Page 89 of What Comes After

“What else could I say?” I retorted. “I told her she raised an incredible man, and that when the time came that you were ready to settle down, you’d have your pick of the litter.”

Theo’s brows shot up in surprise.

“And I told her I just hoped you picked the right one,” Mary interjected.

“You did good, son,” Scott chimed in. “And Devyn, you know how much we love you.”

I nodded and rasped, “I do.”

For the next hour or so, Theo and I sat and visited with his parents. We had such a great time, and I loved feeling like I was now part of their family in a much different way.

I was no longer their best friends’ orphaned daughter; I was their son’s girlfriend. It was something to be happy about, something to celebrate, and it felt so good.

After a while, Theo stood and said, “We’re going to get going.”

I thought Mary might be disappointed, but she didn’t seem the least bit upset that Theo was ready to leave. I think she really was happy knowing that we weren’t just leaving here, but we were doing it together.

Scott just went with the flow, like always.

We all said our goodbyes and offered a few embraces, and then Theo and I were out the door. I started to walk with him toward the car, but he took me by the hand and said, “Wait. I want to do something.”

He tugged on my hand, urging me to follow him in the opposite direction. I went, even though I was confused as to where he was taking me. It wasn’t quite dark yet, but it was getting there, so that made it even more baffling.

But a moment later, I realized where he was taking me, and something warm settled in my heart, my belly, and all the way down to my bones.

“After you,” he said, when we arrived.

I beamed up at him and started climbing. Theo followed closely behind me.

The next thing I knew, we were standing inside the treehouse we’d spent months of our lives in when we were younger. A feeling of contentment moved through me as I looked around at the space that hadn’t changed since the last time I was in it. Everything was still there.

“I can’t believe your parents left this like this,” I said.

“Yeah, my dad has done some routine maintenance on it over the years, since the wood all needed to be replaced.”

“Why didn’t he just take it down?” I asked.

Theo walked over to the outdoor bean bag style armchair we’d put in years ago. I hadn’t realized it would survive all these years out in the cold, even if it was technically safe from the rain and snow. But it had a nylon cover on, which seemed to have held up well in the colder months.

“Probably because he knew I’d eventually want to come back here one day. And now, I can finally do what I’ve wanted to do for so long,” he replied.

He sat down in the chair and reached his arm out to me. I went, and once I was close enough for him to touch, Theo urged me to sit in his lap. Then he pressed a chaste kiss to my lips.

“This is what you’ve always wanted to do? Bring a girl to your treehouse, so you can make out with her?”

Theo shook his head. “No. Just you. Only you. No other girl has ever stepped foot in this treehouse. It’s yours and yours alone.”

I cocked an eyebrow and bit the corner of my lip. “Is that so?”

“Absolutely.”

“Then I’ve got to celebrate.”

“What did you have in mind?” he asked.

With my palms pressed firmly against his chest, I wiggled my hips back and forth in his lap. “I think this deserves a reward, don’t you?”

His hand on the arm that was wrapped around my waist dropped down to my ass and squeezed me there. “I don’t have any expectations, but I’m not going to say no to anything you want to do.”

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