Page 153 of Finn Rhodes Forever

At the sound of her boots approaching, I smiled. I still couldn’t believe it was real, our life together.

“Don’t you look comfortable.”

I opened my eyes to see her standing over me with a wry smile on her pretty face. I winked at her and gestured to the blanket beside me. “Hello, baby.”

“Hi.” She flopped down and gave me a quick kiss as I unpacked our lunch.

“How’d the media interview go?”

She wrinkled her nose. “They asked the same question three times.”

The day after Liv and her advisor publishedThe Pink Sand Verbena—the Hidden Flower, her phone and email began blowing up. The media loved Liv’s story of persistence and hope when no one else believed in her, although the university didn’t appreciate it when she stated that to interviewers in her blunt way. The story of the flower that had remained hidden in the woods for a hundred years gained international exposure, and in the ecology science world, all eyes were suddenly on our tiny town.

Randeep Singh added a tour once we showed him the route.

“Is there a ledge behind that waterfall?” he had asked.

Liv and I had exchanged a glance, hiding our grins.

“Not sure,” I had told him. “We didn’t go in that area.”

The best part? Due to the media attention, the research funding was rolling in. Liv’s university opened a research hub here in Queen’s Cove, where she now worked, continuing her research on how plants adapt to climate change. The researchers who had been laid off from the center in Port Alberni were moving in next week.

“Did Holden say when the flooring would arrive?” Liv asked.

Oh, yeah, and that old house at the edge of town? We bought it.

“Next week. We can install it on the weekend. My dad wants to help.” I tipped my chin at her. “You still okay with moving in during renovations?”

Holden and Sadie had offered for us to stay with them, but we wanted our own space.

She nodded. A soft smile spread over her face. “It’ll be fine. We made the right call having our birthday party at the bar, though.”

We shared a private smile and Liv rolled her lips, eyes glittering. Our birthday party was in two days, and we had invited the entire town. We had something special planned—but it was a secret.

“You ready?” I asked her.

Her smile lifted, and her expression was so soft and sweet, it hurt my chest. “Yes.”

My gaze roamed Liv’s face, sunlight dancing off her cheekbones and the different tones in her eyes. My heart squeezed.

“Olivia,” I said, shaking my head, and her eyes sparked. “You’re so beautiful, you make my heart hurt.”

She huffed a laugh and peeked down at her hands, still smiling. “I never get sick of hearing you say that.”

“Good.” I shifted closer to her on the blanket. “I never get sick of saying it.” I leaned in and pressed my lips to her temple, inhaling her sweet scent, letting it fill my lungs. Her skin was warm against my mouth and my arm wrapped around her shoulders, brushing the soft sleeve of her plaid shirt. I hummed against her temple and she sighed, leaning into me.

“Do you need to rush back?”

She shook her head. “I have a few minutes.” Her eyes turned coy, the smile curling up at the corner of her mouth.

My mouth brushed her ear. “Bet I can make you come in less than five minutes.”

Her breath caught but she shot me an amused look of disbelief. “Trust me, you can’t.”

“Oh, yeah?” I lifted her chin, studying the shades of brown and amber in her eyes. “You think I don’t know how to make you feel good?” My voice dropped to a low murmur and her eyelids fell halfway. A ripple of smugness moved through me and my smile lifted higher. “You think I don’t know exactly what makes you squirm?”

My knuckles brushed her shirt, lingering on her nipples.

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