He wrapped his fingers around her hand and tugged her gently back to bed. She sat down beside him with a soft laugh.
“Just because you are sleeping with your boss does not mean you can get into work at whatever time you want,” she said, running her fingers through his hair as she leaned forward and kissed his lips.
“You are sending mixed messages,” he murmured.
“No, that was the old me,” she said as she slipped away from him again. “The new me wants to get started on those shelves we were talking about yesterday. So they will match the doors we refinished.”
His bear perked up immediately.She wants to do it right. She’s back.
Spencer watched her face, noting the excitement in her eyes that had been missing since she got the job offer. No more rushing through projects just to get them done. No more “good enough.” She was fully present again, invested in making Pine Cottage beautiful.
“You want to stain them to match?” he asked, just to be sure.
“Of course,” she said, looking at him like he’d suggested painting the kitchen neon green. “That honey color we picked out. The clear finish would have been all wrong.”
She’s back to caring,his bear said, practically purring with satisfaction.Our mate wants to do right by the house.
Spencer slipped out of bed and crossed to where she stood, wrapping his arms around her waist from behind. He breathed in the scent of her hair, still slightly mussed from sleep.
“Are you sure about this?” he asked quietly. “About not taking the job? Because I meant what I said, I would follow you anywhere.”
Meryl turned in his arms, her expression softening as she looked up at him. “You don’t have to,” she said. “I emailed Lou last night, before you came here. Told her I could work remotely but not in-house.” She tilted her head to one side, a small smile playing at her lips. “And she emailed me back to say they could make that work.”
She did it,his bear said, jubilant.She chose us and found a way to keep her career.
A surge of joy swept through Spencer’s chest. He laughed, lifting Meryl off her feet and spinning her around in a circle. Her laughter joined his, the sound making his heart swell fit to burst. When he finally set her down, it was on the edge of the bed. He leaned over her, bracing his hands on either side of her hips.
“I’m so happy for you,” he said, before capturing her lips in a deep kiss.
Her body arched up to meet his, her fingers threading through his hair. When they finally broke apart, both breathing hard, she gazed up at him with something like wonder.
“I think we should thank fate,” she murmured.
Spencer stared down at her, at this woman who had become the center of his world. “I will be thanking fate every day for the rest of my life now that you are here.”
She cupped his cheek in her hand, her thumb tracing the line of his jaw before she pulled him down for another kiss, this one softer but no less meaningful. “I will too,” she whispered against his lips.
For a moment, they stayed like that, foreheads touching, breathing each other in. Then Spencer straightened, reluctantly pulling away.
“Come on,” he said, extending his hand to help her up. “We have shelves to do.”
“And the last kitchen door to fix,” she added, taking his hand and rising. “And that floorboard in the dining room still squeaks.”
“So much to do,” he replied, watching as she moved around the room, collecting her clothes.
She pulled on her shirt and reached for her notebook on the nightstand. “Don’t worry,” she said, flipping it open to reveal a neatly organized page. “I made a list.”
Spencer laughed then, a real belly laugh that came from deep in his chest. “Of course you did,” he said, shaking his head.
He would not have wanted her any other way.
Epilogue
Meryl always enjoyed the drive back to Pine Cottage, but today it felt especially sweet.
Maybe it was the meeting with Lou, which had gone better than she had dared hope. Maybe it was the satisfaction of talking through real work she was excited about and knowing, at last, that she did not have to choose between the career she had built and the life she wanted here.
Or maybe it was simpler than that.
