“Do you think Gary and Joe would let us get a dog? I’ve been wanting one.” Her head tilts as she brings another bite to her mouth.
I brush her curls off her shoulder. “I bet they would.”
“Wow, you sure are easy to convince. A woman barely has to ask, and you’re willing to please her.”
I lean forward and bring my lips to hers. “It’s just you, little menace. It’s always been you.”
EPILOGUE
two years later
LENA
“Do you mind if I sneak out a few minutes early?” Peeking through the studio doorframe, I catch Victoria’s gaze as she glances around her easel.
“Go right ahead. You’ve been working all day, and you need to put your feet up.”
With a loud scoff, I look down at my swollen ankles. “You put a whole armchair and ottoman behind the register for me. I’ve had my feet up every chance I can get.” My flats beat across the studio’s wood floors as I walk her way.
Her hands smooth over the knit sweater covering my swollen belly. “Yes, but you were standing for an hour during your class.” She drags in a weary sigh. “I should’ve pulled your chair in here.”
A soft laugh bubbles out of me. “Vic, those kids barely listen to me as it is. Imagine if I was trying to teach them how to paint while sprawled in an armchair with my feet propped up.”
“If anyone could do it, it’s Lena Santos.” She stands from her stool and wraps her arms around my shoulders. “I need to channel some of that energy so I can keep them in line while you’re on maternity leave.”
“You think you can keep me out of here?” I quirk a brow as she pulls away. “As soon as this little one makes its appearance, I’m showing up here with my baby carrier and bugging you all day again.”
“Lena,” she scolds playfully. “You’re not coming back to work right away. And we both know that husband of yours is not letting you and this baby out of his sight for a while.”
I bite back a grin at the mention of Gavin’s protectiveness. I’ve already seen plenty of it channeled toward me for the last nine months. He hasn’t even let me open my own car door since we found out I was pregnant, and when our house got finished this past summer, he wouldn’t let me carry a single thing inside.
But I’ve loved every second of that special treatment, because watching him wait on me hand and foot is one of the hottest things I’ve ever seen. Forget rolling out pie crust, I want to watch him fuss over satisfying my pregnancy cravingsforever.
My stomach rumbles at the memory of those lemon bars he made me last night. I’ve already demolished the entire pan, but I bet I could convince him to make another.
“Then he’ll have to come with me,” I tell her with a definitive nod. “He can wear the baby around, and I’ll teach. Win-win.”
“Sounds perfect.” Vic pops a kiss to my cheek. “Now, you get out of here,” she says sternly, steering my shoulders toward the doorway.
In the gallery, I pause by Victoria’s self-portrait that took my breath away two years ago. It’s even more beautiful to me now that I know her better and get to see her sweet, generous heart every day at work.
Now my own self-portrait rests beside hers.
Tiger stripes line every bit of visible skin, showcasing my fierce protectiveness. But my expression shows my softness. In the smooth lines of my lips and the calm glow of my eyes radiates a warm sense of self-confidence.
It’sme, finally landing where I’m supposed to be and owning who I am.
I grab my bag from behind the counter, pull my jacket on, flip the sign on the door toclosed, and hop into my car.
Gavin and Auggie’s downtown rehab project is almost complete. The street is lined with improved storefronts, and businesses are renting every available space now, including my mom’s new office and Santos Brothers Architecture on the corner.
Which makes it rather convenient for Gavin and me to grab lunch together and steal a few kisses down that alley beside his office afterward.
As I pull my car into Bear Creek, excitement crests through my chest. My tires crunch over the snow until I park beside Gavin’s truck.
At the back of the property sits the little cabin where we fell in love. Where that one night turned into forever in the most beautiful way. Where we found our homes together.
We spent a year and a half in that cabin while our house was being built, and I loved every moment of that coziness. But it has been nice to spread out into our new one over the last few months.
