She curls up in my arms, then kisses my neck. “I love you, Shane Thoma.”
“I love you, too, Willa Avery.”
Over the next several weeks, so many good things happen. After we take care of the business of ending my lease and moving me out of my apartment—some things go to his house, other stuff straight into storage—Shane and I fall into a comfortable routine.
He starts working out and skating again to prepare for the upcoming new season, and I immerse myself in my business. I’m glad to be back to help Shay with all of the upcoming autumn weddings. Since I still feel bad for not being here for most of the summer, I work extra hard, meeting with clients, visiting venues, securing new vendors, etc.
It’s all good, though, as Shane and I make a point to end each day by spending quality time with each other.
We go on fun dates.
We hang out by the pool in the back like we did on the island.
He shows me all of his favorite haunts, as he promised.
And I give him a tour of my childhood neighborhood, school, and so on.
We even go grocery shopping together.
Oh, and I get that “family secret” scrambled eggs recipe out of him. It involves adding cold crème fraîche at the end for super creaminess. It works, too, as I’ve tried it.
But mostly, above and beyond all of that, we love each other—with our bodies and our hearts.
It’s September now, and today, Shane had a morning skate and team meeting to attend. Training camp is in full swing.
I have a light day, so we decide this afternoon is the perfect time for him to finally meet my best friend and business partner, Shay.
We just arrived at the restaurant, a quaint little bistro, and are seated at a booth where we are now waiting for her.
“I can’t believe it’s taken this long for me to meet Shay,” Shane says.
“I know.” I shake my head. “She’s always been your biggest supporter, too, so it is pretty crazy.”
“That’s right,” he says. “I remember you telling me she wanted us to end up together from day one.”
“She sure did,” I reply with a laugh.
“Well.” Shane crosses his arms over his wide chest, which I swear is getting bigger every day with him working out so much. “I like her already.”
A waitress arrives then and hands us our menus. We let her know another person is joining us, so she places an additional one at the place setting next to me. She also fills our glasses with water, as well as one for Shay.
“Is there anything else I can get you while you wait?” she asks.
We tell her that we’re fine for now, so she says she’ll be back once our other party has joined us.
When she walks away, I look over at the entranceway and catch Shay coming in. She looks sophisticated in black pants, a gray silky blouse, and high heels. Completing the look, she has her raven-black hair pulled back in a slick ponytail.
I give her a little wave, and, seeing me, she nods and heads over.
Once she reaches our table, Shane stands.
He’s such a gentleman.
Introductions are made, and he sits down after Shay takes a seat next to me.
As she unfolds her cloth napkin and places it on her lap, she says, “Well, Shane, I can’t believe it’s taken us this long to meet.”
Chuckling, he replies, “Willa and I were just talking about that exact same thing.”
