Page 143 of The Charm of You

He never complained when I insisted on selfie after selfie.

At the end of each day of exploring, we went back to his hotel room, where he rocked my world so hard, the guests in the next room banged on the wall on more than one occasion. I blushed with embarrassment, but that only fueled Austin’s efforts.

I got to share that part of my life with him, and I will forever cherish those memories.

With the purchase of this house finalized, we’re going to create so many new memories too, right here in Sapphire Creek. While I will miss Beverly and some of the glamour of the city, there’s plenty of sparkle around here too.

It’s where I was always supposed to end up.

Satisfied and a bit dizzy, I exit the master bathroom and find Austin leaning against the doorframe of the bedroom, a lazy smile gracing his lips.

“You know what this means, right?” I ask as I shrug into my wool cardigan. “I left the big city for a small town because a guy whisked me off my feet and is making all my dreams come true.”

He crosses his arms, one shoulder still leaning on the frame.

“You’re my Hallmark guy in flannel,” I chirp to the rhythm of my skips, each one bringing me closer to him.

Cursing, he slides away from the door, and I chase after him.

“Please don’t talk like that, or I’ll nip moving in here right in the bud,” he says over his shoulder.

I hop in front of him and stop him from sulking through the living room. “And where are you going to go? Your mama has already made plans to turn your apartment into her own pottery studio. She’s bought most of the materials, and she’s ready to paint the second you remove your flannels from the premises.”

He hangs his head in defeat. “I cannot believe she fucking lied to me about a second pottery class just so she could sneak around with Karl.”

“I think it’s cute.”

“I think he’s a bad influence on her. She never used to be so interested in scheming before she got mixed up with the likes of Karl with a K.”

“At least she’s good at scheming. My mother wouldn’t know a good scheme if it ate her apple pie.” I snort. “It’s adorable that you think changing the subject is going to distract me from making you admit the truth about yourself.”

He squints at me, and it’s obvious he’s fighting back a smile. The tic of his jaw amuses me—he can’t fight it any longer.

“Fine. I’m your fucking small-town gentleman in plaid.”

“I never said gentleman.” I dance my fingers along his bicep until I reach the back of his neck, where I interlock my fingers. “Which you most certainly were not a few minutes ago.”

As we sink into another toe-curling kiss, my phone vibrates on the counter, buzzing sideways and stealing my attention.

“That’s probably Addie.” I sigh into him. “We were supposed to just drop off a few things, and what should’ve taken us five minutes has now taken forty-five.”

“I didn’t hear you complaining,” he says, his suggestive tone loud and clear. “In fact, I’m pretty sure I can still hear the echoes of just how little you cared about hurrying.”

I hum. “Worth it.”

“Damn right.” He scoops me into his arms again, and my heartbeats grow erratic the longer I’m nestled in his embrace.

My phone vibrates again, and I toss my head back with laughter. “Okay!” I burst and smack his chest, begging him to put me down. “We need to go. There will be plenty of time for this later, tomorrow, and beyond.”

“I like the sound of that,” he says so quietly I almost don’t pick up on it.

My heart crumbles.

I’ll never grow tired of this rigid man’s subtly romantic ways.

“I can’t be too late tonight, though,” I say. “I have a meeting with Carrie Ann first thing in the morning about taking over her agency when she retires. I cannot be late, nor can I limp into her office after you make me too sore to function.”

“It’s my favorite hobby, though. You’d deprive me of it?” His eyes darken.

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