Page 58 of Pick Yourself Up
She threw her arms around him to prevent herself from telling him she loved him in front of an audience. The first time had to be with just them. “Thank you.”
Amber turned to find the other four grinning at her, not even pretending to give them a moment of privacy. Exactly as she would have expected. “Thank you all. This is such a wonderful surprise. It’s perfect.”
Jolie clapped her hands and hugged her. “We wanted to do it for you. I had to make sure you saw the B&B as your own. We want to ensure you stick around forever.”
Forever sounded good.
Knox grinned at her. “Which means you need to name the place. We can’t keep calling it the B&B or the inn. What are you thinking?”
That had her pausing. “I have no idea. I haven’t even thought about it.”
Gray laughed. “Well, you’ve got time to think.”
Knox grinned. “How about Amber’s Place?”
“No way.” That made her shudder, and her brother laughed.
She let them throw out terrible name after terrible name. It wouldn’t matter what she called it because she already knew what it would be.
Home. No matter what name she chose, it would be home.
Chapter 16
Strengthen Your Core
Gray wanted Amber to feel happy and secure in her new home. Finishing up the owner’s suite was a step toward making that happen and the security they’d installed would help, too.
He wasn’t sure she’d be ready to spend the night there, but he hoped so.
For years, she’d lived in hotels. The large building around her wouldn’t be new, but the emptiness would be. Would the presence of him and Boomer be enough to help her feel safe? If not, he’d gladly stay with her in the farmhouse where she’d be surrounded by family.
It was his turn to cook, so he’d reluctantly left Amber and Boomer in the large house. The doors were locked and the alarms were set. She had her phone and Boomer, who was the very best type of security.
He’d still rather be there with her or have her here with him.
But the mushroom risotto he’d planned for the night required his presence. It wasn’t a quick meal to fix, but the patience required to make the rice creamy and delicious was worth every moment.
He also had fish to pan-fry and bread to bake. The dough had risen perfectly while they’d been at the B&B, and he just had to time it for everything to be ready at the same time.
Still, he thought about Amber being alone up the road. Unable to help himself, he texted her to see how she was doing.
He could hear the smile in the words she texted. We’re good. All of us. We’re working on painting the laundry room and replacing the fixtures in the powder room off the kitchen.
He grinned. Perfect. He could relax. Those tasks hadn’t been on her do this stuff first list, but he knew she’d be thrilled to have them completed. Having a laundry on-site would be great. Another step toward making this a home.
How else could he help her feel like this could be her place—their place—forever?
He knew she’d changed jobs a few times over the past years. Always to a new hotel that needed to be updated.
According to his research, Amber had been instrumental in turning around at least three hotels. The changes she’d implemented had taken them from run-of-the-mill hotels to unique properties catering to wealthy clients.
The security systems she’d implemented at The Sidderlight had saved his client and who knew how many more.
Would the lure of running her own B&B be enough to have her wanting to stay forever? He hoped his presence and that of her family would push her in that direction because that’s where he was leaning.
The apple farm was far more alluring than he’d expected. Angelina and his mamma would love everything about it.
He could see himself tending the gardens and helping with the rest of the property for the rest of his life. He’d never intended to be a lifer in the army. Two tours of seeing the horrors humans could inflict on each other were enough. Body guarding had been nothing but a stopgap.
