Page 86 of Eternal Hoptimist

“Sure hope you’re not complaining.” Austin pinched his ass, then turned to cut fresh fruit.

I pulled hefty wine glasses from the cupboard because no one had the time or patience to refill dainty champagne glasses the serving size of a single gulp.

As soon as I lined them up next to the array of fruit juices, there was a familiar knock at the door. I ran over and threw the front door open, then pulled Parker into a hug. “How’d it go?” I asked after a quick kiss. I tugged his coat off him, nearly making him trip as he tried to kick his boots off.

“Damn, it’s wet out there. Still looking stormy.” His shirt was damp, which made the fabric cling to his muscles in all the right places.

“Don’t care about the weather right now or the Firth version of Mr. Darcy vibe you have going on right now. How was your meeting? Are you going to do it?”

Parker grabbed my shoulders and leaned in for a kiss that was not nearly long enough.

“Between you two and Bert and Ernie in there, there’s too damn much PDA in my house,” Dom grumbled.

“I don’t live here anymore, so Ernie and I don’t count,” Austin said.

“Heard you guys this morning. Don’t need a visual to go with the auditory nightmare,” Seth teased.

I groaned. Sometimes he could be as bad as his brother.

I turned and found four of my favorite people staring back at us with encouraging smiles and eager expressions. Even Dom looked cheerful in his own grumpy way.

The past few weeks had been a whirlwind of Parker wrapping up his job and transferring his clients while trying to figure out what came next after some much-needed time off.

I did my best to support him and show him nearly every night how proud I was of him for making a tough decision. We’d even been able to make a quick trip to Kansas so Parker could be there with Rosie when she signed the contract to sell her land.

It’d been bittersweet, but seeing how happy she was and hearing all her plans for what she would do with the money eased the sting of visiting her home for the last time. My parents had even been on their best behavior, but of course, they would because they loved Parker. If all worked out with Parker as I hoped—I was trying not to get ahead of myself—he might be the successful son they’d always wanted. Maybe. Someday. Hopefully. Until then, I was happy to take it one day at a time.

Somehow, during my sabbatical from dating, I’d fallen in love with a lawyer. A deliciously kinky one who was game to try anything I wanted.

Parker looked between the guys and me. His expression softened, and I knew their support touched him. They were quickly becoming his family too. When my chosen brothers decided to adopt someone into the family, they didn’t hesitate.

“The meeting went great. I’m going to do it,” he said to me.

Everyone cheered, and I jumped on him. He caught me by cupping my ass as I wrapped my legs around his waist.

“You’re moving here? For real?”

He beamed. “You’re looking at Dahlia Spring’s newest lawyer. Jun wants to be fully retired by the end of the year. We’ll meet next week to plan him slowly introducing his clients to me and getting me to take over more as he weans himself off.”

“End of the year? We’ll have lots to celebrate that day.”

Parker arched an eyebrow.

“Our anniversary.”

He kissed me while pulling me as close to him as he could.

“Less making out. More eating brunch before the champagne gets to room temperature, ” Austin yelled as he walked back to the dining room.

I hadn’t been sure if Parker wanted to set up shop in Dahlia Springs, but when he told me about his dad’s friend wanting to retire and have someone to take over his business, Parker seemed thrilled. I couldn’t help but get my hopes up too.

When he quit his job, I figured he would find a different position in Portland or something closer to here but bigger than Dahlia Springs, like McMinnville. Having him in the same town would be a dream come true.

Parker kissed me one more time before gently lowering me to my feet.

I grabbed his hands and stared into his eyes. “I’m so proud of you.”

“Couldn’t have done it without your support.”

---