Page 153 of All Too Well
I chuckle and pull her to my side. “Tomorrow then.” I kiss her temple, and she stares up at me with so much love in her eyes it’s almost overwhelming.
“Tomorrow.”
The last two weeks have been so easy, as though we’ve been together for years.
We’ve settled into a great routine, and Ainsley’s former bedroom is now her office. We moved the rest of her things down last weekend, and we’ll probably need one more before she’s fully out of the apartment.
Each morning I wake up with her breathing in my face, hair whipping me across the cheek when she flops over, and I’ve never been happier in my life.
“As much as it’s been an absolute pleasure running into you, Miles, we have a lot of carnival to cover,” I say, placing my hand on her back.
“Where’s Rose?”
“She’s with Rickie, Maddy, and Veronica’s families,” Ainsley says with a smug smile.
Turns out Rickie does like Rose, but she didn’t think she liked her, or some other girl nonsense. I stopped listening after she said they were friends again.
“Well, I’ll let you two lovebirds make the rounds. I’m sure the town will all want a piece of the new girls.”
“Girls?” I ask.
“Yeah, Hazel just hired a new manager who moved intotown.”
“Really? I hadn’t heard.”
Which is strange, since I swear the firehouse could double as a gossip mill most days.
“Yeah, her name is Penelope. She’s a single mom, moved from somewhere in Illinois,” Miles explains.
“Oh! Hazel mentioned it when I was in there the other day. Said she’s super sweet, and her son is about Rose’s age. Do you know where she’s staying?” Ainsley asks. “Please tell me it’s not that cabin I got stuck in.”
Miles laughs once. “No, I asked. Hazel said she’s renting one of the old ranchers’ houses on the Mitchells’ land.”
“Not much better than the cabin,” I note.
The ranchers’ houses are tiny, but at least they’re up to date with running water and electricity.
Ainsley looks to me. “Maybe it would be a good thing to meet her and introduce Rose to her son? I’m sure it’s hard for him.”
“I met her when she came to register him for school. He’s a cute kid,” says Miles.
“Okay, well, I’ll ... make a point to go get coffee, and we’ll find a non-creepy way to introduce her to Rose. On that note”—I take Ainsley’s hand in mine—“we’re going to find my daughter.”
“Have fun,” Miles says as he walks off.
“This is really cute,” Ainsley notes.
“You’re really cute.”
“We’re ridiculous, you know that?” she asks while resting her head on my arm.
“Why? Because I love you?”
Ainsley glances up at me through her long lashes. “No, that’s definitely not ridiculous. That’s kind of perfect.”
“So then what makes us ridiculous?”
“You know what? Nothing.”
