38. Rowan
ROWAN
THREE MONTHS LATER
It’s amazing how fast things move when you have money…or your last name is Buckingham.
I’m not quite sure how they pulled it off, but Samson’s dance studio is complete.
He has his hand over my eyes as he leads me through the gardens. It’s been built on the grounds of the main Buckingham house, on the land once occupied by that tiny shed.
I asked Samson if he’d prefer we get a new place after he made it clear how much he hates his house. But the longer we discussed it, the more we realized that neither of us wanted that.
We want to live here. On the Buckingham estate. Surrounded by those who love us.
“Keep your eyes closed,” Samson warns as he leads me closer. “We’re nearly there.”
“I promise. They’re closed.”
Despite having been the one to go to Dalton, I haven’t been shown the final plans.
All of the Buckinghams have been going out of their way to keep me from the building site, insisting it’ll be better as a surprise.
I’m not really sure why. It was my idea, after all.
But I’m learning that part of being a Buckingham sometimes means just going along for the ride.
Given that so far, it’s been the best time of my life, I’m happy to continue doing just that.
“Stand here,” Samson says. He can’t hide his excitement, and it has me smiling brighter than ever. That’s how it is every day. I’m shining with such happiness, I’m sure it’s making everyone around me blind.
I don’t care. I’ve finally accepted that I can have happiness and not lose it. Samson showed me that. He refused to let me go, even when I pushed him.
I might never feel like I fully deserve his heart, but I’ll spend the rest of my days cherishing it.
There’s the sound of a door unlocking, followed quickly by the scent of fresh paint. “Step forward. Just one step.”
I giggle as I do just that. “I don’t know why you’re being so secretive.”
“You’ll see.” Samson kisses my cheek and takes one of my hands in his. “The dream of this studio was your gift to me. Making it come true is my gift to you. Now, open your eyes.”
I blink a couple of times and gasp. “Oh, Samson.”
“It has everything you wanted,” he says as he leads me forward by the hand.
“The floor isn’t just sprung, it’s shock-absorbing too.
And these barres? You can adjust them to any height.
The mirrors are shatterproof, just in case one of my brothers decides to fuck around in here.
We put full climate control in too, and a state-of-the-art surround sound system. ”
“Oh my god,” I say, my voice thick. “This is too much. This is everything I had on the wish list.”
“I know.” He gives me a lopsided smile. “You’ve spent years compromising in one way or another, first after losing your parents, then when Adam died. None of us want to compromise on your happiness ever again.”
“But this place is for you,” I protest. “I wanted you to have a space to dance. To be yourself.”
“And I will.” Samson draws me into his arms. “We will. Together. Because that’s how it’s going to be with us now. Always.”
“I don’t deserve you,” I whisper, a tear slipping free. “You’ve already given me so much. What can I possibly offer you in return?”
He kisses the end of my nose. “Your heart.”
“You already have that.”
“Then that’s all I need,” he says simply.
Our lips meet then, and the rest of the world falls away for a little while.
I protest when Samson pulls away, pawing at him needily. He chuckles. “Wait, there’s something else I want to show you before we get carried away.”
I sigh, but let him turn me around. When I spot the portrait hanging above the door, tears immediately fill my eyes. “Oh my god.”
The canvas is familiar. It’s of me, captured mid-arabesque, painted by Adam years ago. How did he even find it? I thought it was gone.
“Is this okay?” he asks anxiously, seeing my expression. “Fuck, I thought you’d like it…”
I lift my hand quickly to cover his mouth. “It’s perfect. I love it. Thank you.”
He tugs my hand away gently before kissing my palm. “I want this to be your happy place. I know you have Rhythm, but this is just for you. For us. Didn’t feel right not to have a part of Adam here too.”
That right there is exactly why I love this man. He pretends to be a grump who doesn’t give a shit about anyone, but he does. He gives a shit about me. About my past. About what truly matters. “How’d you even find it?”
“Adi,” he says with a soft smile. Adam’s sister has been adopted by the Buckinghams as much as I have, and nothing could make me happier—except spending my life with Samson.
“She offered. Said this was the best place for it. That Adam’s watching over you, and this will make sure you never forget that again. ”
“In a way, maybe he sent you to me,” I muse. Now that I’ve gotten over the shock, I’ve decided to find how we met cute rather than sinister. “He would’ve known you wouldn’t kill me. That you’d keep me safe instead.”
“I like to think that, too.”
It hasn’t been easy, getting to this place where I can talk freely about Adam. I’ve been seeing a therapist twice a week since the dance show ended. I tried to argue about Samson using the family coffers to fund this, but he simply had Neo schedule me for a meeting with Wylder.
I’d left not only agreeing to let them pay for therapy, but also for anything else that might help with my grief.
Don’t ask me how that happened. All I can say is that Wylder Buckingham could sell salt water to a whale and have them say thank you for it.
I’m glad they all pushed me to do this. Talking about him, about what happened, it’s been…freeing. Like a weight has been lifted. I can’t forget the horror surrounding how Adam’s life ended, but I can now remember the joy he brought to the world.
Adi’s been seeing a therapist too. She had a meeting with Wylder right after mine. We both sat in the kitchen afterward wearing matching shell-shocked expressions while I cuddled Nugget.
No idea what happened, but we were in it together. How we should’ve been all along.
The two of us stayed there in silence until Dotty and Larry fell through the door, lips locked together. Honestly, they were worse than teenagers. Worse than any of the other couples in the house, and that was saying something.
My grumpy neighbor is now a fixture in the estate as well.
Dotty didn’t ask permission for him to move in; it just happened one day, a surprise to all of us.
She was less present after I moved in, but I just assumed I was so enamored with Samson I didn’t see anyone else but him.
But then one day, she turned up with Larry and all his furniture loaded into a truck, and then dared anyone to challenge her.
Naturally, not a soul did.
Apparently this is the woman he took cooking classes for all those years ago, the one he spoke about when he talked about his broken heart. I had no idea this was the case, but there’s a story there; one none of us really know yet, but one I will get out of Larry one day.
Maybe I’ll make him some weed brownies and coax it out of him.
But anyway, Larry being here cemented this place as my home. I can still go and bug him as often as I like—though I always make sure to knock first; he and Dotty are far from discreet—and he gets to see me. I know he loves me really.
Even if he still insists he doesn’t.
Nugget is living his best life here, too. He has more shoes to chew than he knows what to do with, and a plethora of people ready to take him for walks and give him cuddles, though I make sure to spend a few hours a day with him on my lap, just so he remembers who loved him first.
Between all of that, being with Samson, and my work at Rhythm, I feel like my heart is full to bursting. I’ve never been so happy.
Or so in love.
Samson kisses under my ear. “So, you really like it?”
“I do. It’s perfect.”
“I’m glad you think so, and I was talking to Wylder earlier, and I think…” His words trail off, and he wets his lips. “I think I’d like to set up some kind of scholarship for kids who want to dance but can’t afford it.”
My chest pinches. “I think that’s a great idea.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah. You can use all that money you have for something good, for something your mom would be proud of.”
He glances away and blinks wildly, swiping at his right eye before stiffening his shoulders. “Yeah, she would, wouldn’t she?”
“She would. No matter how much your dad tried to break you, you came out perfect.”
“Dunno about that, but I’m glad you think so.”
I do. I do think so. But I take his hand in mine and bring it to my lips. “Let me know how I can help with this dream of yours. I want to be a part of it, if you want me to.”
“Course I fucking do. I want you to be part of everything I do.”
“Good.”
I press another kiss to his lips and then meet his adoring gaze. I’m so glad things are repaired between us, that I never gave up, that I can move forward in life with him by my side.
“Well, it seems there’s only one more thing that needs to be done.”
He stiffens. “What? Tell me. I can have the contractor over here in five minutes.”
I whirl to face him, my hand sliding between us. I grin as I palm his cock. “I don’t think we need his help for what I have in mind. Unless you want to share.”
He thrusts his hips forward, and I bite my bottom lip.
“I don’t fucking share. Not my game pieces or you.”
“Good. Now undress.”
He’s naked in a matter of seconds, his cock straining from his body.
“Touch yourself,” I say, and I watch as he cups his hard length and starts to stroke it, watching as I slowly remove my clothes, piece by piece, until I’m just as naked as he is.
Then I move up to him, our bodies flush with one another, moving slowly in a sensual dance. It’s cool inside the studio, but our warm bodies are creating the most wonderful heat. I want more.
I want it all.
But I drag it out, making him sweat, making him beg in his own way. His hands are tight around my waist, his limbs trembling slightly as we continue to grind up against each other.
“Let me fuck you,” he murmurs.
“No, not this time.”
He groans as I lean up and kiss him.
“But I was thinking we could get on the floor and I could sit on your face.”
He falls backward, pulling me with him, his body cushioning my fall. I squeal and then moan when he positions me right where he wants me, his tongue lapping at the tip of my cock. But I want this to be reciprocal, so I feed my dick into his mouth just once before pulling out and turning around.
He palms my ass as he helps me move backward, and then we fall on each other’s cocks, sucking and swallowing, our moans heard only by the walls around us. I turn my head slightly and see us in the mirror, and it makes me nearly come undone. The sight of the two of us together. Perfect.
He finds his release first, spilling into my mouth.
I follow him over, the two of us shaking and moaning as our orgasms rush through us. Then I fall to my side, and Samson drags himself up next to me, his head resting on my chest, his hand curling around me tightly. “Fuck. That was amazing.”
“It always is. The things you do with your tongue…”
He grunts and nuzzles against me, and my fingers thread through his hair. I glance at the floor-to-ceiling mirrors once more, taking in our naked forms twined around each other, and I realize that life can’t get better than this.