Victoria came to the ranch to acquire some of our land and acquired Cal’s heart instead.
Emma arrived at the ranch as a housekeeper and stayed on as a mother to Jasmine and wife to Finn.
Phoebe and Evander fell in love while trying to survive a deadly blizzard.
Summer and I drunk-stumbled into a Las Vegas wedding chapel, got married, and had no memory of it the morning after.
It would be nice if Special K had the same kind of luck, but I can’t see it.He barely speaks.He’s as engaging as a bowl of oatmeal.If he’s got a sense of humor, nobody has been able to locate it, even after years of searching.
I chuckle to myself.Nope.Just can’t picture how that would ever happen.
My fingers dawdle in Summer’s hair.“I’m thinking about Special K,” I tell her, because I know she was about to ask me what I was laughing at.
“Don’t be so rough on Kevin.He’s a sweetheart.”
“He’s a Sasquatch.”
“But a sweet one.And I love the guy.Let’s eat.”
Summer jumps up and throws on her pajama pants and sweatshirt and I put on my clothes, and we walk out in our socked feet.I throw logs on the fire and get it going again.
We got a little distracted a couple hours ago.Once I told Summer the whole selkie story, and she knew I was on the level, she straddled my lap and it was on.
I love when that happens.
Summer’s bent over looking in the fridge.I tiptoe closer so I can grab her ass and make her scream.
“I know you’re there,” she says, not bothering to turn around.“All right, I’ve got cheese, and I think I’ve got some bread in the freezer, so I could probably make grilled cheese if I actually knew how.”
“Step aside, please.”
Summer hops up on the counter while I get to work.Her kitchen is a sad and lonely place.Hardly any food and fewer pans and utensils.But I manage to slap together a few grilled cheeses, and we snuggle up on the couch to eat.
“Let’s have a chat,” I tell her.
“We chat pretty much nonstop.”
I watch her take a bite of melty cheese and grilled bread.I had to cut off the moldy bits—from both the cheese and the bread—but I think it’s probably safe to eat.
“What do you want out of our life together?”
Summer pulls out a string of cheese and gobbles it down.“Just this.Happiness and love and belonging.And grilled cheese.”
“Would you ever want to have kids do you think?Maybe one day off in the future?”
“Sure!”she says it with more enthusiasm than I anticipated.“I know it would change my life permanently, but in a good way.But you’d have to help because I’ll tell you right now that I will not be doing it all by my damn self.”
I hold up my fist.She bumps it with hers.
“Deal,” I say.
“Deal,” she says.
“But how many?”
“How many did you have in mind, MacLaine?”
“Well, here’s how I’ve always seen it.First off, five is too many.My parents absolutely should have stopped with me.”
