Page 93 of A Love Like Pumpkin Spice
“To freedom,” I chuckle and clink my cup against hers. “Let’s hope this time it lasts.”
Kieran and Henry lift their mugs to join in. I just got the news that Jay and Marissa were transferred back to the city. Only this time, with no chance of bail and a few extra charges tacked on that will hopefully keep them locked up for a good long while.
Knowing their luck, I was half-expecting them to wriggle their way out of it somehow.
“I can’t believe it’s over,” I whisper after taking a sip of my coffee, snuggling against Henry’s side. “I stopped believing Marissa would experience any consequences somewhere between second grade and having to share my birthday cake with her.”
“No more sense of impending doom?” Lauren asks, amusement playing at her lips, and I nod slowly.
“I’m still paranoid from time to time, but no, no more impending doom looming over me like a persistent dark cloud.” I sigh happily and run my fingers through Jensen’s fur. He’s resting his head on my knee, whining for a treat, and since he went ahead and turned into a beast to defend my home for me? He’s getting all the treats I can sneak to him.
“My parents don’t care enough about me to show up at my doorstep, even with Marissa behind bars. And sure, they probably wouldn’t have complained if her and Jay’s plan had worked out and they’d gotten their hands on some of my money. But it’s not as if they everneededit.”
I take a deep breath, curling my lips into a smile. God, I can finally breathe again. It’s like a couple of gargoyles that had found a home on my shoulders have finally flown away, only leaving behind some cracks in my foundation that will hopefully heal with time.
“So, what’s your plan with your newfound freedom?” Kieran asks curiously, throwing his biscuit up in the air and catching it in his mouth.
“I honestly don’t know.” I sigh, fingers tapping against my warm cup. “Playing with my two and a half cats, wondering if Chaos will lead even more animals to me.” I take a sip of my coffee, cursing when it burns my lips. “Hell, maybe I’ll pick up reading again. Now that my brain can grasp letters again instead of only pretending it does while I’m actually worrying about those who shall not be named.”
Then I turn to Lauren. “How is your new hobby search coming along?”
Jensen is shuffling under the table, making his way over to Kieran, who’s all too happy to entertain him. Henry presses his lips against my temple, then gets up to hang out with Caleb.
“Do you think he decorates his café for Christmas?” Lauren asks, eyes darting around the room.
“He didn’t for fall,” I point out, and she makes an agreeing, humming noise.
“It’s a shame. Some winter decorations would be so cute in here. But anyway, hobbies.” She grins as she turns her mug in her hands. “Can’t say the search is going well. So far, the hobbies I’ve tried include falling into desperation over IKEA handbooks, cutting off circulation in my fingers while trying to knit, and burning milk in my attempt to make the perfect hot chocolate. Oh, and I tried my hand at tarot, but Amanda seemed like teaching me was about to give her an aneurysm, so I gave that up.”
She rolls her eyes, and I can’t help but giggle at that visual.
“Reading though … reading works.” Her lips tug into a grin. “I might not have the bookshelves yet, but I have three ceiling-high stacks of books in my library and a cozy armchair setup.”
“Library?” Kieran’s head pops up, and he looks at her, surprised. “Huh. I still have an empty room in my house. That’s a great idea. If you figure out how to build those IKEA bookshelves, let me know. Or better yet, once you’ve got the hang of it, you can build some for me.”
She shoots him a glare that says,over my dead body. “Only if you film and then publish one video that I get to decide on.”
“Welp, good thing there are YouTube tutorials,” Kieran presses out with a nervous chuckle before he turns to talk to Jensen Ackles again.
“That’s what I thought,” she grumbles, before her face suddenly softens. “You look happy, Nic,” she says with a smile, and I nod. My eyes find Henry, who is leaning against the counter casually, laughing at something Caleb said, and I bite my lip.
He’s so effortlessly handsome. I still can’t believe fate, or rather, Chaos, threw him my way. Much less that he wants to stick around after everything that happened over the past few weeks.
“I am,” I assure her, my gaze darting back to her, still smiling widely. “I really,reallyam.”
“You deserve it,” she whispers and reaches over the table to squeeze my hand.
“As do you.” I squeeze her hand right back, and the smiles we share with each other convey the same sentiment.
I’m so glad we moved here.
Later that evening, Henry and I are once more cuddled up on the couch, buried under a warm blanket and our animals as we watch a new movie. It’s some kind of remake that’s not even coming close to the original, but it’s entertaining enough.
I have my cheek pressed against his chest, feeling it lift with every breath. His heartbeat thumps under my ear. This is slowly but surely becoming my favorite pastime—being with him, a bad movie running in the background, cuddling my cats.
“You make the best pillow,” I tell him lazily, my eyes falling closed, and I hide a yawn in his shirt.
“And you’re a great human equivalent to a plush toy,” he mumbles, his chest vibrating with a chuckle as his hand starts slowly running up and down my arm.
