“Missed you, too, peaches.” I press my lips to hers, getting lost in everything that is her and ignoring the catcalls coming from some of the others. Willow smiles before throwing her head back in laughter. Through all this turmoil, she’s been so fucking tough, so goddamn brave, and stronger than any one person should have to be. And I’m damn glad she’s able to let go and let it fade to the background.
“Take me home?” she asks.
“And do what?” I nip at her lower lip.
“Anything you want.”
Epilogue
WILLOW
Two Weeks Later
“That went way better than I expected,” I tell Jace after having dinner with my mom, her attorney, and Larissa. They gave us an update on everything William Ashford II, which sadly isn’t much. After that, Mom suggested we go to see Grandmother. It seems my father, the snake he is, was doing a hell of a lot more than attempting to stop payment on her care. He also sunk his teeth into the doctor, paying him off, meaning Grandmother wasn’t receiving any medication to help manage her symptoms and slow down the progression of her memory loss. That one threw me for a loop and had me ready to march my ass down to where my father was being held and wrapping my hands around his scrawny little neck.
“Your grandmother is a hoot, peaches.” Jace wraps his arms around my waist, settling at my back as I look at the river in front of us. We went out on the boat yesterday, so I should be plenty tired of the sun, but tell me why I’m ready to slip into a bikini and convince Jace we should go back out?
“She truly is. I’m so glad she’s doing better.” Mom saw her yesterday and said the difference in her personality was like night and day. Part of Mom’s reason to succeed in her sobriety was walking into her mother’s room and seeing how bad shewas. The last coherent memory she wanted for her mother wasn’t to see her daughter be a bumbling stumbling idiot. Those were Mom’s words, not mine. I’m just glad she’s taking accountability in her part of what happened, has apologized, and is rebuilding a mother-daughter relationship in a healthy manner. It’s not all roses and unicorns. We have our moments where I cry and scream and where she sits back and listens, sheds tears of her own, and apologizes.
“I am, too,” Jace replies, his lips nipping at the skin below my ear.
“I’m going to have to spend the night at my house at some point.” Jace’s body freezes behind me. He turns me in his arms until my back meets the deck railing.
“Not liking the thought of you away from me, but then again, I can just stay the night at your place. Or you could always move in with me, so we don’t have to have to deal with the back-and-forth shit. Never worked for my friends; one or the other would have to live out of a bag, they’d have to figure out the logistics, and while I’d do it—fuck, I’d do anything for the woman I love—I’d rather we had a home base. And, peaches, you’ve got more clothes here than you do at your place.” His green eyes lock on mine. His hand massages the back of my neck while his other is at my side, his thumb sweeping along my sternum.
“You love me?” I ask, my mouth opening and closing.
“I guess we’re bypassing you moving in with me and going straight to the three big words,” Jace says with a twitch of his lips and a wink. “Yeah, I love you. I don’t necessarily want you going back to your place. You love it here, or we would have had this conversation weeks ago. So, tell me the reason why you think you need to spend the night at your place?”
“I love you, too, but my plants may think otherwise since I’ve only swung by a few minutes a day to water, rotate, and talk to them.” I get down to the point.
“Then it looks like you’re moving in. Pick a date and figure out where you want to put your stuff. Locke and Jade did this not long ago. Between all of us, it won’t take long.” Jace has clearly been thinking about this, and I’ve been too lost in the drama that’s surrounded my family to have the mental capacity to take on anything extra. Minus my love for the man in front of me, everything else fell by the wayside. Work has been easy ever since the investigators brought in some high-profile accountant and got down to brass tacks. Once they closed that part out, I was able to do my weekly work for Industrial and slowly add in the few businesses Mom has decided to keep now that she’s taking over the family money.
By the time I get off work, stop by my place, see Grandmother or my mother, and come home to Jace’s, my mind is on everything else. Including what he’s going to do to me. I don’t think there’s a surface inside or outside of his house we haven’t used. The bike, the boat, the back of his truck, nothing was off-limits. We somehow made it out on the open road or the water in between everything else.
“Does tomorrow work for you?” I ask. His hand slides beneath my shirt. My pulse races and my skin shivers, because I know where this is leading. One of the best parts of this place is that there’s no one for miles and miles.
“Sure does. So does getting you naked and taking you with the sun shining on all this soft, smooth skin. Love you, Willow. Can’t wait to live life with you.” When his mouth meets mine, it’s not just a kiss; it’s him claiming me with a hunger that’s clearly been simmering under the surface. He tastes like lightning and pure Jace McKay as his tongue sweeps against mine with a softness. It makes me melt against him further.
My hands find the front of his shirt and bunch the fabric in my fists, pulling him closer, needing to erase every last inch of air between us. The low, guttural vibration in his chest hits mebetween my legs, and I know exactly where this is going, right where I want to be—in Jase’s arms, always.
Epilogue
JACE
Six Months Later
“Peaches, you’re going to burn if you’re not careful.” She’s lying on a towel on the bow of the boat. This boat isn’t conducive for napping or lounging, which has me thinking about trading it in for a floating couch. Never in a million years did I think I’d go from a bass boat, my first boat, to a center console, to now thinking about purchasing a pontoon. Things change whenthewoman enters your life, makes you rethink your way, big time.
Willow enjoys the wind in her hair and the sun on her skin, but this boat also has no bimini or covering of any kind.
“Maybe you’ll come and reapply sunscreen to my back?” She lifts her head, propping herself on her elbows, which does delicious things to her chest. I drop the power pole since we’re in a small, secluded area on the river, turn the motor off once we’re anchored, and move around to get to my woman. There’s a reason why I picked today to come out. The weather is beautiful, the sun is shining, and we both have the day off.
Willow’s father is now divorced and sitting inside a federal prison for fifty years after receiving life without parole. Her mother has since moved out of the sprawling estate and is living in the city, a fifteen-minute walk from her mother, and is doing great in her recovery. Though, I think her new addiction iswalking. The woman has to walk five to ten miles a day. Larissa retired, and Willow sent her a massive bouquet of flowers that cost a mint, along with a spa day. When I arched my brow at her, she just shrugged and said, “She practically raised me, dealt with my father, handled my mother even after she went through all that shit, and still continues to be our friend.” Fair enough, if you ask me. That also meant between all of that and firmly entrenching our lives together, we’ve been fucking busy.
Not too busy for me to have something important in my pocket.
“Slide up, peaches.” I wedge myself behind her and grab the tube of sunscreen she has tucked into a cupholder. The UV rays are unforgiving, especially in Florida, but it’s nothing compared to the heat radiating off Willow’s skin. I sweep her golden hair over one shoulder, exposing her neck.
