Page 11 of His Handyman Skills

When we break apart, Shayla shifts down and rests her head on my chest. As we lie together, I run my fingers through her hair. Thoughts of what our future looks like run through my head. I need to make sure she’s mine, that she knows I want her without a doubt. I refuse to let her walk away from tonight thinking I only want her for her body.

“You should move in,” I say, the words causing her head to shoot up. She fixes me with an inquisitive expression, and I immediately start to explain myself. “I know that it might be a little soon, but your roommate situation is awful. I have a spare bedroom, so you’ll have your own space. Plus, I’m not going to charge you rent. If you wanted, I could help pay to get you out of your lease.”

“You know,” she says, lying back down and letting out a satisfied sigh, “that sounds nice.”

“The only thing I ask is that you cook at home every once in a while,” I say, rubbing her back. “It’d be nice to stop eating out so much. I promise I’ll do the dishes.”

Shayla giggles, and the sound is so sweet. I can’t believe I’m going to be able to hear it every day. Then, when her little laughing fit subsides, she says, “That won’t be a problem. I love cooking. It’ll be nice to have a clean kitchen to do it in.”

“I’ll make sure you always have a clean place to stay,” I say, kissing her forehead.

We stay in bed wrapped up in each other for almost an hour. Then, when Shayla’s stomach growls, I suggest we order something and shower while we wait for it to get here. She agrees, and if we have a quickie in the shower… well, that’s between us.

Epilogue

Nine Years Later

Shayla

Sometimes when I look back on my life, I wonder what I was planning on doing before I met Leo. I didn’t have any sort of direction, didn’t know what I wanted. Honestly, I don’t even think I knew myself.

Thanks to him, I was able to focus on my studies, and I learned that my passion lies in communications. I graduated Magna Come Laude and landed myself a public relations job right out of college. On my first vacation using PTO, Leo took me to the Florida Keys and proposed to me on the beach. Then, less than a year later, we had a small, intimate wedding.

It wasn’t long before I found out I was pregnant with our first child – a little boy we named Ryan. He’s the spitting image of his father and a little daredevil. He’s in kindergarten now, and in the few months he’s been there, we’re already had an ER trip from a jump off the top of the playground. No one, not even him, can tell Leo and I how he got up there.

Thankfully, my job has shifted to a work from home position, so if there are any more incidents, I’ll be available. Well, barring a major crisis. In that case, Leo can head out of his job. For the most part, I’m free to go get our son out of whatever trouble he finds himself in.

Most days, like today for example, my main job is to field emails and work with our marketing team on upcoming campaigns. There’s nothing pressing going on, and I find myself spending more time scrolling through social media than answering emails. So, I decide to send Leo a text to check on how things are going with his team.

I don’t get an immediate response, but that’s not surprising. His days are typically busier than mine. Sometimes I won’t get a message back from him all day. With the lack of response, I go back to scrolling social media and shaking my mouse every few minutes to keep my status as active.

About ten minutes after I messaged Leo, the front door of our home opens. Quickly, I message my team to let them know I’m going on my lunch and head out of my office to investigate. My mom has a key to our place, and she’s known to drop by without warning.

I’m halfway down the hallway when I run into Leo’s chest. He catches me by my elbows and grins down at me. Then, when he sees the surprise on my face, he chuckles.

“What?” he asks, leaning down to kiss me on the forehead.

“I wasn’t expecting you,” I reply.

“It was a slow day,” he says with a shrug. “I ducked out early.”

“It’s been the same here,” I say, missing his touch when he drops his hands.

“I know. I got your message,” Leo says as he runs a hand through his hair, the gray strands catching in the light. “Maybe you could get away early too?”

“I can’t. I have to approve a marketing plan that’s due by the end of the day. It still hasn’t come through yet,” I sigh. “But I am technically on my lunch break.”

“Does that mean you have time for a little fun?” he asks, wiggling his eyebrows at me suggestively.

“It does,” I confirm.

In lieu of responding, he grabs my wrist and hauls me into the bedroom, kicking the door closed when we get inside. Then, he pulls me into a bruising kiss. I respond enthusiastically as he walks me back to the bed.

When the back of my knees hits the mattress, I fall backwards. Instead of falling with me, his hands go straight for the waistband of my pants. He pulls them down, taking off my panties too. Then, he helps me sit up and pulls my shirt over my head.

“You’re not wearing a bra today,” he notes with undeniable interest.

“I didn’t have any calls scheduled,” I say. “I didn’t think that I needed one.”

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