Page 67 of Squatch Out!
I nod. I hope so too.
Owen leaves shortly afterward but not before he gushes all over Olivia. He tells her how happy he is that she came back and invites us to dinner later so we can all catch up.
Before I can open my mouth to turn him down, Olivia happily agrees, then reminds me that my kitchen is empty. “Besides, we have lots of time to spend together. Since I’m not going anywhere.” She pats my chest and grins up at me in that way that I can’t say no. Not that I want to.
With my arm curled around her waist, I lead her back into the house. It’s hours still until we need to go to Owen’s. After I close the door behind us, I reach for her hand and thread my fingers through hers before pulling her down the hallway.
“Where are you going? I was going to make us some lunch.” She tugs back on my hand, but I don’t relent.
“I’m out of food, remember? Besides, I’m only hungry for one thing right now, and it’s not in the kitchen.”
When I look back at her, her pupils are dilated, and her cheeks have turned a soft pink. “Oh yeah?”
“Yeah.” I lick my lips, scoop her up into my arms, and race down the hall while she squeals with excitement. I don’t plan on letting her out of my bed until I’ve made up for every single day I missed while she was gone.
CHAPTER THIRTY
OLIVIA
One year later…
Ijust logged off from my last meeting of the day when Sean pokes his head into our bedroom. I’ve turned a corner of it into a temporary office space during the remodel.
The oven fire damage ended up being far more extensive than we suspected. Or at least, that was Sean’s excuse for deciding we needed to update the whole kitchen. Everything snowballed from there. If we’re remodeling, we might as well create an office for me, and if we’re adding more rooms…
So, for the last year, we’ve basically been adding a whole other house onto the back of his rambler.
Working during all the construction has been a challenge, but it’s almost finished now. The new appliances were scheduled to be delivered this morning, but I’ve been so busy, I forgot all about them. Until now.
“Are you finished?” Sean asks from the doorway.
“I am, finally.” Thank God it’s Friday, and I’ll have the next few days to spend working on the house. Turns out, remodelingcan be a lot of fun. Painting especially is turning into my new favorite hobby, which means every room in Sean’s house is now a different color.
“I have a surprise for you.” He’s practically vibrating with pent-up excitement as he reaches out to me. This makes me nervous because, in the last year, I’ve discovered Sean’s idea of a surprise is always over the top, so I can’t begin to imagine what he’s done this time.
Threading my fingers through his, I let him pull me through the house and into the kitchen, where everything is sparkling and brand-new. Including the new appliances.
“Oh!” The quartz countertop is a bright contrast to the dark mocha cupboards. A huge farmhouse sink with an apron-style front and commercial sprayer takes up the back wall with a huge gas range and matching fridge and dishwasher. The matching quartz island was my idea, and the one thing I wanted the most. It reminds me of my childhood, of my mom at the stove and my dad and me at the island while the three of us talked about our day.
“Oh yeah. They came this morning,” Sean says dismissively as he drags me through the kitchen to a doorway. “That’s not the surprise.”
I’ve asked a few times what he was planning for this room, but Sean kept brushing it off. When I pushed him to tell me, he played dirty and used sex to distract me. Which worked every damn time.
He turns to grin at me as he grips the doorknob. Then, with a flourish, he pushes it open and waves for me to go inside.
I take a step and then freeze. It’s… an office.My office?
I turn back to Sean with a confused look. “But I thought I was going to use one of the smaller rooms…”
Sean shakes his head and pushes me through the doorway. The walls are painted a soft dove gray with white accents. Twohuge picture windows will ensure light streams in throughout the day. An electric sit/stand desk is against one wall, with a brand-new desktop and two massive screens sitting on top of it and a walking treadmill tucked underneath. A filing cabinet sits beside the desk, and a cozy rocking chair is tucked into the corner. The wall across from the windows is nothing but built-in bookshelves.
It’s… it’s beautiful. And perfect. It’s like he somehow reached inside my head and pulled out my dream office. The one I never ever expected to actually have, so never told anyone about.
“How?” I ask as I spin around. Only it’s not just Sean anymore. Owen and Jenny are there too. And all of them are grinning at me.
Then Sean slowly bends down. On one knee.
My head starts to spin, and he reaches out to take my hand. Steadying me. Squeezing my fingers in his.
