Knox sighs, leaning down to press his forehead againstmine. “Aw, Bambi. I love it when you talk about our love so logistically.”
“You’re an idiot.”
“Correction. I’m your idiot.”
“You’re impossible.”
“Yeah,” he says, twirling my body and then yanking my arm back toward him. I flatten my palms against him to stop the motion. “But you love me anyway.”
And I do. God help me, I really do.
THE END
EPILOGUE
EMERY
ONE YEAR LATER…
“How does that look, Bambi?” Knox yells down from the ladder. I peer up under the shadow of my hand, blocking the sun. After almost a year of being open, we finally got the new sign up on the Hollow Hinge.
“Perfect,” I grin, keeping the ladder steady for him to crawl down. The new sign looks perfect in shiny gold letters that pop against the hunter green background.
As soon as Knox’s feet hit the ground, he grabs my waist and pulls me in for a kiss. I sink into him like it’s the first time all over again.
When I pull my head back, I ask, “What was that for?”
“I’m just so proud of you,” he gleams, making my heart do a little dance inside my ribs.
“You know I hate when you’re corny,” I say, arching a brow.
Knox chuckles to himself and squeezes me closer. “And that’s exactly why I love doing it,” he smirks, “but in allseriousness, I am proud of you, and I can’t believe how far the shop has come in the last year.”
He’s right. After finally opening my doors last October, I was overwhelmed by all the town’s support. Everyone was thrilled to have a piece of my grandma permanently memorialized on Main Street, and I was proud to help carry that forward. My refurbishing business has taken off, too. And even though Knox said I could keep using his workspace, he helped me remodel the back room of the shop so I can do everything in-house now.
“I know. It’s crazy, I’ve been here for an entire year already,” I say, a rush of pride rising inside me. “Just like I can’t believe I’ve put up with you for this long.”
Knox tosses his head back and lets out a loud laugh, earning a side glance from one of the pedestrians crossing the street. “I just risked my life to help you put up your new sign, and now you’re being mean. I think that calls for a punishment,” he says, wiggling his brows.
If I’m being honest, the last year has been great. Things with Knox just seem easy. You’d think being with someone who also owns a business would be hard, but we simply bounce back and forth between the two. I pop in for lunch at the garage during the week, and Knox hangs out with me on the weekends when he’s not open. Somewhere along the way, we carved out our own routine that feels natural.
I nudge his chest. “Get back to work. I’m not paying you to flirt with the boss.”
“You’re not paying me at all, Bambi,” he scoffs, crossing his arms. “Maybe I should go on strike.”
“Fine,” I grunt. “If you keep helping me, later we can do that thing you like,” I say under my breath.
“Do you have whipped cream?” he asks with a devilish grin.
“You two are gross,” Eve says, interrupting our littlerelationship bubble. “Next time, check your surroundings before you start talking about your sex life.”
I shake my head and turn to my nosey sister. “I thought you were inside, dork.”
“Nope,” she says, putting her hands on her hips. “I’m heading down to the coffee shop to grab some fuel since you’re working me like a dog. You two lovebirds want anything?”
We both shake our heads and watch Eve as she makes her way down the street. “How much longer is she staying?” Knox asks, reaching out for me again. I sink into his chest.
“I’m not sure,” I answer. “I keep trying to ask her, and she keeps dodging me. But I know she can’t stand sleeping on my couch forever. Even Klepto won’t sleep on it.” I’ve told her multiple times she can sleep in my bed when I stay over at Knox’s place, but she refuses to sleep anywhere Knox and I have had sex. I haven’t told her yet, but the couch isn’t safe from that equation.
