My knees were throbbing. “Preferably in a bed next time?”
“Fuck yes,” he said against my skin.
We stayed pressed together for longer than my knees would have preferred, but neither of us wanted to let go. I’d have to remember to add bench cushions next time I built a gazebo.
“I want to build that house for you. Make it ours. I want to build a business, a life. All of it here with you. And I want to share it all with you.” I kept running my fingers through his hair. “That compromise we made? About you not butting into my business? I want to take that back. I value your opinions and want you to have a say in everything I do.”
Warrick lifted his head, eyes gleaming in the moonlight. “You know, I came home thinking all my dreams were over. Then I met you and Georgia and realized they’re just beginning.”
My husband was a true romantic. My eyes filled with tears, happy ones finally. I gripped his hair and dropped a sweet kiss on his lips. “Same, Wolfe, same.”
EPILOGUE
Warrick
“Dadddddyyyyy!”
I would never in my whole life get tired of hearing that little girl call me daddy.
“Yeah, Peaches, I’m here!” I called back, searching for her and finding her with Thistle on one side of her, Cleveland on the other, both of them tracking her as she left the barn. Cleveland, a headbutter to everyone but Georgia, looked up at her like she was his best friend. I shook my head. I didn’t know he had it in him to be nice.
“Uncle Colson said Thistle and Cleveland have been messing with the birds and the bees.” Georgia stared up at me, all curiosity and wonder. “What’s that supposed to mean? I don’t see any birds or bees, and believe me, if I saw bees, I’d run!”
I gritted my teeth and added throttle my little brother to my list of things I needed to get done today. “I love him to pieces and you should too, but your uncle Colson is one fire truck short of a firehouse, honey. Don’t believe anything he says.”
Georgia nodded solemnly. “He is quite silly, but I like that about him.”
I held my hand out. “Time to leave the goat-dogs and move all our stuff into the new house.”
Georgia let out a cheer and took my hand, swinging our arms between us as we closed the pen behind us and walked back to Mom’s house. This move was just in time too. I couldn’t spend one more night in this crowded house. Ever since Colson had moved back home, there’d been no peace whatsoever. I had to sneak away to the damn gazebo just to get some alone time with my own wife.
I grinned just thinking about it. My wife. Another term I’d never get tired of. Em and me and Georgia had slipped right into domestic bliss, flowing around each other like we’d always been a family. Mom had loved the company, and with a granddaughter to spoil, she’d shown more and more signs of moving through her grief. Sometimes the tears were even happy ones.
“Are you sure you need your own place? I can hire you to just build me some more bedrooms.” Mom had her hands on Em’s shoulders, wide eyes looking a little panicked.
“Mom,” I said, letting go of Georgia to sling my arm over Mom’s shoulders. “We talked about this. We need some space and you need to work on that middle son of yours. He’s spinning his wheels and needs a mother’s attention.” And if I didn’t get some alone time on the regular with my wife sometime soon, I might lose my shit.
Mom sighed and laid her head on my shoulder. “I know. I’ve just loved having you so much I’m not sure what I’ll do with you gone.”
Oh dear Lord, there went the tears. “Good thing we’ll only be half a mile down the road,” I drawled. Mom backhanded my stomach and made me grunt on impact, but at least the tears seemed to dry up.
“Next project is scraping out a gravel road between our houses,” Em reassured her, joining the hug. “Once that’s done, we’ll be even more accessible.”
“Me too!” Georgia hollered, burrowing her way into the hug and making us all laugh. Mom bent down and pulled her into her arms, squeezing her tight and kissing her cheeks until the little girl shrieked with laughter.
We dispersed and got busy loading up the trucks with boxes. Colson helped too, after I slapped him upside the head for talking to Georgia about things I had no intention of explaining quite yet. Mom ran around and directed everyone to where the furniture should go. Em and I would rearrange it later, but this gave Mom something to do. Then she helped unpack the dishes and pots and pans in the kitchen, which was actually quite helpful.
“Peaches!” I hollered, studying the birdhouse she and I had made just last week and I’d tucked into my truck for safe keeping. She came careening down the porch steps and ran straight into my legs, nearly knocking me over.
“What’s up, buttercup?”
I frowned at her. “You been hanging out with Uncle Colson?”
She grinned mischievously and I groaned. Those two were dangerous together.
“Let’s hang the birdhouse.”
We looked around at the trees that we’d left in the ground even though it had been harder to get materials in and out to build the house. Em came down the stairs and joined us, finally pointing to a California lilac tree that gave off a light fragrance year-round.