I turn my head into the crook of her neck, kissing her cheek and breathing her in as she tries to catch her breath. All I can think is—this is what forever looks like.
I pull out of her and give her a quick peck on the lips. She whimpers at the motion, and I stare down at the beautiful mess we’ve made before going right back to kissing the girl I know I’ll love forever.
I don’t thinkI’ve stopped smiling since the girl of my dreams told me she’s in love with me. She trusted me with pieces of herself no one else has ever had. The importance of that isn’t lost on me. Now that I’ve had her, I can’t get enough.
Things are perfect—almost.
There’s still no lead on who killed Clarissa Rose. Erin is convinced it was The Octopus, based on her dream, but Brax doesn’t have any evidence to prove her theory right or wrong.
Bella and Brodie wanted to come back to Huxley Bay when they heard what happened to Erin’s mom, but Erin told them not to, claiming they have lives and she’s fine.
It’s why Erin hasn’t told Bella about The Octopus. She knows Bella will drop everything and come home. Erin doesn’t want her career to be impacted by a man who seems impossible to track down.
Erin, Brax, and I agreed to keep conversations about The Octopus from them until the club is done and they’re back in Huxley Bay full-time again.
I know it’s not an easy decision for Erin to have made, given the fact she promised Bella she wouldn’t keep anything from her, but I understand it.
My thoughts burst when the doorbell rings repeatedly. I roll my eyes. Oliver should not be allowed to press buttons. I head for the front door and Oliver, Hayes, Austin, Brax, and Roman pile in, bringing the chilly air with them.
“Hey, Uncle Chasey,” Roman beams, hugging my legs. I ruffle his hair before he lets go. “Where’s Erin?” he asks as we filter into the living room.
“You know, I remember a time when you lovedmethe most,” I say, pretending to swipe a tear from under my eye.
He shrugs. “Fifth place isn’t terrible.”
A gasp rips through me.“Fifth?”
“Yeah. Dad’s first. Then Mom. Erin is next. Uncle Brodie comes after, and then you,” he says, counting everyone out on his fingers before he goes in search of my girlfriend.
Brax grins. “A couple weeks ago when I couldn’t help him defeat the fire-breathing gargoyle, and instead got him killed, he dropped me down to fourth.”
“My girlfriend is corrupting my godson. I used to be third,” I grumble.
Brax snorts as the front door opens behind us and my girl walks in. I spot her tote bag that saysdon’t call me pretty and buy me flowers, buy me books.It’s the one she always takes to book club.
She slips her shoes off and slams the door. It has me walking over to her immediately. My girl isn’t usually aggressive. When I get to her, she’s grumbling unintelligible words under her breath.
“Everything okay?” I ask.
She whirls on me, and I take in her adorable frown.
“Won-der-ful,” she replies with sarcasm, dropping off every syllable.
“Erinnnn!” Roman yells and flies at her. She drops to his level and hugs him. When she stands and looks over at me, her face hardens.
“Damn,” Brax whistles, following his son into the foyer as Erin heads for the kitchen. He’s not the only one who notices Erin’s icy expression and how it was directed at me. Romandoes, too. He stomps over to us and a sour cherry hits me in the eye before landing on the floor by my feet.
“Hey!” I call out as I squint, rubbing residual sugar from my eyebrow.
“Dad says we shouldn’t use violence to solve our problems. So, you get a cherry to the face instead.”
Brax folds his lips into his mouth.
“Does Erin have a sad heart?” Roman asks, planting his hands on his hips before I can say anything in response to hitting me in the face with candy.
“A sad heart?” I ask.
“Yeah. Mom gets one when Dex forgets to tell her something important or hasn’t told her the whole story. And Dad says sad hearts happen when someone is confused or worried. Right, Dad?”
