I stood so we could hug more easily.
I’d had a lot of great hugs in my life.
But this one ranked close to the top.
She bopped back and looked up at me. “Do you want to see more?”
“Absolutely.”
She became confused. “Should I leave it in your room, or Battie’s?”
“Either works,” Battle said.
She looked from him to me. “Do you really think someone will want to publish it?”
What I thought was, it would be so popular, she’d get a movie or streaming deal.
I didn’t share that.
“I really think someone will want to publish it, and a lot of someones will want to read it.”
“Okay. I’ll show you my other stuff. Would you help me with submissions?”
“I’m all yours.”
She hugged me again.
Then she hurried to the door.
“No stalking,” Battle warned.
She threw an exasperated look over her shoulder and left.
The minute the door closed, Battle dragged me into his lap.
I rounded his shoulders with my arms. “I think that went well.”
He just stared at me, hard, with lots of lovely things working in his starburst brown eyes, all of them making words unnecessary.
I framed his face in my hands and put mine closer to his. “And Chassie is going to be okay. It’s time you all let Chassie be Chassie.”
He grunted.
I grinned.
Then I kissed him.
In the middle of that, I found myself on my back with a handsome duke on top of me.
“Do you get many visitors out here?” he asked.
“Occasionally.”
“Do you have a sock to put on the door?”
Another grin from me. “Alas, no.”
“Are we done out here?”
