Page 73 of Turning Tides
Shane dazzled me with a smile then leaned in and brushed a kiss against my lips. “Always.”
Chapter 35
Epilogue
Shane
“Hold still.”
“I don’t like the dark,” Archer pretend to complain as I tied the blindfold over his eyes.
“It’s only for a minute. You’ll just have to trust me.” I went around to the front of Archer and took his hand.
He did his best to scowl at me, but I could see how excited he was trying not to be. He didn’t know what I’d been up to, but he knew I’d been up to something. It had been easier than I first thought to get his art studio space in my attic up and running. The previous owners had once thought about expanding their living space upstairs and had done some work already to prepare for the sheetrock.
Clayton had been dealt with, and business at the shop had picked up pretty steadily since I made it my mission to go from mostly-retired bar owner to social media manager for my hot, talented boyfriend, bringing an influx of customers. Ethan and Archer had also come to an agreement to let Archer hang paintings in the diner that people could buy. He’d already sold a handful, and he still claimed to not be finished the one he was working on for me. Maybe the new space would inspire him.
I led him up to the attic. Navigating the stairs was the tricky part, but we managed to go up with me following close behind to protect him if he stumbled. The space still smelled faintly of fresh paint, which was an improvement from the dusty odor that had previously filled the space.
I tugged him into the center of the room.
“Are you ready?” I asked.
“No. I think I’d like to stand here in the dark for another ten minutes,” Archer snarked, but a smile curved his mouth and I wanted to kiss it. “Yes, can I please see now?”
I gently removed the blindfold and watched his expression as he opened his eyes. “What…”
I saw the moment he spotted the easel and the cupboard of art supplies. I’d practically bought out the entire store. I’d had a counter installed with storage below and above. I’d bought a comfortable-looking stool for him that came highly recommended and a chaise lounge for when he wanted to curl up and sketch.
“What the fuck?” Archer gaped at the space, slowly turning in a circle.
“It’s yours.” I pulled the second surprise out of my pocket. We hadn’t made it official yet, but he spent practically every night here, only staying over at his place once in a while when he stayed up too late working. And even then I tended to drive over and drag him home. I took his hand and dropped a keychain into it. There were keys to the house and the garage, even the shed out back.
Archer looked at them, then up at me. “Keys?”
“To my house. You basically live here already. I want you to live here for real.”
“Keys. And a studio. Shane… I…” Archer threw his arms around me and buried his face in the curve of my neck. “I told you to stop giving me shit.”
“And I told you that I’d never stop doing my best to make you happy.”
He kissed my throat. The side of my neck. The little spot below my ear that made my knees want to give out and my back shiver.
“You make me happy without all this stuff, you know.”
“I know.”
“I don’t need any of it, but I love you for giving it to me.” Archer forced himself away from me and took a slow walk through the room. He ran his fingers over the countertop as he passed. He opened the cupboard and had a look at the supplies, brushing his fingers over the labels like he needed to touch everything to make sure it was real. He sat on the stool and slowly swiveled in a circle before stopping when he faced me again.
Archer looked at me and crooked his finger. “Come here.”
When I was close enough for him to reach me, he looped his fingers around my suspenders and yanked me closer to him. He stood, getting into my space. So much so that he had to tilt his head back to look at me.
“Have I told you lately that you’re everything to me? And that I really fucking love these suspenders?”
“Just the suspenders?” I quirked an eyebrow and he rose up on his toes to kiss me.
“And the man wearing them. I’ve been too nervous to give it to you, but your painting is done. We’ll go get it after.”
