“Stop complaining. We’ll be in separate rooms for like two hours.”
“Maybe I’ll see what your dad is up to,” I said, running my fingers through her hair to rinse the suds out. “He hasn’t been over in a few days.”
“You saw him the day before yesterday,” she said with a laugh, opening her eyes. “Your bestie probably needs a break.”
“Gary loves me.”
“Gary loves his daughter,” she corrected with a snicker. “You’re just what he has to deal with in order to get to her.”
“Hurtful,” I replied. “Ouch.”
“He’s doing good, don’t you think?” she asked tentatively, turning away to reach for her body wash. “I mean, all things considered.”
“Yeah, baby. He’s doing good.”
She nodded and handed me the soap. As she smoothed it over my chest and shoulders, I lathered it into her skin. It had become almost a ritual since the first time I’d washed her. We didn’t always shower together, but when we did, we took care of each other. It wasn’t sexual, though sometimes it wandered into that territory. It was more about connection, tactile assurance that each of us was healthy and whole.
“We should probably start looking into plans for the house,” I told her, smoothing my hands down her thighs as I kneeled. “And see how long it’ll take to clear some trees.”
“We don’t have to worry about that yet,” she replied hoarsely, running her hands over the tops of my shoulders. “Chance thinks he’s getting close to finding Hermann. We need to finish that first.”
“We can do both,” I countered, pausing to let her spread her legs so I could wash the delicate skin between her thighs. “You want to start a family once this is over, right?”
“You know I do,” she replied with a shudder as my hand brushed her sensitive clit.
Leaning forward, I kissed the skin below her belly button. “Then we’d better have a house ready when it happens.”
I’d barely risen to my feet again when her hand slid between my thighs, gliding slick and soapy over my skin.
“Not so easy to hold a conversation now, is it?” she joked, kissing my chin.
“You sure we don’t have time?” I asked, letting my head fall back.
“We do not,” she confirmed, her hand circling my cock.
“You’re a terror,” I complained as she let me go and stepped out of the spray so I could rinse off.
“You love me anyway.” She stepped out of the shower and started drying off. “So do you think you want a one-story house or two?”
I laughed and shut the shower off. “I don’t care. Whatever you want.”
“I’d like a castle,” she said, scrubbing the towel over her head. “We can afford that, right?”
“I think a castle might be a little more conspicuous than Gary would like.”
“Ah, so youdohave an opinion,” she teased.
“Menace.”
It took a lot less time for me to get ready than it did Rosemary, so when I was dressed, I headed downstairs to help set up. Rosemary may have been healed enough to carry tables and chairs around the house, but that didn’t mean she needed to if I was there. The house was a hive of activity when I reached the ground floor, and from what I could tell, all the tables and chairs had already been set up in the living area.
“Nephew,” my Aunt Helen greeted, crossing the room to meet me.
“Hey, when did you get here?” I asked, leaning into her hug.
“We flew in this morning. Couldn’t miss the party. Now, where is your mate?”
“Ah, I see how it is,” I joked. “You’re here for Rosemary.”
