handed me his phone. “Lock box code right there.”
I jumped out, glad I was still wearing my work boots, but wishing I’d added a scarf and gloves. I pulled a beanie out of my pocket and stuck it on my head, pulling it over my ears. Then I made a dash for the door.
Snow smacked cold kisses against my cheeks, nose, and chin. The air smelled crisp and fresh and clean. I “eeked” again, just to hear Ryder laugh.
He was out of the truck, slamming open the tailgate. There was the sound of luggage dragging across the truck bed, thenthunking into the snow, grocery bags rustling around.
I punched in the numbers, excited for the moment, excited for the experience.
Just Ryder and me.
No dragon pig or Spud to take care of—though I would probably miss them.
No gods to keep in line.
No supernaturals to guide.
No people to look after.
No Valkyrie and her never-ending community events.
As long as the heat worked and the roof didn’t leak, everything about this was going to be perfect.
Solitude.
Just the two of us.
Heaven.
I lifted the latch but waited until thecrunch-crunch-crunchof Ryder’s footsteps came near.
“Everything okay?” he asked, as he stomped snow off the soles of his boots.
