Page 82 of Dream with Me

Troy turns back to me and gives me a wickedly handsome smile and a wink before turning back to the guys. “No can do. It’s currently in use for something else.”

“Oh my God,” Tillie says, her voice hushed. The conversation of the men fades into the background as Tillie grabs Shyley and my attention. “You’re using it as a sex den!”

I glance over to make sure my dad didn’t overhear, but now Lincoln has swayed Ben to his side, so the two of them are animatedly explaining why they think the guys need a communal mancave. My dad is sitting back grinning at them, taking it all in. No sign of shock on his face. Phew.

I turn my attention back to the women. “No. It’s a good place to escape to on our dates so we can have uninterruptedqualitytime. Naked. Without the risk of one of our kids or our dog cockblocking us.”

Shyley laughs. “So, it’s like maybe a toned-down sex den? Where it’s just you two, no crazy shit going on. It’s still sort of a sex den, Shan.”

I didn’t see Shayna’s approach, so she totally takes me by surprise.

“Who has a sex den?” Shayna asks loudly. Too loudly. Loudly enough that she’s got the attention of the entire table of men. Most of them wear an expression of utter confusion. Not Troy. Troy wears a satisfied, knowing smile.

More of our family trickle into the kitchen, and a gaggle of kids run through. Panic sets in, and I can see Troy holding back a laugh.

“Six pens. She said six pens, you creeps. Tillie asked how many pens I needed at my new desk, and I... um, I said ‘six pens,’ not ‘sex den.’ Get your minds out of the gutter, you perverts.”

My face is hot, and I’m sure I’m bright red. Troy stands and comes over to me, wrapping an arm around my waist.

“Thanks for the coffee, babe.”

His leaving the table distracts everyone else from the conversation, thank God, and small side conversations start as the women and men intermingle.

“Thanks for the rescue.”

“Anytime.” He leans in close to my ear so only I can hear. “No one else needs to know that we absolutely have our own version of a sex den.” His voice has a teasing yet sultry lilt to it, and it turns me on a little.

“Maybe weshouldthink about keeping it,” I tease back. I turn so we’re facing each other and wrap my arms around him.

“Hey, if we can dream it, it can happen...” Damn, my husband is sexy.

“Hmmm. Meet me for drinks tonight? Dream with me?”

“I’ll be there.” He winks, then pulls me into a hug and when he pulls back, he cups my face in his hands and looks into my eyes. Everything around us falls away, and the teasing, sultry tone from a few seconds ago is gone, replaced by tenderness. It’s just us in this moment. “I’ll be there tonight and every night for the rest of our lives. Always.”

I smile at him, hoping he can see the love in my eyes. “Always.”

EPILOGUE

THREE MONTHS LATER

SHANNON

The door to my guest bedroom/makeshift office at Tillie’s house flies open, and Tillie rushes into the room.

“Guess what?” She’s out of breath, and her grin is huge. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen her this happy. Or this winded.

“Uh... What?”

“No, come on. Guess. It’s only fun if you guess,” Tillie says.

“Okay. Let’s see. We got more new clients?”

“Pffft. That would be exciting, and yes, we did get two more, but that’s old news. We’re getting new clients every day. Oh, that reminds me, we have an interview tomorrow for another part-time accountant. Now, guess again.”

“Ugh. I don’t know what gets you this level of excited, Tills. You?—”

“You saw that contractor with the killer bod when you were at the home improvement store to get the supplies for my work area?” Ruthie asks from the doorway.

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