Page 106 of Everlasting Love

“Shane proposed to Violet and she saidyes,” Mom explains and they share a look which I can’t quite decipher.

His attention turns to me and he embraces me. “Congratulations.”

“Thank you.”

He turns tomyfiancé.MY fiancé!“I’m thrilled for you, Shane.”

Shane grins. “Thank you.”

“Take a seat, everyone. I’ll get us some snacks.” Mom looks across at Lloyd, and they share a secret smile. I narrow my eyes. Something’s going on there. Shane, Lloyd, and Jas sit around the table, and I help Mom make cups of coffee and tea, while she prepares some sweet treats. I raise my eyebrows at her because we never have treats like this on a school day. “What? It’s a special occasion.” She shrugs like she doesn’t have a care in the world but I sense that’s not completely accurate.

We take everything to the table and dig in. Mom and Lloyd share another secret look and I can’t take it anymore. “What’s going on?” Mom feigns innocence but she’s not fooling me. I raise my eyebrows and wait her out.

She glances at Lloyd and he nods slightly. “Well … not to take anything away from your special day, but Lloyd and I also have an announcement and a proposal.”

“Oh my gosh, could this day get any better?” I jump out of my chair and wrap my arms around Mom. “Congratulations.”

Mom laughs and pats my hand. “Not that sort of proposal. But I’ll take your congratulations.”

I deflate and drop back into my chair, confused by what she means.Shit!I forgot for a second that she’s still legally married to Dad, so she can’t marry Lloyd. I wonder if she’ll look for him so she can finally divorce his ass. “What are we congratulating?”

Lloyd slides his hand over Mom’s resting on the table between them and links his fingers with hers. “I asked your mom to move in with me and she agreed.” He leans over and kisses her temple and Mom’s eyes flutter closed. My heart flips for her. Finally, she has a love that she deserves.

Okay, cue the confusion. “Aren’t you already living together?”

“Yes. Of course, but Lloyd bought a property with more land.” She glances at him with a soft smile. “He’s accustomed to having more space.”

“Wow! That sounds awesome. When are you moving?” Does that mean she’s going to sell this place? That means we’ll have to find somewhere else to live too. I glance at Shane, but I don’t think he’s realized what this will mean for us.

“Closing on the house will be next month and we need to do some work on it before we can move in. Now … about that proposal.” She claps her hands and grins like a Cheshire Cat. “Would you and Shane like to buy this house?” My eyes widen and I cover my mouth. “We wouldn’t worry about market value or anything like that. We’ll work out a fair price. We want to help you guys, after all.”

I snap my head toward Shane, lost for words. It’s a generous offer but I’m not sure if he had any plans and I don’t want to overstep. I need to get used to making decisions as a couple now. “That’s really generous, Mom. Would you mind if Shane and I talk about it and get back to you?”

She flicks her wrist as if to dismiss my question. “Of course. There’s no rush.”

Shane smiles at me as his hand lands on my thigh beneath the table. He squeezes the thickness and shoots me a wink. “Whatever you want to do is okay with me. My home is wherever you and Jas are.”

I lean over and press my lips to his and whisper, “I love you.”

He grins, his lips spreading against mine. “Love you, too, Blue.”

EPILOGUE

10 months later …

39

VIOLET

A large armwraps around my middle, startling me, and my brush slips, sending a smear of sage green paint onto our bedroom window trim—thank goodness we haven’t painted them yet. I lean back into my husband’s warm body and plant a kiss on his chin as I chuckle, then tap his nose with my paintbrush. His eyebrows shoot up as he spins me around so I’m facing him, my hands trapped between us bringing my paintbrush dangerously close to his chest.

“Oh, now it’s on, Mrs. Sutton.” He smirks down at me with a wicked gleam in his eye, and I don’t think I’ll ever tire of him calling meMrs. Sutton. He leans in and takes my mouth in an almost violent kiss without giving me a chance to prepare for his invasion. His tongue lashes against mine, and our teeth clash as his large hand slides into my hair, tightening around the strands and angling my face to suit his needs. I moan into his mouth when his other hand squeezes my ass roughly and presses me into his hard body. This man has the ability to set me ablaze in less than ten seconds. He pulls away as quickly as he begankissing me, leaving me dizzy but he doesn’t let me go completely until I have my balance.

I narrow my eyes. “That was cruel.”

He grins down at me. “You painted my nose.” He points to the tip where the green paint is smeared, which means some of it is probably on my face now. “I was just returning the favor.” And that’s when I feel the wetness on my chin. Damn him. He kissed me so far out of my mind that I painted myself with my damn paintbrush. I rub the area and sure enough, my hand comes away covered in light green paint. I swipe at him but he darts out of the way with speed he really shouldn’t have for a man his size. “It’s almost time to pick up Jas from school.”

“Damn, I lost track of the time. I wanted to get these walls finished.”

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