Total pages in book: 31
Estimated words: 28711 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 144(@200wpm)___ 115(@250wpm)___ 96(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 28711 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 144(@200wpm)___ 115(@250wpm)___ 96(@300wpm)
"You want to move in together?"
"Want?" I arch a brow. "Nah, kitten. I don't want. I need. There's no way I'm living without you now that I know what it's like to have you in my life."
"I don't want to live without you either," she whispers.
"So we're agreed."
She beams at me. "We're really doing this?"
"Fuck yeah."
"Silver Spoon Falls," she says. "That's where I want to live."
"What about your classes?"
"Houston isn't too far away. And we can always sneak you into my dorm if we want to stay in the city." She tries to waggle her brows but fails miserably.
"Or we can just rent a place here," I suggest as an alternative. "We can spend part of the week here and part of the week in Silver Spoon Falls."
"Really?" Her eyes widen. "We can do that?"
"Kitten, we can do whatever the hell we want to do."
"Oh, but what about your job?" she asks, worrying her bottom lip between her teeth. "Your office is in Los Angeles."
"My office is anywhere you are." I scoop her into my arms, carrying her through the penthouse. Once we reach the bedroom, I toss her gently onto the bed before crawling over her. "I'll have to travel some, especially at first while I'm sorting shit out, but I can work from anywhere."
She stares up at me, a soft smile on her face. "I think we should adopt a pet."
"Yeah? You want a dog or a cat?"
"I want a turtle."
I lean down, brushing my lips against hers. "I think we can manage that, kitten."
"We need two. Broadway and Broadus."
"Not Betty and Monster?"
"Oh, those are good options too." She frowns, her brows furrowing. "Maybe we should get four so we can use all four names. It's only fair."
I chuckle quietly, shaking my head. "Every time you open your mouth, I find a new reason to fall in love with you."
"Oh, yeah? Then I have bad news for you, Xavier Grimes. You're going to be falling a lot. Because I heard through the grapevine that I talk an awful lot."
"Oh, really? Maybe you just need something to fill it with, kitten," I growl, nipping her bottom lip before I start a slow prowl down her body. "Something like me. Naked. Covered in whipped cream."
"Oh, yes," she moans. "I like the sounds of this."
I press my face to her chest, grinning like an idiot.
She was worth the wait. Christ, was she ever worth the wait.
Epilogue
Charlie
Five Years Later
"Are you nervous?" Xavier asks, eyeing me from across the bedroom as I take off one bracelet and replace it with another.
"Why? Are you?"
"Nope."
I slip the bracelet into place, spinning to face him. "Not even a little bit?" I demand in disbelief. "You're perfectly cool and collected?"
"Yep." He pushes away from the door and prowls toward me, his seafoam eyes dark. "You want to know why?"
"Because you're you," I snort. "You've never been nervous a day in your life. You just do stuff like Oh, look at me. I'm so chill about everything." I scowl at him. "You're so annoyingly good at everything."
He chuckles, his eyes crinkling at the corners. I swear, the man gets sexier every year. He ages like wine. And he's so damn good to me. Every day is the best day with him. He's always my rock. Every day since he helped get me back into college and helped get Chloe out from beneath her mother's clutches, he's been my safe place. Professor Rothman was fired and lost control of Chloe's trust fund because of his help. Chloe and I still keep in touch. She no longer speaks to her mother, and she's never been happier. Neither have I.
I'm so blissfully in love with this man it's ridiculous. It makes it mighty hard to be annoyed that he's perfectly calm when I'm a nervous freaking wreck.
"That's not why," he says, hooking his finger into my belt loop to pull me into his arms. "I'm not nervous because I know there's a little girl downstairs who has been beyond lucky to have you as her mommy for the last two years. She's happy, safe, and thriving because you refused to give up until every single day was magical for her. Our case manager knows it. Her advocate knows it. The judge knows it. Everyone knows it, little kitten."
"Xavier," I whisper. "Don't make me cry."
"You aren't allowed to cry until the judge signs the paperwork, and Junebug is ours forever," he says, smiling at me.
"What if the judge doesn't sign?"
"He will," Xavier says with complete conviction. "June is our daughter. She's been ours since you brought her home two years ago. Today, we're just making it permanent."
I take a deep breath and let it out slowly. He's right. He has to be because I refuse to accept anything less. June is part of our family. She belongs to me and Xavier just like Olive and Blake do. We may not have given birth to her, but she's our child just as much as they are.