Page 178 of Fall I Want
Thank you for inspiring me every single day.
Then I see thousands of words that she’s written. I gently return the thick stack to the box and eliminate the space between us. Our lips desperately crash together, and I sweep hair from her face.
“I’m so fucking proud of you, Autumn.” I pepper kisses on her mouth and her forehead. “So fucking proud. I knew you could do it. You finished your book.”
Happy tears stream down her cheeks, and I kiss them away.
“It’sourbook.”
Autumn
I sit on one end of the couch with my Moleskine notebook and write my poem for the day.
If this is a dream
I don’t ever want to wake
Yours, eternally.
Ireread my poem.
“I’m getting pretty good at this,” I say as an engine lightly revs outside.
“You’ve had a lot of practice. Can’t wait to read them.” Zane chuckles as he reads my book by the window in the midday sunlight. I love how his messy hair curls at the ends as his eyes sweep over the pages.
“Is it him?” I ask, still shocked that Zane invited Nick to stay with us for a week because the ski resort is booked until March. It has been since the first snowfall. Not even the future CEO could pull enough strings to make it happen, so he offered him a room here.
“Not sure, but there is supposed to be a storm rolling in later today.” He glances out the window before returning to the pages.
I walk over to him and sit in his lap. He wraps his arms around me, kissing my shoulder as I sink on top of him. “What chapter are you on?” I ask.
He’s had the book for three days and has taken his time reading it.
“Fifteen. The one where they dance in the rain.”
I smile warmly, looking back at him as he kisses my neck. “Oh, that’s one of my favorites.”
“Mine too,” he mumbles. “I love reading your heart, Pumpkin. I can feel you in your words.”
I turn to him, capturing his lips. “You believed in me when I didn’t believe in myself. That’s why I dedicated it to you.”
“I’ll always cherish this,” he says, setting the large stack beside me. “Always cherish you.”
A light tap on the door pulls our attention away.
“He’s here,” I whisper.
Zane nods. “He tries to make one move on you, and I’ll fucking murder him. And he knows as much.”
I chuckle. “You have nothing to worry about. Trust me.”
Zane answers the door, swinging it open with a smile. “Need some help?”
“Yeah, sure,” Nick says as Zane wheels an oversized suitcase inside.
Nick’s ski and snowboarding gear is in an awkward-sized large zipper bag. He moves straight to the mudroom in the back and sets it down. Then it occurs to me that he’s been here before.
“How have you been?” Nick asks with a polite smile, glancing at the Christmas tree we haven’t taken down yet.
