Page 58 of Sweetest Hate

Arsen's lips tilted in a crooked grin as he stepped back toward his car. "I'll see you soon.

Not soon enough, I thought. I watched as he slid into the car and pulled out onto the busy road, biting my lip as I tried to wrap my head around everything.

Finally, I slid my phone from my pocket and pulled up the thread of texts with Quinn.

Me:Actually, we need to talk.

Epilogue

Kellan/TWO YEARS LATER

I slidemy fingers between Arsen's where our hands rest between us on the bench seat of the bright yellow box truck, filled with packed boxes and furniture from our Atlanta apartment.

"Almost there." Arsen squeezes my hand as he takes the ramp off the highway just after passing aWelcome to Warsawmarquee.

I yawn and cast my boyfriend a tired smile. The drive had only taken an hour, but after days of packing, I was beat. "I vote we set up the mattress first and sleep. We can worry about unpacking the rest later."

He chuckles. "Sounds like a plan. You've been nodding off for thirty minutes. Look." Arsen points out the window as we turn into Main Street.

The town is much bigger than Holloway, but still rural in comparison to Atlanta. I follow the directions he points out as we pass a mini shopping center, taking note of the stores we have at our disposal. A pack and ship center, a few quaint restaurants, and a grocery store—really anything we need. But those places aren't why my face splits with a wide smile.

Arsen's brand new shop sits on a corner lot, ready for the Grand Opening in a few weeks. The building itself isn't large, but everything is new and shiny. While I'd been busy finishing my degree, Arsen had spent his days gaining experience and the required certifications to run a place like this. I squint at the new sign that's been hung since the last time I'd tagged along with him during the build. "Is that…" I burst out laughing. "Please tell me you didn't have the guy paint a little mouse on the sign."

His laugh is deep, rasping with every exhale. "Now I can have you with me at work too."

"You are so fucking weird." I snort and slouch back in my seat. "Are you ready to cut the ribbon?"

He nods. "Yep. I'm just waiting on a few small details to be completed, but otherwise she's ready to go."

"She?" I cock a brow as we approach the entrance to the neighborhood where our new rental house is located.

"Would you rather it be a he?"

"I would rather not refer to a brick-and-mortar building as a—" My brow furrows when Arsen doesn't pull into the neighborhood. He didn't even slow down. "I think you missed our turn."

"No, I didn't." Arsen doesn't spare me a look, which I find odd because some might consider it creepy with how intensely he seems to watch my every move. I still love it and don't really care what others think.

Confused by his answer, my brows furrow deeper as I stick my thumb toward the window, indicating the lower-middle-class neighborhood where we should have turned. "Yeah, you did."

Arsen sighs and casts me a look I find suspicious. "Okay, well, let me show you something first."

I have no idea what he's talking about. As far as I knew, we were heading straight for the house.

"So much for the mattress and snoozing I had planned," I mutter. He draws my hand to his lips, and places a kiss on the back.

"It's not far," he promises.

A half mile later, Arsen turns the bulky truck onto a bumpy county road, and my curiosity grows, wondering what he could possibly need to show me that can't wait for us to unload the truck, especially in this direction.

This road leads to the lake, but I've already scoped out the area for the best spots several times. "Why are we heading out into the woods?"

In a box truck, I want to add, because the longer we are on the road the bumpier the ride becomes.

Arsen doesn't answer. Stubborn ass. I'm convinced he has something up his sleeve now, but I honestly don't have a clue what it could be. So, I wait.

He finally turns again onto a dirt and gravel driveway, similar to the one at his father's cabin, and I peer through the windshield.

A small log home comes into view, a tiny fraction of the size of his father's place. Possibly the size of the living room of the giant lake house.

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