Page 71 of Buried Dreams

“Dad, time flies,” she deadpans. Everleigh buries her face in my back, and I can feel her body shaking as she tries to muffle her laughter.

“Eat your breakfast before I turn around, and you’re an old lady.”

“It’s not going that fast,” she jokes, taking a bite of her bagel.

I turn and wrap my arms around Everleigh. “So when are you moving in?”

Epilogue

EVERLEIGH

Two months later

“You didn’t have to come with me,” I say as we climb the steps to my fourth-floor apartment.

“You think I was going to let you come up here and pack up all by yourself”—he grips my hips, pulling them back to him—“for the whole weekend?” His head buries into my neck. “For the whole weekend.” He repeats his words as he takes a deep inhale. “Without you by my side.”

“I think you would have survived.” I put the key in and turn it, opening the door and stepping into the apartment. “It’s two days.”

“Two days without you is like a lifetime.” His fingers squeeze my hips tighter while I slip the key out of the lock. For the last two months I’ve been in his bed, even if I didn’t want to be. The minute that he told Saige I was moving in, I was in. He helped me pack my bags and then watched me unpack them with a smile on his face. I wish I could say that the past two months have been uneventful but they haven’t been.

After discussing everything with Brock about the Cartwrights, we went and got a lawyer. He told the lawyer everything, who then brought all the proof to the sheriff’s office and then held a meeting with the safety officials. Just last week, the story ran in the paper and there were now countless lawsuits brought to the Cartwrights as well as criminal charges. From what we’ve heard, they will be lucky if they have a penny left.

The room is filled with a thickness from being closed all these months. “I need to get a window open in here.” I walk over to the living room window, pushing it up and letting some air in.

“You lived here?” Brock snaps at me. I look over at him as he stops in the middle of the room and looks it all over. I have to be honest, never in my wildest dreams did I think he would be standing here. If someone told me that, I would have said you were out of your mind. But now here we are.

“Yup,” I say, trying not to be hurt by his words, shrugging. “This is all mine.” I immediately correct myself, “This was all mine. Now it’s going to be someone else’s.”

“This place is the size of our bathroom.” I roll my eyes at him.

“It is not,” I counter, going to the bedroom and also opening the window. “Besides, rent is much more expensive in the city.”

“Baby,” he says, putting his hands on his hips, and I swear the minute he calls me that, my knees still get weak. It’s crazy how much I missed it without admitting it to myself I missed it. “I hate thinking of you living here.”

“Well, the good news is that I don’t live here anymore.” I look around at the tiny space where I made my home, smiling at him. “At least not for much longer. Why don’t you start packing the kitchen, and I’ll go and pack my bedroom?”

“Sure thing, baby,” he agrees, kissing my lips and grabbing my ass in both of his hands. He squeezes me as he passes and grabs a box before walking into the kitchen.

Turning, I make my way to the little bedroom I had. I open the closet and pull out the large suitcase as I slowly start filling it with clothes, making a giveaway pile at the same time I pack the clothes I’m taking with me. I hear slamming coming from the kitchen and smile, knowing the only real reason he is here is because he wants me to be fully moved into his house. He hated knowing that I had an apartment, and I think it was because it was easy for me to leave in his eyes. Little does he know, I’ve been itching to give up my apartment since he asked me to move in, but I’ve been doing it in baby steps not to seem like I’m overwhelming him and Saige.

“I’m done in the kitchen,” Brock announces, coming in the bedroom and falling on my bed. It’s a twin bed, so he’s already too big for it. He folds his arm and places his hand on his temple as he watches me move around. “What time are they coming to get all the furniture?” We also discussed putting my stuff in the spare bedroom when I finally gave up my lease. But he has everything, so it would be too cramped. He even offered to get rid of some of his things to make me more comfortable, but I decided it was best to just donate it to a women’s shelter. They are going to take everything I have, even my kitchen stuff. It was a huge relief knowing the only thing I had to bring back was my clothes and my linens and towels.

“They said they would be here between two and five,” I answer, closing the suitcase once all my clothes are in there. “They will call me thirty minutes before.” He watches me as I pull the luggage off the bed, getting up to roll it to the front door.

“I have to do the bathroom and my office, and we’re done,” I say.

“Why don’t I do the bathroom and you do your office?” he suggests. “Then we can go and get something to eat while we wait for them to call you.”

“Look at us”—I wrap my arms around his neck—“multitasking.” I get on my tippy-toes. “And then, if we have enough time, I might have to pay you back for helping me pack up my things.”

“Baby,” he says, grinning, “any time you want to drop to your knees, I’m never going to stop you.”

“Drop to my knees?” I joke. “I was thinking of you eating me out and making me come on your tongue.” He glares. “It would make me happy, and that’s all you need, right?”

“Very funny.” He shakes his head. “Or you blow me while I eat you, and we’re both happy.”

“We could do that also.” I laugh, walking over to my desk and starting to clear things away. I have organized everything when he comes out of the bathroom, holding on to something in his hand.

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