37. CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
Wes
I did indeed pull Joss into the outdoor shower, our desire for each other outweighing the need for food. Though I did make good on my promise to feed her afterward. Now she’s relaxed in the hammock that’s stretched across our little porch, reading a book, a small smile playing on her lips. When she opened her bag last night and found four new books laid out on top of her clothes, she burst with excitement.
I knew she took her Kindle with her to work—she never goes anywhere without it—but I know how much she cherishes paperbacks. Jaz recommended a couple, namely romances starring stubbled cowboys, musicians, and hockey players, as well as a thriller that takes place at a beach resort that seemed fitting. Joss is currently curled up with the hockey romance. I didn’t know this was a genre, but based on the giddy grin on her face, Jaz picked a winner.
In addition to pulling in help with the books, Rory offered her advice on how to make this weekend extra special for Joss. She sent me a YouTube video of how to set up my phone camera so that we can take some sunset pictures on the beach, which I have planned for later tonight. She also recommended bringing everything for a beach bonfire and for bubble baths.
“Hey,” I say quietly, and she places her book down on her lap. “Have you talked to your dad this week?”
Joss and Brian have been slowly figuring out a new dynamic following our explosive dinner at The Gidley. Before he flew home to Brisbane, he told us about how his wife, Alex, died of cancer less than a year ago. From the sounds of it, she’d been encouraging Brian to try to reconcile with Joss for years leading up to her passing. Her death and the realization that life is fleeting played the biggest role in him reaching out.
“Oh, yeah. I actually talked to him yesterday.” She purses her lips. “He, uh, well… He really wants me to talk to Isla.” Her shoulders sag. “I’m not sure I’m ready for that.”
Joss’s half-sister has been a bit of a sore subject as she and Brian try to find their footing. Isla isn’t to blame, and Joss knows that, but that doesn’t change the reality or make it any less complicated. There’s still a lot of hurt there for Joss, and I can understand why she’s struggling.
Then there’s the added layer that Isla starts her final year of high school in the new year and plans to attend the University of Sydney after she graduates. Brian has already flirted with the idea of moving to Sydney as well, his desire to be near both of his daughters being a driving factor. Joss feels the pressure to be a big sister somehow to someone whose very existence is a constant reminder of what she lost. Needless to say, it hasn’t been all sunshine and rainbows trying to navigate the nuances of having Brian back in her life.
I stand up from the porch steps and force her to scoot over so that I can slide in beside her in the hammock.
“I know this is a complicated situation, but you can take all the time you need to decide what you want. You know that, right?” I lean in and kiss her temple, banding my arms around her.
“I know. I just…” She exhales and shakes her head. “She’s just a kid. Am I being selfish? Her mom died last year, and I’m sure she could use a big sister. I just don’t know if I can be that for her.” She groans and leans her head back. “Not that you’d understand, what with the amazing relationship you have with Rory.”
“Joss.” I bring my fingers to her chin and tip it up to meet her gaze. “No one can decide that but you. You know I love having a sister, she’s a huge part of my world, but our situations are very different. Do I think Isla would benefit from knowing you? Having you as a sister? Absolutely. But it’s your call, and no one will judge you for putting your needs first.”
She nods, her head falling against my chest. “You’re right.” Her lips press into my sternum, and that simple touch radiates out until I can feel it everywhere. “I won’t be making any life-changing decisions while we’re here though, so let’s talk about something else.”
“What shall we talk about, Grey?” I let my hands roam down her back, sliding my top one down her thigh until I can hitch it up over my hip. Her head tips back so we’re eye to eye.
She lets out a throaty hum and her voice is like smoke when she says, “This doesn’t feel like talking.”
“Talking is vastly overrated,” I say, my lips coasting along her neck and back up until I capture her mouth in a kiss that sets my blood on fire. Who needs a bonfire when I have Joss to keep me warm.
Her hands tangle in my hair, pulling me closer, and she shifts her weight to bracket my hips. Unfortunately, we both forgot we’re in a hammock and the whole thing rolls. One minute we’re mid-makeout, the next we’re sent sprawling onto the wooden planks of the porch.
We’re a tangled heap of limbs, and I can’t breathe because I’m laughing so hard. Joss is right there with me, her loud, uninhibited laughter like music to my ears. This is the kind of life I want. One that’s filled with fun and silliness and love. One that’s filled with Joss.
“The hammock clearly didn’t approve of your attempt to seduce me, Grey.”
“Oh, so this is all my fault?” She smacks her hand against my chest but quickly chases away the sting with a kiss.
“Pretty much.” I lift my head to kiss her nose. “I was thinking we could get in another surf this afternoon if you’re up for it, and then maybe have a bonfire tonight?”
“If that means I get to ogle you in your boardshorts for a second time today and I get to snuggle with you by the fire, then count me in.” She presses herself up to stand and extends her hand for me with a smirk on her lips. When I take it, she does her best to pull me from the ground, but I barely budge from my place on the porch. She pouts, and my shoulders shake with laughter.
“Sorry, Grey, that’s my move. Now, let’s go surfing.”
Joss sits between my legs with her back to my chest while we watch the fire dance and spark in front of us. The blanket we’re sitting on keeps the cold from seeping up from the sand and the fire staves off the chill of the freshly set sun. The only sounds are those of the waves crashing on the beach and the crackling logs in the fire.
Our second surf was long and we’re both exhausted, content to sit in each other’s arms and just be. I’ve been mulling over my words for the last half hour while sitting here quietly, waiting for the perfect moment. For someone who never gets nervous, I don’t know why I am now.
I’ve finally worked up the nerve to spit it out when Joss speaks first, still looking at the fire. “Will you move in with me?”
My body jolts in surprise, not because of what she asked, but because she beat me to it. It takes only a split second to recover, and I let out a bark of a laugh, tightening my arms around her waist.
“Way to steal my thunder, Grey. I was about to ask you to move in with me .”
She spins to look at me. “You were not!” Her eyes are crinkled around the edges with the wide grin that splits her face .
I lean forward and kiss her lips softly. “I absolutely was. I was just trying to work up the nerve, and you had to go and do it so casually and confidently. Damn—you put me to shame, woman.” I shake my head.
“You didn’t answer my question,” she says with a smirk, and I let my hands cradle her head as I marvel at how beautiful she is. I can’t imagine spending even a minute of my life with anyone but her.
“I’d have thought my answer was rather obvious. But yes, Joss, I’ll move in with you. There’s nowhere else I’d rather be.” I lean in to kiss her again, but she pulls back slightly, a small crease between her brows.
“Why were you nervous?”
“I mean, I was pretty sure you’d say yes since we basically live together already, but still, it’s a big deal.” I scratch the back of my neck. “I’ve never lived with someone before, never wanted to, but I want everything with you. It still scares me sometimes.” I clear my throat and look into her eyes. The way the flames dance in their depths makes them look like molten silver.
“I love you, and sometimes that scares me too. But you know what, every day it gets easier to accept that you aren’t going anywhere, that we’re everything to each other, and our love is a gift. You are a gift.”
We move at the same time, meeting in the middle until our lips brush together, soft at first but quickly growing more insistent. We kiss like that for minutes, or it could be hours, before everything slows. I roll to my side, facing Joss, and watch the dying flames cover her in dancing shadows. Her eyes are closed and she looks so content, peaceful.
I hum and grin at her. “I have one more question for you,” I say.
“Yes?”
“Will you go to Tahoe with me for Christmas?” I’m running my fingers up and down her arm, making goose bumps erupt in their wake. “I want you to meet Rory. I want to show you where I grew up. I’d like to introduce you to my parents, even if they’re kind of an acquired taste—”
“They can’t be worse than my mom.” Her laugh draws my gaze to her lips.
“Nah, they aren’t that bad, and they’ll absolutely love you. Do you think you can get the time off?”
“Yeah, I think so. I’ll try, anyway. I’d love to go home with you and meet your family, Wes.”
“It’s not my home anymore, Joss.” I’ve known that to be true for a while now. “That’s here, with you.”
She sucks in a short breath, and the firelight catches the tears in her eyes for just a moment before she closes them, leans in, and kisses me again. I’m not sure how I manage to get to my feet, Joss in my arms wrapped in the blanket with our lips still fused together, but I do. The final embers of the fire die out as I carry her to the bungalow, footsteps creaking on the boarded steps, until I get her laid beneath me on the bed, exactly where I want her, and I find my way home.
Joss and I had to drag ourselves away from our little home away from home this morning. It was the perfect escape from the rest of the world, a place where we could just be. We fit in a final surf, riding every wave as if it were our last, before packing up to get on the road. Then we spent the hours-long drive talking about the upcoming move, deciding it would be best for me to move into her place, since she owns all her furniture. I assumed that would be the case, so my final surprise of the weekend should work out to be the grand gesture I was going for.
I’m not completely oblivious to all those romance novels Joss leaves lying around. Although they’re not my usual style, I’ve picked up some tips from them over the last few months, occasionally borrowing one while she’s away. Call it research.
When we pull up to our building, it’s with a sense of relief, a readiness. I run around the front of the truck, reaching Joss’s door before she gets the chance to open it herself. Her answering smile and small blush at the gesture don’t go unnoticed.
“Thank you.” She hops out of the truck and presses up on her toes to lightly brush her lips across mine, sending desire skittering down my spine. Will I ever get enough of her?
She grabs our bags as I hoist the surfboards out of the back and we trudge through the doors, headed to the elevator.
Frank looks up from his newspaper and smiles. “G’day, Ms. Joss. Mr. Anderson.” I’m still working on getting him to call me Wes, but I’m not holding my breath. He talks to me now, and that’s progress.
“Hi, Frank,” Joss and I say in unison, and she continues. “Enjoy what’s left of your weekend.”
We step onto the elevator and Joss lets the bags drop to the floor with a thud and a sigh .
“Maybe those four books were a bad idea?” I needle her, knowing that she’ll happily carry a heavier bag if it means she can have her books.
“Definitely not. I’m just exhausted. That last paddle out was a lot of work and my arms are limp noodles.”
She picks everything back up with a groan and we exit at our floor. My heart rate kicks up in anticipation as I lead her toward her apartment instead of stopping at mine.
“What are you doing?”
“Let’s drop your stuff off first,” I prompt, and she looks at me with suspicion but pulls out her keys to unlock the door.
When we walk into the living room, she stops dead, eyes scanning the entirety of the space.
“Wes…”
There’s a vase of fresh-cut yellow roses sitting on the dining table and another vase of them on a side table by the couch. She turns on the spot, noticing more changes to the room, where my things are placed amongst hers. My books are nestled with hers on the shelves. Even my shoes are placed by the door.
The picture of Joss and me, from the bonfire at Breck’s, is hung on the entryway wall, and surrounding it are more pictures of us. The three canvas prints I ordered to the office hang behind the dining table. A picture of Tahoe that Rory took sits in the middle—a piece of my old home to keep in my new one—flanked by ones of Joss and I surfing. Breck took those on a morning when he showed up a little later than we did for dawn patrol.
Joss turns to face me, eyes soft .
“What… how did you do this?” Her mouth hangs open slightly. Before I can answer, she walks into the bedroom where she finds a second dresser sitting beside hers, and a second chair in the corner so that we can read in the mornings. Mine is a rich navy-blue to complement her teal one. In the closet she finds my clothes hung next to hers. I continue to follow her, smiling and waiting for her to take it all in.
“Seriously, Wes, how did you do this? When did you do this?” she says as she walks back out of the closet, eyeing me. There’s a smile ghosting her lips, so I know she’s not mad.
“Is it okay? Do you like it?”
“Of course it’s okay, I love it. I just can’t believe you pulled this off. What would you have done if I’d said no to moving in together?”
“I was pretty sure it was happening, and I assumed we would move in here. If you’d said no, I guess I would have felt like a real jackass,” I say with a laugh, and she joins in. The look of absolute joy on her face tells me just how happy she is with this surprise.
“Where did that dresser come from? And the chair?” She keeps turning in circles like a top.
“I ordered them a couple weeks ago, again assuming you’d want to live together. I knew I’d need both. I moved them over here the night before you got home. That’s when I hung up all the pictures too. And moved my books. There’s still some of my things next door, but for all intents and purposes, I’m moved in.” I say the last part with a wink, and when she squeals, I can’t hold back from grabbing her in my arms and spinning her around .
“Are you ready for what’s next?” I ask, lowering her to the ground and pulling back so I can look down at her. I place my hands on either side of her face and press a light kiss to her lips.
“Next? There’s more than you moving yourself into my apartment?” She looks curious and excited, her brows pulling together just a little.
“ Our apartment, Grey, and this is just the beginning. But let’s start with me taking my girlfriend, and new roommate, out to dinner, because I think we should celebrate.”
She presses herself up, letting her body drag along mine as she pushes up to her tiptoes for a kiss. The intensity of it nearly knocks me backward but I hold us firm, keeping us rooted to the spot as her hands pull the hair at the nape of my neck.
“Keep kissing me like that and we won’t make it to dinner.”
“I don’t much feel like leaving this apartment—this room—tonight. Let’s celebrate tomorrow.” Her lips ghost my ear as she whispers, “Tonight, you’re all mine.”