Chapter 40
Wyatt
The air was filled with the sweet fragrance of spring blossoms as Taylor and I worked together in our new backyard.
Decidedly smaller than the one Gracie had fallen in love with, but it ticked all of our shared boxes.
Taylor wanted big bathrooms, and I wanted some distance between myself and the bustling city.
“Why am I setting out napkins when we haven’t christened the guest bedroom yet?” Taylor called up to me.
I shook my head with a smile, focused on the task at hand. “Because our friends and family will be here in less than an hour. For the housewarming that you insisted we have today.”
She sighed dramatically and tossed a handful of paper napkins at a random spot on the picnic table before stomping back inside for the plates and party cups.
It was a debate, but Taylor eventually caved to us having a traditional cookout instead of a lavish catered affair for our official housewarming.
My amusement at her obvious fish-out-of-water demeanor in the face of it all was a bonus.
But the real prize was our home. A place that belonged to both of us, ripe with the promise of a lifetime of memories.
I lost my footing, causing the stepladder to rattle dangerously beneath me. Gripping onto the tree branch for dear life, I carefully shifted my body weight until the wobble stopped.
“Need some help?”
I straightened, letting out a shaky breath. “I’m on the last knot. Do you think Gracie will like it? It’s not the slide she wanted, but it’s still something fun.”
“Are you kidding? Tire swings are timeless classics for a reason.” Taylor craned her neck as she looked up at me, her hand shielding her eyes from the worst of the sun’s glare. “She’s going to love it.”
Her encouragement fueled my raw fingers through the last tie, and I patted the thick rope with a satisfied nod.
“Done,” I announced with a flourish, stretching my arms high into the air. The sudden motion threw me off balance again, but this time Taylor was quick and close enough to grab hold of the rocking ladder while I clung to the rope.
“You sure are a hazard, you know that? For someone who claims to be handy with this kind of thing.”
I rolled my eyes. She sounded like she’d been waiting a while to let that one out.
“Hold on while I get down.” I started my descent with Taylor watching on, jumping off the ladder with three rungs to spare.
“Show off.” Taylor gave the swing a gentle push and it swayed easily back and forth. “Quality control came back with a pass on this one, Miss Green.”
“Perfect.” I wiped my hands on my jeans as I stood back and admired my handiwork. “I think it’s cool enough to make Gracie forget all about that slide she wanted.”
“Don’t hold your breath.” Taylor chuckled and pulled me close, her arms wrapped lazily around my waist.
“Home.” I pressed a soft kiss to her jaw, then the corner of her mouth. She hummed sweetly, her eyes closed to the sensation.
“Anywhere you are.” She rested her head against mine as we looked out over our cozy backyard. “Always.”
My heart swelled with gratitude for the moment, and the woman I was lucky enough to be sharing it with. I’d come so far with her because of her. I was living a life I was too afraid to dream of, and Taylor Kane was the reason.
“I love you,” I whispered, turning my face at the same time she looked at me. Our lips were a breath apart.
Taylor closed the distance, sealing our shared sentiment with a soft kiss. “I love you too, my love. And I can’t wait to see what’s next for us. You make me excited about life again.”
I chuckled softly. “I was just thinking that about you.”
“Can we have one gathering where you two aren’t all up in each other?” Alex was on the back porch, smirking at us with her hands on her hips.
“Can you knock for once when entering my home?” Taylor started toward her and I followed close behind.
By the time we reached the porch the rest of the gang had filtered through, including the princess guest of honor herself.
Gracie spared a throwaway hug for me and Taylor before she spotted the surprise hanging from the large oak.
An ear-splitting screech pealed out, and she sprinted over to the swing with Michael Keaton giving chase.
“Awww, you guys are so cute, setting that up for her,” Devon said, then a slow smile crept onto her face. “Or is it for someone else, perhaps?”
Everyone’s eyes were on us in an instant, their usual catch-up chatting momentarily forgotten.
“You’re having a baby?” Cameron’s voice went up two whole octaves. “Please tell me you’re having a baby. You have to…”
“That escalated quickly,” I mumbled to Taylor at my side, and she laughed it off.
“When we bring out Gracie’s next surprise, you’ll understand why my response to that comment is ‘Have you lost your mind?’”
Taylor ignored the puzzled looks from her friends and led the way to the picnic table.
“It’s a puppy.” I put them out of their misery. “We’ve officially added to our family. But he’s asleep upstairs. I’ll bring him out to play a little later.”
“Does she mean for us to follow?” Hayden seemed hesitant, squinting into the sun as she watched Taylor. “Out there? In the wild?”
Taylor waved us over, giving Hayden nothing more than an exaggerated eye roll. “I lost the coin toss, if you’re wondering where the caterers are. And Frankie, you won the toss by proxy when we were deciding who should be in charge of the barbecue.”
Frankie’s face lit up, and she happily yanked the apron that Taylor held out to her, pulling it over her neck. The words ‘Kiss the Cook’ were scrawled on the front, and she wiggled her eyebrows at Hayden.
“I should take this home with me,” Frankie said with a cheeky grin.
Hayden walked up and planted a steamy kiss on her lips. “Don’t need it. You’ve trained me well.”
“Side note, Wyatt.” Reid was already mixing the sangria with Mia. “If you ever do find yourself in a coin toss with Taylor, she always chooses heads.”
“Hey…” Taylor glared at her friend in disbelief.
“That’s true.” Alex chuckled. “Even when she knows we know that’s her go-to. She never tries to slip us up.”
Mia went around, handing out everyone’s drinks. “I’ve seen it with my own eyes. It’s like she’s physically incapable of choosing tails.”
“What can I say?” Taylor shrugged nonchalantly. “I’d rather be choosing heads and chasing tails.”
A collective groan broke out at her lame attempt to be tongue-in-cheek, but I found it endearing. I found everything Taylor did endearing.
“As long as it’s a singular tail you’re chasing, ma’am.”
“You better believe it, baby.” Taylor kissed me, properly kissed me, right there in front of her friends.
Somewhere to my left came the sound of someone gagging.
I recognized Devon’s heartwarming sigh from behind, and I could imagine the look on her face too.
She’d been our number one fan from the very beginning, and my first taste of this found family of Taylor’s.
A family that I could now proudly call my own.
“We’re not late, are we?”
Taylor and I jumped apart, my cheeks feeling as warm as Taylor’s were scarlet. Budge smirked at me, one eyebrow raised.
“Is there a sign that I missed that just invites everyone in?” I asked, scowling at my sister with feigned annoyance.
“Front door was wide open.” Bina shouldered her way between Reid and Mia, her arms laden with a platter of finger snacks that she placed on the table. “Mom’s been cooking up a storm again, as you can see.”
“Mom, cooking, of course.” I bit back a smile.
My mother engulfed me in a suffocating hug, lingering for longer than I expected. “I’m so happy for you. So, so proud of you.”
“Thanks, Mom,” I mumbled into her shoulder.
I squeezed my eyes shut to fight back unwanted tears. Not on a happy cookout day. She didn’t have the same luck, though, and came away from the hug dabbing her eyes.
“I need a push!” Gracie yelled from her spot on the tire swing, and Bina was first to react. She rushed across the backyard squealing about how much she loved kids.
“Now all we’re missing is-” Taylor was cut short, her gaze softening as she spotted her brother, Christian, on the porch.
“Hey, sis.” He waved down at us and quickly descended the steps. His daughter and wife were in tow, looking just as excited as he was to be here.
“I know, I know, I need to lock my front door.” Taylor pulled him into a crushing hug.
Moments later we were all seated at the table, taking turns to push the kids on the swing. Drinks flowed and the conversation even more so. The aroma of Frankie’s grill wafted through the air, making Michael Keaton even more excited to be alive.
“This is nice,” Taylor whispered to me, motioning to our friends and family surrounding us.
I intertwined my fingers with hers in my lap and gazed into her eyes. “It’s more than nice. It’s home.”