Page 203 of How to Kiss a Hawthorne Brother
I tug him to his feet and answer with a slow, deliberate kiss, my hands sliding over the smooth planes of his body. We kiss until the tenderness melts into hunger, each kiss deepening, tugging us closer together. Heat races across my skin, collecting in my fingertips, scorching me wherever we touch. And I want to touch him everywhere. Catalog him. Remember the freckle on the back of his hand and the curve of each bicep and the exact shade of his deep brown eyes.
I want to know everything.
I want tobehis everything.
“I would love to marry you, Perry Hawthorne, but we best be quick about it. Because I’m ready to make you mine in all the ways that matter.”
Heat flashes in his eyes, and he kisses me again, this one sweeter than the last because this one holds the promise of forever.
Epilogue
Perry
I meet Lila atthe door of her SUV as soon as she pulls into my driveway. We’re getting married in the morning, a New Year’s Eve wedding, but I can’t wait any longer to give her her wedding gift.
I look into the backseat, but if Lila followed my instructions, she already dropped Jack off at Mom’s house. Sure enough, she’s the only one in the car.
I tug her car door open before she can.
“Hi,” I say, leaning in to kiss her hello. This part of our relationship still hasn’t gotten old, and I’m tempted to just stay here, enjoying a prolonged greeting before we go inside. But then I remember why she’s here, and I pull back, tugging her out of the car.
“What on earth are you so excited about?”
I grin. “Just come inside. I have something for you.”
On the front porch, I stop her and pull out a blindfold.
“Seriously?” she asks, but she doesn’t resist when I slip it over her eyes.
“There’s a certain order to this surprise. I can’t risk you peeking. Okay. Can you see?” I wave a hand in front of her face.
She shakes her head. “Not a bit. Perry, what is this about?”
“Okay, come inside with me.”
I tug her gently forward, guiding her through the door and into the living room where we cross to the dining room. Or, what used to be the dining room. My dining room table is currently in my garage, where it will stay for the foreseeable future.
I turn Lila so she’s facing back toward the door. “All right. I’m going to take the blindfold off. Butdon’tturn around. Just look straight forward.”
She nods, even as she bites her lip, just like she always does whenever she’s nervous. “Okay. No turning. I promise.”
I slide off the blindfold. “Open your eyes.”
I hold my breath as she looks over the enormous poster board leaning against the back of the couch. “What is it?” she whispers.
I pick up the poster and bring it closer. “It’s a house. There’s this piece of property I’ve been looking at, and I’vesort ofbeen talking with an architect, going over different house plans. Nothing is set in stone. We can still change everything so it’s something you like too. But the reason I loved this design is because if you look right here”—I point at the left side of the house—“there’s an outside entrance that goes right into what I thought you might use as a studio.”
Lila is silent for a long moment. “For music?”
I nod. “That way, if you start teaching, your students could just go in and out, without having to walk through the rest of the house. I did a lot of research, and I guess teachers who work from home suggest an outside entrance makes it easier . . .”
Lila still hasn’t said anything, and I suddenly start to doubt.
“But this is only if you want to, Lila. You don’t have to teach. You can keep working at the farm as long as you want to.”
She finally smiles and reaches up to wipe away a tear I’m just now noticing. “You researched?”
“Of course I did.”
