Epilogue
epilogue
JAX
“I can’t believe it’s June already.”
Natalie let the screen door slam behind her as she joined me on the deck. Nothing like a lazy Saturday morning watching the haze linger and then dissipate on the lake with the woman I loved.
“Big month,” I said as she plopped down into the chair next to me. Immediately Nat crossed her legs. Smiling, I reminded myself there was no need to pluck her from that very adorable position and carry her to our bedroom. I’d woken up already my favorite way possible, with Natalie’s hand wrapped around my cock.
Hard. Ready. Just for her.
If there was anything I loved more than rolling over to my girlfriend climbing on top of me, riding me as the sunlight just barely peeked through our windows, it was the sight of her sitting with me like this.
“Big month,” she agreed, pulling me back to the present.
“How do you feel about them breaking ground?”
“Fine,” she said, taking a sip of coffee. “Better than fine. Really excited. I still can’t believe we’ll be living there. I’ve loved that spot for as long as I can remember.”
“Tell me about it.”
Nat smiled. “I guess that was a big part of me not being able to let go. To imagine a bed and breakfast on my spot.”
“You think?” I teased. We’d talked about it more than once, so this wasn’t any big surprise.
“Anyway,” she said, clearly wanting to move on from the thing that brought us together, but that almost tore us apart too. “I wonder who will be there tonight?”
Mazzie’s bar was bringing in a singer from her hometown, and by the way she talked about him, we were in for a real treat.
“Mason’s off at nine and plans to stop by.”
“Cool.”
Thankfully, Natalie and Mason got along really well. It could have gone either way. People either loved him or didn’t get his sense of humor. The guy offended as many people as he endeared to him with his “don’t give a shit if they like me” attitude. He made me look like an open damn book. But he and Nat got along well, which made things easy on me. A town the size of Kitchi Falls meant you weren’t getting too far away from people you knew.
“The girls are all going?”
“Yep. Should be fun.”
“If you’re there, it’ll be fun.”
Natalie side-eyed me. “Are you trying to butter me up, Jaxon Hayes?”
“Now why would I want to do such a thing?”
Natalie tapped her chin with her finger. “Hmm, good question. Maybe because you want me to cover a shift at the hospital?”
“Actually, there is an opening on Thursday.”
Since getting the program up and running, we still didn’t have enough volunteers to cover every day. It would take time, but we’d get there. In the meantime, Natalie had been a lifesaver.
“No problem. You’re out of town Thursday and Friday, right?”
“I’ll be back by dinner Friday night,” I said. “Meeting is at one, and it’s only about a two-hour drive.”
“You sure you won’t reconsider this one?”
I laughed. “If I reconsidered every deal I tried to make, I’d be out of a job.”
“True,” she admitted. “I won’t try to talk you out of it on one condition.”
“Anything. Shoot.”
“I love that you agreed before you even know what it is.”
“Why wouldn’t I?”
Her smile made whatever she was about to ask worth it. To think we’d spent a whole month living apart, trying to take things slow. Natalie and I were perfect together. The fact that we’d gone from dating to moving in together in a month didn’t bother either of us. And that we were currently building a house together? Before I’d even proposed? Also not surprising.
Not to us, anyway.
“Well, lucky for you my condition is pretty simple.”
Couldn’t wait to hear this one. “Send it.”
She laughed. “I think you’ve been with Lucas too much. You sound just like him.”
“Speaking of,” I said. “I’m thinking of some new ink.”
Her eyes lit up. Natalie loved my tattoos. Thought they were hot. Which was the exact reason I was thinking of another one.
“But that’s beside the point. What’s your condition?”
“Easy. My condition is that we don’t move the rowing program. I know it makes sense to find a new spot, and that there are some great candidates, but I’ve been thinking about it and—”
“Done.”
“Really? It won’t be too much, having the kids and their parents coming and going? I was with Sam the other day, the way he ran down the hill to the dock...it just felt right. Like it should be a part of the property.”
“That’s an easy one. Whatever makes you happy makes me happy, sunshine. You know that already.”
Natalie beamed as if I’d given her a diamond ring. Which had me thinking about how exactly I was going to propose. How to make it memorable. My gaze fell on the dock, a memory of a soaking-wet Natalie climbing from the water.
“Are you ever not going to laugh when you think about that?” she asked, correctly guessing the direction of my thoughts.
“Probably not,” I admitted.
She sighed. “Oh well. I guess I can deal with that.”
“Glad to hear it.” Her smile was infectious. “I love you, Natalie.”
“I love you too. Jax.”