Page 90 of The Grumpy Side of Paradise

Adam holds up his hands and stops my defense with a smile. “I don’t want to talk about any of that today. We’ll have plenty of time to hash out all of our differences.”

My carefully planned words disappear. “We will?”

“I heard you might be here for a while, so I figure I’ll let you hang out with me. I can show you around. Introduce you to all the locals.” Adam’s smile grows. His whole face changes, and I have to remind myself that this is the man I thought couldn’t smile.

“You’ll let me hang out with you?” I raise an eyebrow. “I’m pretty sure I’ve seen all the sites and met all the people.” I rub my lips together and press back my grin. “Where else do you think you’re going to take me?”

Adam shifts his body parallel to mine and moves closer. “Hmmm, I don’t know. Maybe we could just stay in.”

“And do what?”

“I can think of lots of things, but the thing I want to do most is hold you for as long as you’re in Paradise. I don’t want to waste a minute being mad about things that don’t matter. You’re what matters. More than this town, more than its history, more than a bunch of old houses.” His face eases back into the serious lines and angles I’ve grown to love.

Yes, love. That’s definitely the feeling consuming my whole body, sending tingling sensations all the way to my fingertips.

I lean forward, close enough for Adam to tuck a strand of hair behind my ear. I nuzzle my cheek into his palm, then wrap my hand around his and bring his palm to my lips to lay one gentle kiss there.

I move his hand to my waist and scoot to him, close enough to put my legs on either side of his hips. He lifts me onto his lap, and I wrap my legs all the way around his waist.

I run my fingertips over the worry lines on his forehead, then cup my hands around his face. I kiss his forehead, then trace my lips along the side of his face, running my thumbs along his beard. He turns his face, eager to meet my kisses, but I make him wait. I brush the corners of his mouth with mine, then his jawline, then his neck.

Adam lets out a low moan. I press closer and let him close the distance between us. His fingers press into my back. I deepen the kiss, exploring every part of his mouth, breathing in rhythm with him.

Another moan escapes. I don’t know if it’s mine or his. I pull away. Adam opens his eyes. With a deep breath, he mutters, “Evie Barton, keep kissing me like that, and you may tempt me to follow you out of Paradise.”

So, I kiss him again. And again. And again.

With each kiss, I grow more certain that whatever, or wherever, comes after my time in Paradise, we’ll be there together.

Epilogue

Three Months Later…

Georgia hands me the scissors, and I cut the red ribbon strung in front of Grandma Rose’s house, which looks nothing like it used to, but will always be Grandma Rose’s. Posted in what will be a rose garden in front of the house, there’s a metal sign that saysGrandma Rose’s. Between the old trim I used to make frames for photos of the original house and knick-knacks passed down to Georgia that I incorporated in the décor, everyone who loved the original house feels Rose’s spirit in the new one.

The ribbon falls, I hand the scissors back to Georgia, and our little crowd cheers. There aren’t many people, just the most important ones. Adam, Zach and his new girlfriend, the rest of the Thomsens—even their mom—Sebastian and his mom, Gia, Wally and Lorraine Lindenhof, and Georgia’s parents, who made the trip from Boise.

“Everybody get inside, and let’s break this baby in!” Georgia yells. “Adam is making cider and donuts for us—Grandma Rose’s recipe. Let’s get out of this cold!”

More cheers go up, and everyone rushes for the door. Adam is the last to the porch where Georgia and I still stand.

He slides his hand around my waist and kisses my cheek. “You coming in?”

I nod, then glance at Georgia who’s walking down the porch steps. “In a minute,” I tell him and wave my head toward Georgia.

With a nod he walks to the open door, but glances over his shoulder. “I’m proud of you. Have I told you that?”

“About a thousand times, but I’m not tired of hearing it yet.” I smile but hold back some of the excitement I feel.

I know this is hard for him. I didn’t know Grandma Rose or what her house used to be. Adam did. I don’t doubt he’s proud of me and all the work I did to renovate Grandma Rose’s, but I also don’t doubt he’s missing the old house at the same time.

“Proud of you, too. And couldn’t have done any of this without you.” I take two big steps and throw my arms around his neck. “Thank you.”

He pulls me close and wraps me in a kiss that, even after a thousand kisses, still makes my knees buckle.

“How long do we have to wait for cider and donuts?” Zach calls from inside the house.

“Not all of us have a hot woman to warm us up,” Sebastian adds, and Adam pulls away.

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