Epilogue - Taylan
A month later
“Is this the last of the boxes?” Dean asks.
“Yep.” I hand it to him as we walk up the steps to the house.
“Wow, dude. You have a lot of books.”
“I know.”
“I mean, I knew you were a nerd, but I didn’t realize it was so serious.”
I punch his shoulder and he almost drops the box. “Just because I’m not a jock who can’t read doesn’t mean it’s a problem.”
He shrugs. Nothing bothers my brother. “Good thing your girlfriend likes reading too. She has a library in here.”
I smile. “We like talking about books. Among other things.”
He rolls his eyes, walking back down the steps to his car. His phone beeps and he looks at the screen.
“Gotta go. The minister has the flu and I have to fill in his volunteer slot. Someone with a broken ankle up the mountain needs looking after. Probably some stinky old guy who fell over after too many beers at Friar’s. I hope it’s not Carl.”
“How come?”
“He never stops talking,” Dean shrugs.
“Neither do you.”
“ Someone in this family has to do the talking. Say hi to Ava.” He raises his hand as he starts walking to his car. His phone beeps again and he reads a message, then stops in the middle of the road.
“You okay?” I ask.
“They sent me the name and address.” Dean’s still staring at his phone.
“And?”
“It’s Marigold Evans. From school.”
I chuckle. “You’re kidding. Didn’t you have a crush on her? But you were such an idiot that you teased her instead of asking her out?”
He shakes his head. “She thinks I hate her. I didn’t know she was back in Snowflake.”
I start walking up the steps to the house. “Good luck. You’ll need it!”
I unpack all the books. Ava and I are using the guest bedroom as a reading room, and it’s a cozy space. I’ve spent every night here since we got together and now the lease on my apartment is up, we’re finally going to be living together.
There’s a beep from outside and I put the last book on the shelf. I walk down the steps as Ava parks her car. I open the door for her and she gets out, wrapping her arms around my neck as she kisses me.
I can never get enough of my beautiful girl. The instant she’s next to me, my dick’s hard and I’m ready to sweep her into my arms. I deepen the kiss, my hands moving to her hips as my tongue explores her mouth.
She breaks away, breathing faster. “I love you, Tay. I have a surprise for you.”
“You do? And I love you too.” I squeeze her tighter.
“Take a look in the back seat.”
Crouching, I shade my eyes against the late afternoon sun. Fast asleep in the back seat, Poupon is snoring. His legs are splayed out and he looks like he’s living his best life.
I groan. “Don’t tell me. My aunt is going on another date.”
“No wonder they call you Sherlock! We’re pup-sitting tonight. And even though you complain, I know you miss this little guy. We should think about getting a dog of our own.”
I smile. Callan Connor’s dog is due to have pups any moment and I’ve been planning on surprising her with one. “Whatever you want.”
Ava kisses me again. “Anything?”
“ Anything .”