Epilogue
Sawyer
(Five Years Later)
I checked the app on my phone again to confirm that the delivery was today. I had ordered something special to celebrate our anniversary, and I wanted to intercept the package before Soren saw it. The company used these obnoxious hot pink boxes, and I knew he’d recognize the box because I’d bought things from there before. I glanced out the window again, but there was no delivery truck. I plucked the last apple streusel muffin from the tin and placed it in the container. It was Friday afternoon, and I was baking for our family style brunch tomorrow morning. Lane, Jonah, Talia, Travis, Landry, The Baileys, and George were all bringing their families over, along with a few others.
I heard the crunch of gravel indicating that someone had driven up. I untied the floral apron I wore over my cut-off denim shorts and spun around to turn off the oven. I made it to the front door right on time to see the delivery driver hand Soren the hot pink box. Ugh! I stood, hands on my hips in the frame of the front door as he sauntered toward me with a cocky smile on his face.
“I see that you got me something,” he quipped as his eyes twinkled and my belly dipped. Why was my husband so hot? It really made it difficult to stay upset at him for ruining his own surprise.
“Maybe. Maybe not,” I quipped back, reaching for the box that he held slightly out of reach. I narrowed my eyes at him, barely keeping a straight face.
“How can I turn it into a maybe?” he asked with a grin and a wink.
“A good place to start would be to give me the box,” I explained in a stern voice, tilting my head to the side. I smiled, despite trying to appear cross. He passed over the box, but something seemed too easy about it. I immediately tucked the box behind my back as if that would wipe it from his memory, and he hadn’t just had it in his hand.
“So, how was your day?” I asked, backing away into the house as if nothing had happened. Soren stalked toward me, playing along as he tapped the door with his boot to close it, never letting his eyes leave me.
“Pretty good. It got a whole lot better when the nice delivery driver handed me that box.” My belly dropped again at the hooded look in his eyes. My husband was sexy and there wasn’t any point in denying that fact.
“What makes you think I wasn’t buying it for someone else? It could be a gift,” I reasoned, but we both knew that wasn’t true.
“I wasn’t aware you bought lingerie for other people.” He smirked. I had backed up all the way until I bumped against the family room wall. His forearm landed beside my face as he leaned down. His warm breath teased the hairs at my neck as he whispered in my ear with his husky voice.
“My favorite thing is when you’re wearing nothing at all.”
I couldn’t stop the chill bumps that skated across my body at his words or the blush that spread across my cheeks.
I wanted him as much as he wanted me.
He kissed below my ear and the box slipped from my fingers to the floor.
My breaths came quicker.
I felt his chuckle as his lips pressed against my neck, loving the bite of his five o’clock shadow against my soft skin.
His calloused hands found my curves, and I hopped up on instinct, wrapping my legs around his waist, my hands buried in his thick chestnut hair.
Soren pressed me against the wall as his lips found mine.
His chest rising and falling in quick rapid pants.
He kissed me hungrily and I melted at his touch.
His hands gripped under my thighs, carrying me as we kissed and whispered sweet nothings, bumping our way down the hall toward our bedroom.
My surprise delivery was completely forgotten because Soren did in fact prefer me in nothing at all.
He loved me so completely, but more than anything, he made his heart my home.
I never had to worry about how he felt about me because he had always made it clear by choosing me first over and over and over again.
We learned together that the secrets we’d kept and the lies we believed weren’t true, because the magic of light would always guide us back to each other where we’d always belonged.