Candy Hearts, Vol. 2

Epilogue

LEX

Four months later

Excitement buzzed under my skin as I checked my watch again. Reba, Garrison’s new Wheaten Terrier puppy, whined at my feet. I picked her up and snuggled her on my lap.

“Your dad will be home soon to give you snuggles.” She shifted and placed her front paws on my chest. “I can’t wait to tell him.”

Reba licked my chin, then began nibbling with her needle-sharp teeth. I craned my neck out of her reach. The caramel-colored fluffball was the world’s cutest menace.

I glanced over at the table I’d set for dinner. Champagne in an ice bucket, fixings for grilled roast beef sandwiches, and a box of chocolates from our favorite candy store in downtown Dahlia Springs.

Reba whined again.

“Is that your way of telling me you’re excited about my news? Or is that puppy-speak for ‘give me more treats’?”

Her wide brown eyes blinked at me, and then she squirmed until I lowered her back to the ground. She ran off chasing a butterfly.

I settled back in the cushioned chair on Garrison’s back patio and looked over the flourishing yard, sighing happily. My boyfriend’s garden was even more beautiful in the spring than I’d imagined.

Bright-colored native wildflowers added a touch of chaos to the tidy sections lined with stones. It turned out the rhododendrons were white with a purple center. I’d enjoyed a patch of yellow tulips throughout the spring, and now I was taken with the pink, red, and purple anemone and ranunculus. We’d already harvested several rounds of greens, and I couldn’t wait until the peas climbing along the trellis we’d built were ready to eat.

The garden was full of life, with bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds enjoying the blooms. Birds watched from their branches and the feeders placed around the yard. Their chirps and calls added even more charm. It truly was the fairy garden of my dreams.

Reba stopped her attack on a shrub and her ears perked. The familiar sound of Garrison’s car approached and turned into the driveway.

I stood and rolled my shoulders. I’d been itching to share my news with him all day. I could’ve called, texted, or stopped by his office with lunch as I did each week, but I wanted a bit more gravitas. This was a big freaking deal. For me, anyway.

“I’m back here,” I called when Garrison’s car door closed. I smiled at the cheerful tune he whistled as he approached.

The gate swung open, and Reba raced over to him. Her uncontrolled, enthusiastic wiggles nearly knocked her over.

“Hey, baby. Missed you.” Garrison crouched and picked her up. He laughed and tried to dodge the most eager of her kisses.

“Miss me too?” I walked over and kissed his cheek.

“Always.” The softness in his expression made my heart swell.

The past four months had been incredible. I’d never experienced so much ease with a developing relationship. Sure, Garrison and I had snags to work out. I was a night owl, and he was a morning person. It was difficult to communicate sometimes when I was upset, and Garrison had some issues around breezing over things and ignoring his frustrated feelings. But we’d worked through that and were building a strong relationship. One that should last.

I’d been on the verge of blurting out how much I loved him so many times this month, but I was in my head about it. I’d watched Bug say it too soon so many times and didn’t want to make the same mistake. But as I stared into Garrison’s loving eyes, I knew I was severely overthinking it. He showed me that he loved me every day through his actions, even if he hadn’t said the words.

“How was your day?”

Garrison set Reba down and pulled me in for a deep, toe-curling kiss. “Good. Busy. Got put in charge of another big project.”

“Of course you did. You’re great at your job.” He was, and well-paid for it too.

That was something else I loved about Garrison. Despite the massive difference in our current economic statuses, he never tried to swoop in and “fix” things. He didn’t insist on always paying or trying to be my sugar daddy so I’d drop some of my jobs. Instead, he packed picnic dinners for us and joined me on my food delivery shifts a couple of nights each week, and he made sure his house was stocked with all my favorite foods. And his favorite sandwich ingredients. Sure, he bought dinner more often than I did when on dates, but he never put up a fight when I wanted to pay.

Best of all, Garrison supported me in all my jobs—including dancing. He’d even come to a couple of shows since Ewan’s bachelor party, but more in an I-want-to-ogle-my-boyfriend way than an I’m-going-to-intimidate-all-the-horny-guys way. And the hotel room sex was so hot after those visits. Nngh.

Bug adored Garrison too. He’d come to Dahlia Springs a couple of times and crashed in Garrison’s guest room after the three of us had a late night of hanging out.

Finally, at thirty-one, I had a real, adult relationship. I really hope it lasts. It was easy to picture a long future with Garrison Harrison.

Garrison looked over my shoulder and his eyes widened. Probably noticing the champagne bucket I’d found in his garage. His attention snapped back to me.

“Did you get the job?”

I bit my bottom lip and nodded eagerly. Garrison swept me into a bear hug, lifting my feet off the ground. Reba barked and ran around us.

“You’re telling me I’m talking to Anthropology Professor Collins?” He waggled his eyebrows. There might be some fun role-playing in our future.

“Assistant professor, but it’s a tenure-track position, so hopefully, I’ll get promoted to full professor someday.”

Garrison’s smile was confident, knowing. “Of course you will. I can’t believe you got the job. I mean, I absolutely know why they hired you, but I can’t believe an opening happened at a college only a half hour away.”

I blew out a relieved breath. “You and me both. I got lucky that the school decided to fill the position after someone retired instead of snatching that salary for something else and shrinking the department.” Which happened all too often these days. People didn’t understand the value of anthropology in a higher education system that increasingly valued STEM and money-making programs above others. It all had value.

He looped his arm around my waist and stared into my eyes. “I’m so damn proud of you, Lex. I love you so much.”

My heart stopped and my breath caught. The happy chattering of birds faded. Even Reba’s eager barks muted to a background hum. He loved me. He loved me!

I threw my arms around his neck and crashed my lips against his, trying to show him all the love coursing through me. Laughing, he pulled me close.

When our kiss broke, his eyebrows rose. “That makes you happy?” Nervousness laced his words.

Shit. I hadn’t said it back. I mentally slammed my palm to my forehead.

“I love you too, Garrison. So much. Like, so much .”

His shoulders relaxed. I kissed him again, less frantic this time. A deep kiss full of love and promise of a future.

“You love me.” His grin turned cocky.

“A lot. You love me too?”

“A lot, a lot.” He intertwined our fingers. “Will dinner hold? Because I need to get you naked.”

Laughing, I let him pull me through the house. He put Reba in her crate and tugged me into his bedroom.

A fizzy sensation bubbled under my skin as Garrison shed his work clothes and tugged at my T-shirt and jeans. He had us both naked on the bed with lube in my hand in under a minute. I loved when Garrison was in a slutty-bottom mood.

He sprawled on his back with his head sunk into his fluffy pillows. I scooched between his legs.

“Open them more for me. Just like that,” I purred.

I warmed lube on my fingertips before teasing around his hole and bending down to suck him. His mouth was slack with pleasure as he stared at me, watching me worship his body.

Once I’d worked in three fingers to get him as loose as he liked, I shifted and wrapped his legs around my waist.

“I love you,” I said as I kissed his chest. “I love you.” A flick of my tongue over his nipple. “I love you.” I dropped a kiss to the ticklish spot under his ear.

I slid the tip of my cock into his pliant, willing body and hovered my mouth over his. Garrison’s pupils were blown wide, and he didn’t look away.

“Garrison, I love you. Getting the wrong office number is the best thing that ever happened to me.”

His eyes rolled back as I slid home.

I kept my pace almost maddeningly slow with long, sure thrusts. With each one, I whispered things I loved about Garrison. His grip on my skin was tight enough to leave half-moon imprints from his nails for days.

“Oh god, Lex! More .” His words came out in a deep groan from his chest.

I picked up both my pace and praise as I led us to climax. Sweat dripped from my temples as I shouted his name while spilling inside him. My body quaked from the consuming inferno of love rushing through me for this man. Garrison clutched me tighter as he shuddered through his orgasm.

“I love you. I love you so much,” he whispered against the damp skin of my neck after I collapsed onto him, holding each other close.