Page 131 of Rules Of Our Own

“Pancakes?” Mia asks, sliding a plate in front of me before I can answer. The two of them look like they’re up to something.

“Thanks.” I take a bite, humming at the sweet taste of maple syrup. She walks around to my side of the island, and I wrap my fingers under my shirt around her waist. “Come here.”

The cat jumps from my lap as I twist on the stool. Mia’s searching my face, clear green eyes catching on mine. She takes a deep breath. “Alex and I were talking…and…what do you think if we both move in here?”

Warmth radiates in my chest, and I pull her onto my lap, capturing her mouth in a deep kiss.

She’s breathless when I pull away. “Is that a yes?”

I glance between her and a nervous-looking Alex.

“I don’t know how this is even a question.” I kiss Mia’s temple before settling her feet to the ground and walking around the island. I set my coffee cup on the counter and back Alex into a corner.

I search his gaze, the worry clearly written across his features.

“What’s wrong?” I ask.

He looks at his feet, the wall, then the ceiling. Anywhere other than at me. I grasp his jaw, grabbing his attention. “Tell me.”

“I know you don’t like to talk much, and I just wanted you to know…I love you…and…I hope you love me.” There’s fear in his eyes, and his words crack on the last vowels.

Shock registers through me, and I grip the back of his neck, closing the distance between our mouths. I kiss him long and slow, devouring every sound he makes before pulling away, chest heaving.

“Of course, I fucking love you. I fucking breathe because of you. And my heart beats because of her. You never have to doubt that. This. Us. We’re everything.”

EPILOGUE

NINE MONTHS LATER

MIA:

I bend at my knees,and crouch down to get my fingers under a cardboard box markedLIVING ROOMin black Sharpie. Sweat dampens the hair that escaped my ponytail and lies damp against my neck.

The moving van is nearly empty, and my arms shake from the weight as I haul the box to my chest. I swallow hard, looking down the narrow ramp and brace myself to cross it.

Ahead of me is our new home. We’d looked for several months, and nothing felt right until this came on the market two doors down from Lucas.

I knew the second I saw it that it’s perfect for us. The straight lines and wood accents reminded me so much of Napa the air caught in my lungs and memories of sweat coated skin filled my thoughts when we pulled up to tour the place and River put in an offer that same day so large there was no way the owner could turn it down.

I wobble, leaning a little too far to the right, the steel ramp rocks beneath me, and I lose my balance. My stomach jumps into my throat, but strong arms grip my hips, lifting me, and the box easily in the air, placing me softly on the ground.

Alex smiles down at me. “Easy there, Kitten.” He grabs the box from my tired grip and tucks it under his arm like it weighs nothing. “You’re special cargo.”

My heart is still racing from my near fall, but the way he’s looking at me quickly has my heart skipping for a completely different reason. The air around us grows thick, and the magnetic force between us has me lifting on my toes, lips brushing his—

“Knock it off you two.” Lucas calls, walking up the death ramp, and rolls his eyes at us. “At least wait until you’ve got your own room.”

I can feel my cheeks heat, but Alex just gives him a cocky smile.

“Mia, take a break with us.” Piper says, Sidney following close behind her. They sit on the oversized wood swing. The large mattress makes it more of a bed than a bench. A thrill shoots through me–at what we could use it for–that I immediately stomp down.

I glance up at Alex, who leans in and kisses my temple. “We’ve got this, go sit down. We need you well rested for the plans River and I have tonight.”

Heat floods my core, and he gives me a smile full of promises, knowing exactly what he’s doing to me.

It’s fine, I can play right back. “I don’t know. I’m feeling pretty tired, might call it an early night.”

He trails his fingers along my jaw to where my pulse pounds in my neck and his eyes darken. “Good luck with that, Kitten.”

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