Page 78 of Found By Him

I pivot back to watch her, my eyes locking onto hers, wanting to make sure she really hears what I’m about to say. “You aren’t being presumptuous. You live here now.”

A shocked laugh pops from her full lips. “Now, who is being presumptuous? This normally starts with a question like, ‘Would you like to move in with me?’”

I round the island as I shake my head. “The problem with questions is that they allow the other person to say no.”

She raises an eyebrow at me, head tilting with playfulness.

“There’s only one answer, Gisella.”

“Oh, really?” she teases.

“Yes, really.” And then my lips are meeting hers, stomach swooping when she kisses me back with just as much passion. This feels so right. And there’s nothing more I want than to keep her right here by my side forever. When I pull back, she bites my lip, eyes searching mine. I groan, adjusting myself as I move away from her. We’re both injured. I need to have restraint.

Her lips quirk into a conspiratorial smirk. “I’ll move in on one condition.”

As I doctor her cup of coffee, I ask, “What’s that?”

“We play bingo at the senior center every Saturday.”

I grimace as I carry the cup to her. “Twice a month.”

She narrows her eyes. “Three times a month. Final offer.”

I pinch her chin gently. “Fine, three times. But I get to decide how we spend the Saturdays we don’t go.”

My heart skips a beat at the grin that spreads across her face. “Deal.”

Burying my hands in her hair, I pull her up to kiss her deeply. My tongue slides along hers as a moan escapes her throat and goes straight to my dick. “I love you, Gisella.”

“It’s Ella,” she whispers with a grin.

“Not to me, you aren’t.” As I kiss her again, she hums a sound of contentment.

“I love you too, Jack.” Her sweet declaration tickles my lips. “I’m so lucky to have you.”

She’s wrong.

I don’t know what karma is paying off for me, but what I do know, without a doubt, is that I’m the lucky one.

EPILOGUE

Ella

Six months later

Stretching out on the lounge chair, I look out across the sandy beach to the beautiful waters of the British Virgin Islands.

“Here you go, baby. A world-famous Painkiller for you.” Jack plops down on the chair next to me and hands me the frosty glass. I push my sunglasses onto my head to hold my hair back. I take a moment to admire the man that I’m so in love with that it steals my breath at times. From the time we’ve spent in the sun, his skin is golden, and his beard a little longer than usual. His tattoos and muscles are on full display, since he’s only wearing low-slung swim trunks.

“You need to stop looking at me like that, or you aren’t going to get any beach time, because I’ll be marching your ass straight back up to our villa.”

My grin widens, and I shrug. We’ve spent most of our time in the villa. And I was only half-heartedly complaining yesterday that we hadn’t spent as much time as I would have liked on the beach over the week we’ve been here. Even if I was basking in every moment we spent together, relaxed and uninterrupted. Jack did his best to convince me that the villa was better than the beach, but he conceded that we could spend our last day out here.

But looking at him now, I’m rethinking my decision to come to the beach.

He swings his legs up onto the lounger and leans back, taking a sip of his beer.

The last six months have been something out of a fairytale. I moved into Jack’s house, both of us supporting each other as we healed, both physically and mentally, from our injuries and the whole ordeal. Our amazing group of chosen family was rallying around us at every step of that journey. Jack promised me the chance to be a normal couple, and he’s delivered on that promise in spades. And he gets me flowers every Monday.

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