Page 91 of Point of Contact

Bernadette had come a long way since they brought her back in January. Every bit of her mechanics had been gone over. Anything even close to being worn out was replaced before the engine was tuned and the tires were realigned. Now she purred like a damn kitten.

But that probably wasn't what Courtney was focused on.

His fiancée continued blinking, trying to control the shimmer of tears edging her eyes. "She looks the same, but completely different."

It was the thing he'd been most adamant about. While he definitely wanted Bernadette updated, she needed to still look like herself. Courtney was extremely attached to the RV, and he didn't want her to feel like it was gone forever, replaced with a stranger.

That meant the outside of her was almost identical. Anything on the body that needed to be replaced had to be as exact as possible. He’d hunted down the correct siding panels and lights. The new windows were as similar to the old ones as he could get his hands on. Even the paint job followed the style of the original, though the colors were quite different.

Courtney swiveled around, her eyes meeting his. "And she's pink."

He tipped his head because that wasn't entirely true. "She has pinkaccents."

The old paint job was originally white with brown and tan stripes running up the center. Bernadette’s primary color was still white, but her stripes were now two different shades of pink.

Courtney turned back to refocus on the camper. "I can't believe you had them make her pink."

"Really?" He leaned in to nuzzle behind her ear. "Because you made it pretty clear Bernadette's favorite color is pink."

Courtney leaned back against him, hooking one hand around his neck. "I fucking love you."

He smiled against her skin. "I know." Releasing her, he gave her ass a playful swat. "Go look inside."

Without hesitation, Courtney took off, practically running toward the door of their newly redone home away from home. She stroked one hand down the side of the camper as she gripped the handle, giving Bernadette a pet before climbing inside. He was close enough behind her to hear the gasp of surprise when she saw the newly improved interior.

Courtney stood in the tiny walkway, her hands pressed against her cheeks, the diamond on her finger glinting in the sunlight streaming through the new, perfectly clean windows. "Holy shit, Reed. I can't believe this."

Everything inside had been redone. The RV restoration company stripped Bernadette to the studs before putting her back together again. Any water damage had been remediated and the parts replaced. Fresh, top of the line insulation now meant Bernadette could be used even as the temperature dropped. The cabinets in the tiny kitchen were all new, painted cream with gold fixtures. The couch had to be reupholstered since finding one that would fit was impossible, but the cushioning had all been replaced before it was covered in a pale pink velvet that perfectly matched the lighter of the stripes on the outside. The walls were the same soft cream as the cabinets, with the exception of the wall behind the sofa which sported feminine floral wallpaper. The new dinette sported beige cushions and the same marble-looking laminate as the counter. The floor was done in an easy to care for laminate that ran from the living room area back to the bedroom.

Courtney's eyes swung around the space as she slowly spun in a circle, taking it all in. "I can't believe this."

Her reaction was everything he wanted. Bringing Bernadette to her full potential had been expensive as hell, but seeing Courtney’s face now was worth every penny.

And pennies had been easier to come by lately.

Pierce insisted on giving him the money he'd originally offered to go to Florida, saying it was only fair considering Reed had done exactly what he was supposed to do. His parents sold their house, which was paid off, and insisted on putting the money from it into the purchase of the townhome they all now shared.

And, while those things helped in many ways, they hadn't been the primary reason he had more money to work with. Pierce had also insisted on putting his parents on the company insurance, which reduced their out-of-pocket expenses enormously. So by the time the camper was done, he'd saved up enough to cover the price tag.

Which was good because now he had a summer wedding to pay for.

Courtney moved through the RV, touching nearly every surface as she checked out the tiny bathroom and the closet across from it. She turned and sat on the edge of their new queen-sized bed, bouncing a little on the mattress. "Oh my gosh. This is so much better."

She ran one hand over the bedding she picked out at Target what felt like forever ago. "You saved it."

"Of course I did. It's what you picked out." He stood in front of her, reaching out to slide one hand across her cheek. "You like it?"

Courtney nodded. "I love it." She reached out to fist her hands in the front of his T-shirt, pulling him closer. "Almost as much as I love you."

Reed leaned down, bracing his hands against the mattress at either side of her hips. "Youbetterlove me since I’m going to be driving a pink RV named Bernadette down the road."

“First, you named her.” Courtney's smile shifted to a teasing line. "Second, you don't have to be the one driving her. You could always let me drive."

He leaned in, brushing his lips against hers. "Not happening until you finish your lessons with Rico."

He'd taught Courtney everything he could, but, as pretty and funny and devoted as she was, the woman was a terror on the road. So he'd convinced Rico to help him out, hoping Rogue’s primary driver could improve her skill set further.

Courtney rolled her eyes toward the ceiling with a groan. "Rico’s never going to tell you I can drive this thing." She met his gaze. "He acts like I'm the worst driver he's ever seen. And I know that's not true because I've ridden with Lennie before, and she is just as bad as I am."

---