Page 417 of How to Kiss a Hawthorne Brother
Audrey looks up. “You did this?”
“I mean, Mark did a lot of it. And nobody guaranteed anything. But there’s a lot of money in California. And a lot of environmentalists who are concerned about development and how it impacts—”
She cuts off my words with a kiss, her fingers tangling in my hair. I could keep doing this all night, but I’m not finished yet. There’s something else I still need to show her. I pull away, but she holds me close, her hands moving to the sides of my face. “I can’t believe you did this,” she says. “Flint. This is amazing.”
“Like I said, there are no guarantees.”
“I know,” she says quickly. “I know. But it’s a place to start.”
I jump off the couch, not even trying to curb my enthusiasm. IwantAudrey to know how excited I am about this. Aboutus.“Okay, I have one more thing to show you.”
She laughs. “What has gotten into you?”
This time, I head to my bedroom and grab the Feed ’n Seed bag from the top of my dresser. I carry it back to the living room and set it on the back of the chair, then pull out the camouflage sweatshirt I picked up on my way home. “I got this today. And a hat, too.” I pull out a baseball cap trimmed with leaves, just like the one she was wearing when I found her hidden on the trail. “I figured, this way, if you ever want to go out to observe the squirrels or birds or whatever, I can come too.”
She studies me for a long moment, her eyes shining. “Flint,” she finally says. “This is the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me.”
I lick my lips and hurry back to the couch, reaching for her hands. “Audrey, I know my life is big and stressful and frequently stupid. But I fell in love with a biologist, and I don’t ever want you tostopbeing a biologist. I see you, all right? Your life won’t get swallowed by mine because I won’t let it. It’s too important to me. You’re too important to me.”
She smiles through her tears, then kisses me for a very long time.
Later, when we’re stretched out on the couch, Audrey snuggled against me, she lifts her head, propping her chin on my chest. “You know, it’s okay ifsomeof my life gets swallowed by yours.”
“Yeah? Like what?”
“I mean, if we get to the point where we’re choosing houses, I definitely choose this one.”
“Good to know,” I say through a grin.
“I’m just saying though. If the master bathroom isn’t as pretty as the guest bathroom just past your office, I’m using the guest one instead. I’ve had actual dreams about that shower.”
“It’s nice, right?” I lean up and press a kiss to her forehead, still overwhelmed by the realization that Icankiss her—that she wants me to. “But trust me. You’re going to love the shower in the master bathroom.”
She smiles. “I can’t wait to see it.”
I can’t wait foreverything.All of whatever this life with Audrey is going to be.
Audrey drops her head and settles against me, breathing out a contented sigh.
I’ve done a lot of amazing things in my life, and I’ve met a lot of amazing people. But there isn’t a single doubt in my mind: nothing has ever compared to this.
Epilogue
Flint
Audrey has never lookedmore beautiful.
In the past three years, she’s looked amazing on the red carpet half a dozen different times.
She also took my breath away on our wedding day.
And she lookedstunningwhen she held our son for the first time, her sweat-streaked hair clinging to her face.
But there’s something about today that feels different. Or maybe it’s just that every time I look at her, she’s more beautiful than she was the day before.
“What do you think?” she asks, turning away from the hotel mirror to face me. “I feel like my boobs might fall out.”
“They aren’t falling anywhere,” I say. “You look great.”
