Once the job was done and everything was cleaned up, we said our goodbyes, and everyone started packing up. As soon as the girls were gone, I slipped inside for a quick shower. When I got out, the house was quiet. I glanced out the window and smiled when I saw the newly completed deck. They’d actually finished it, and they’d done it without killing one another.
I didn’t see any sign of Luke, so I decided to use the opportunity to dress and dry my hair. I walked across the bedroom and over to the dresser Luke had cleared out for me when we were going back and forth. Now, my things filled nearly half the space. Makeup and brushes stood in a ceramic cup beside his shaving cream and deodorant, and my curling ironand straightener were coiled up beside the outlet next to the mirror, crowding his aftershave.
It wasn’t perfect, but he never complained.
If anything, he seemed to welcome it.
Once I’d put on my comfy shorts and T-shirt, I went back to the bathroom and started working on my hair. I’d just started to brush through the tangles when the door crept open, and Luke’s reflection appeared in the mirror. He motioned his head toward the counter as he said, “All this stuff yours?”
“Most of it.”
“Hmm.” He glanced at the makeup scattered across the counter before looking over at the closet, and then, back to me. “It fits pretty good.”
“It does.”
He was quiet for a second, then he casually announced, “You know, you stay here most nights anyway.”
I stilled and cocked my brow. “Are you trying to say something?”
“Yeah, but I’m not doing a good job of it.” He didn’t try to joke his way out of it. Instead, he dropped his hands to my waist and turned me to face him. “Move in with me… for real.”
No hesitation. No big speech or spiel. Just Luke being Luke.
My heart swelled, and I felt a sense of peace I hadn’t expected. This was what I was hoping for, and I hadn’t even realized how much. I smiled and nodded. “Okay.”
Relief flickered across his face before he pulled me closer. His mouth immediately found mine, and he kissed me in that way he did that made everything else fall away. My hands slid up his chest as he held me against him, steady and safe.
When we finally pulled apart, he rested his forehead against mine. “I love you.”
“I love you, too.”
Funny how the things that started out all wrong somehow lead us exactly where we were meant to be.
EPILOGUE
GOOSE
A year Later
“Does he know we’re coming?”
“Nah. I tried calling, but he didn’t answer.”
“What if he’s not home?”
“He’s home,” I answered confidently. “Hell, he’s always home.”
We pulled up into the driveway, and the place looked the same as always. Same patch of dead grass in the front yard and the same beaten down front porch. I didn’t think much about it. Wasn’t like I was expecting it to change. Nothing there ever really did. Not since Mom died.
As soon as I parked, Presley glanced over at me and smiled. “Ready?”
I nodded, grabbed the food from the back seat, and got out. She followed suit, and as soon as she met me at the front of the truck, she slipped her arm through mine. “You think he’s hungry?”
“No telling, but I know I am.”
“Oh, I’m starving.”
“That’s good, because you packed enough food for half the town in here.”
