Page 74 of Anchored

“Ready to go home?”

She pulls her head off my chest and gives me a lazy, content smile. “Ready.”

I bend down and scoop her up, marching us out of the pool area to the whoops and hollers and whistles of the old people.

ChapterTwenty-Nine

Maple

There’s only two weeks of summer left. And just like when I was a kid, I feel a sense of urgency to squeeze out the last bits of paradise here in Anchor Lake before it all disappears. Holt frequently reminds me that this year summer won’t end. Our life here is just beginning. There’s no stuffy home to go back to where my family will pummel me with responsibilities and comments about how I’ve disappointed them. That’s all in the past now. Logically I know it, but my nervous system hasn’t settled down yet. I suspect it might take me some time to stop waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Holt has shifted his schedule so that he goes in later and gets off earlier, handing off more of his responsibilities to the staff he’s hired. This is also an adjustment for him. He’s been hustling for his business since before he got his doctorate. With more downtime, we’ve gone on more hikes, done more yoga by the lake, and he’s taught me how to cook while I’ve introduced him to takeout. He’s also gone back to regular therapy with a counselor especially trained in ADHD. He says it’s his way of making sure he’s on top of things for the good of our relationship.

I’m sliding into a pair of swim shorts when my cell phone rings. Holt and I are planning to float around the lake today, relaxing and soaking in the last bits of summer sun.

“Grandma?” I ask as soon as I pick up. “Everything okay?”

Her answering giggle puts my mind at ease. There’s some muffled talking and then her voice comes through, loud and clear, like she just remembered to put the receiver up to her mouth.

“Yes, darling. Everything is more than okay. Hank and I are getting married at noon today. We’d like you and Holt to be there. He’s calling Holt right now.”

My mouth drops open. “Oh, Grandma! I’m so happy for you!”

They’ve spent every second together the last two weeks since they were reunited, so it’s not a surprise they want to make things official, but I’m still shocked this all came together so quickly.

“Thank you, darling. We’ve wasted enough time apart, and quite frankly, who knows when one of us will up and kick the bucket! We’ve gotta make hay while the sun shines, you know?”

I chuckle. “That’s a lot of metaphors, but I know what you mean. Why waste time when you know what your heart wants?”

Holt comes into the bedroom in his boxers and nothing else, his own cell phone pressed to his ear. He gives me a questioning look, and I give him a thumbs up. He relaxes and smiles into the phone. “You got her pregnant, didn’t you, Grandpa?”

The loud guffaw from Harold’s end of the phone sends us all into laughter. When we’ve settled down, I tell Grandma that we wouldn’t miss their wedding for the world. They hang up, and I look down at my outfit of a swimsuit top and shorts.

“I guess I better change.”

Holt tosses his phone on the bed and stalks toward me, his gaze firmly affixed to my breasts. “Orrrr…you could wear that bikini top under your dress and we can go to the lake after the ceremony if there’s time.”

I put my hands on my hips, not at all annoyed where his attention has gone. The man is a master at playing my body in all the right ways. He can look all he wants if he keeps up the orgasms. “Are you going to stare at my boobs the whole time?”

He bites his lip and puts his hands on my hips, pulling me into his chest. “Probably. I can’t help it. You’re so fucking gorgeous.”

I love it when his voice takes on that growl he reserves for when it’s just the two of us. He goes from the happy physical therapist everyone around town knows him to be to domineering lover whose only goal is to make me delirious with pleasure.

“You’re not so bad yourself, hunky monkey.”

He winces, gaze finally swinging back up to my face. “We still have to work on that.”

I slide my hands behind his neck and into his hair. “Do we though?”

He dips his head and kisses me, time unraveling at the feel of his soft lips, tickly five o’clock shadow, and insistent press of his tongue. The man has made kissing an art form, spending time in practice, not hurrying along to the finale when there’s pleasure to be found in the intimate act of sharing the same air. I love that he doesn’t rush. Doesn’t brush past the steps that lead to real intimacy between two people.

Holt drags his lips away and groans. “We better get dressed and get something to eat before we head to the courthouse.” He pauses though, his gaze tenderly sweeping over my face. “I can’t wait until it’s our turn.”

“Me too,” I whisper back, happy in a way I didn’t know was possible.

I end up in the dress I wore the night Holt didn’t show up at the restaurant for our date. It’s the only fancy one I have with me, and I’d like to attach happier memories to it. As soon as summer is officially over, I’ll handle my affairs, get my things from the condo, sell the place, and officially move to Anchor Lake.

Holt dons a pair of khaki shorts with a black polo shirt that makes his tan skin look like he should be in a commercial for a vacation timeshare somewhere exotic. He fiddles with the collar as we drive into town in his Jeep, and I can’t help but tease him.

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