Epilogue
Four Months Later
“What could you possibly own that is this heavy?” I ask Ginny as I carry a cardboard box up the stairs to the girls’ new apartment. She’s moving in with Reagan and Dakota into a three-bedroom a floor up from their old place.
“I think you have the box with the sex swing,” she says casually over her shoulder.
I stop, and Heath runs into me from behind with another box.
“Chill, dude, she’s kidding. I think, anyway.” His voice raises. “Did you buy us a sex swing, baby doll?”
Ginny laughs. “Who needs a sex swing, when you—”
“Okay, all right.” I wince, ears bleeding, and mind going places no man’s mind should go about their sister’s sex life. “We’ve heard enough.”
With all of us helping, it only takes one trip to get Ginny’s stuff from my Jeep to the third floor, and then I’m free to grab Reagan and pull her into her new room.
It’s a replica of mine, right up to the sliding door that goes out to the deck. It’s open, letting in a nice breeze.
“Looks good. You got a lot done since this morning,” I say, walking around to inspect all the details. Pictures are taped up on the wall above her bed—her with Dakota or Ginny, some with the entire group, and lots of the two of us.
“When was this one taken?” I ask, pointing to a picture of us sitting side by side at a party.
There’s a ton of people around, and we aren’t paying any attention to the other.
It’s the old Reagan—the one who barely talked to me.
I can tell by her posture and the reserved look on her face.
And I guess it’s the old Adam too because there’s no way I could sit next to her now, reserved or not, and not notice her.
She laughs. “I found it in some of Ginny’s photos. It’s a picture of us, but it isn’t really a picture of us. See Heath in the corner? I’m pretty sure she was trying to sneak a picture of him, but instead, she got me freaking out because I was sitting next to you.”
I frame her face with my hands and kiss her. I hate that I can’t spend all day, every day kissing her and making up for all the missed opportunities.
“Ouch. It’s going to take some getting used to all this.” She tugs on my beard.
“I’m a college graduate now. Mature and wise. Gotta look the part.”
She scrapes her nails along my cheek. Damn, that feels good.
I groan and pull back. “I have a meeting with my advisor. Hang later?”
“We’re having a girls’ night to celebrate our new apartment. Wine, junk food, The Notebook, face masks.”
I smile, thinking of the last time I stopped in on their face mask party. My adorable llama girl. “Can I crash again?”
“Any time.” She glides her hands over my stomach.
“But maybe not until after midnight. Why don’t you grab the guys and do something?
Otherwise, Heath is going to show up here.
He and Ginny are inseparable. Do you think it’s possible they are more in love now than a year ago?
” She shakes her head at the notion. “Crazy.”
“I’d like to be inseparable,” I say and kiss her again. I don’t think I’ll ever get enough. And yeah, I think it’s real fucking possible I’ll be even crazier about Reagan in a year. Time doesn’t seem to do anything but make it more obvious how damn lucky I am. “How long is your lease?”
“A year. I graduate next May, remember?”
“Oh, I remember. You’re going to graduate and move to New York or Hollywood to blow up the stage.” She talked about it often when we first started dating. I don’t doubt for a second she’ll do it. She’s so freaking talented.
“Actually, I’ve been thinking I’d like to open a community theater. Something for kids.” She looks down. “A place they can come after school and learn acting, singing, dancing. A safe place to be creative and silly.”
“Yeah?” I ask. I hate that she needed a place and didn’t always have one as a kid, but I love her so much for wanting to make a difference for others like her.
She nods. “Does it sound crazy? I haven’t told anyone else yet, but since the house sold, I have enough to pay off my student loans and even a little extra.”
“Not crazy at all. You wouldn’t miss performing?”
“I’m not sure. I could always do local theater if I do. I don’t really care about the size of the audience.”
“You’re pretty amazing. You know that?”
Her grin hits me right in the chest. “I do.”
“Move in with me.”
“What?” Her face pales. “But we just signed a lease. Ginny and Dakota have been so looking forward to the three of us living together.”
“Not this year.” Although the idea of having her in my space all the time sounds pretty great. “After graduation. Stay in Valley and move in with me. We’ll figure out how to open your theater together.”
“I probably have to get some experience first. I don’t know anything about teaching kids.”
“Can you do that here?” I ask hopefully.
“You’re serious?”
“Completely.”
Her smile is slow, but soon she’s ear-to-ear grinning, dimples lighting up her face. “You want to live together?”
“Mhmm.”
“What if you change your mind? A year is a long way off.”
“I’m not going to change my mind, but if you want to think about it or decide later, that’s fine.”
“I don’t need to think about it. Yes!” She bounces. “Yes! Yes, to all of it.” She jumps into my arms, attacking my mouth. It’s a welcome invasion. I forget all about my meeting. What can I say? I’ve got it bad.
Her fingers slide through my hair, holding my head in place, and I walk her backward to the wall so I can pin her against it.
When her back hits the glass, I adjust my grip and slide my hands under her shirt.
Then dive back in, kissing her, savoring every stroke of her tongue, living for the way she nips and tugs at my lower lip.
She goes for the button of my jeans, and we maneuver around, mouths still joined, trying to get our clothes off.
Not an easy feat. We slide along the door, fumbling and grinding into one another.
Lifting her, I switch us so that I can lean against the door long enough to get her naked, but I take one step too many and free-fall backward.
“Oh shit,” I yelp, knowing I’m about to slam into the ground. I hold tight to Reagan so that I’ll take the brunt of it.
My tailbone hits first, then my shoulder and my head. The wood deck has no give, and I grunt as all the air’s knocked out of my lungs.
“Are you okay?” I ask. Pain shoots through my ass, and I think I took a knee to a vital organ.
Heath comes running outside at the commotion.
“What the hell?” He sounds concerned at first, but then he bursts into laughter at the sight of us sprawled out on the deck.
My pants are down to my ankles, and Reagan’s missing a shirt.
I don’t answer him because I still don’t know if Reagan’s alright. I lift my head. Yeah, definitely going to have a bump on the back of my noggin, but it’s the least of my worries. Reagan’s curled up on top of me, and her face is buried in my armpit. Her back shakes, and I freeze. Oh shit.
“Reagan, baby.” I lift her chin. Tears stream down her face, but her lips are curved up, and those shakes are from laughter.
“Oh my god, are you okay?” That’s all she manages to get out before she starts laughing again.
“And you say we’re bad?” Ginny stands next to Heath, smiling at the scene in front of her.
“Yeah, yeah. Glad we all think this is funny. Oh damn, that’s gonna leave a mark,” I say and rub my ass. “Gonna need to see if Coach will let me borrow some padding next time.”
Reagan tries to make a pouty face, but she can’t keep from laughing. “I’m sorry.”
I get my pants up. Bending over hurts, but I’m distracted by Reagan’s cleavage because she’s still topless.
She doesn’t seem bothered by it, but I pull off my shirt and then bring it down over her head to cover her boobs from prying eyes.
Just in time, too, because Mav, Rhett, and Dakota make their way outside.
“Great. Wonderful. Let’s all enjoy this moment together.” Damn, it hurts to talk.
They’re laughing their asses off at the situation.
“Bet you wish you had a sex swing now,” Ginny says.
She pushes the guys back inside, leaving Reagan and me alone.
Reagan jumps to her feet, looking far more spry than I’m feeling capable of.
“Come on, big guy.” She takes both hands and helps me to my feet, leads me inside to her bed, and as soon as she starts kissing me again, the pain magically disappears.
Out of nowhere, she starts giggling again. Her brown eyes twinkle and soften. “I can’t believe that just happened. Are you okay, really?”
“Never been better.”
And that’s the damn truth.