Live For The Moment
On Friday morning, Esme packed her duffels. Excitement thrummed through her. Instead of heading out on the road to look for another inn or B&B, she was moving into the farmhouse.
It should make her sad to leave such a fun room and the room service that went along with it.
Instead, she couldn’t wait. She’d scrubbed her own bathroom before. A tiny price to pay for moving into a home where she was welcome. People she enjoyed, and one particular person who was stealing her heart one moment at a time.
Esme hadn’t experienced a lot of healthy, loving relationships in her life. Her mother drifted from one man to the next, always looking for one who could provide her with her next fix and a place to stay.
Nans talked about her José with fondness, but he’d died of a heart attack before Esme had met him. The stories Nans told seemed like fairy tales to Esme, once she’d learned what those were.
Nans introduced her to all the good things in life. Stories where heroines got their happy endings, where good triumphed over evil, where everyone ended up safe and warm, surrounded by family who loved them.
During those terrifying first months, Esme hadn’t known whether to believe in her good luck in being dumped with Nans, or whether her mother would return to rip her back into the dark, scary life she’d led before.
Nans had sat with her after her nightmares, telling her stories of fierce girls who survived tough situations and went on to do amazing things.
Some of those stories were based on fairy tales and TV shows, but her grandmother had fabricated others. Wonderful stories that eased Esme’s fears and slowly had her believing safety was possible.
The nightmares slowed as she learned to trust that Nans would keep her safe and that she wanted Esme to stay.
After years of being told she was nothing but a pain in the ass and a hindrance, it had been a heady feeling.
Today was a wonderful echo of that giddy joy.
She grabbed her duffel bags and her purse, then headed to the dining room. With a plate full of Mara’s incredible baking and some fruit, she moved to sit on the porch overlooking the garden.
This was one of her favorite spots on the farm. The morning sun rose over the farmhouse, and the rays made the garden magical, like those tales Nans had spun—a place filled with safe havens and happiness.
When she spotted Wyatt walking her way, her heart leapt. This strong, sexy, wonderful man smiled when he spotted her and picked up his pace. He jogged up the steps to the porch and leaned down to brush his lips over hers.
The brief touch had her heart racing and her hands itching to pull him back for another taste.
“Good morning.”
His growly voice made her smile. “Good morning.”
He looked at her plate filled with goodies and grinned. “I’ll grab some, too. Want a chai?”
She hadn’t had enough hands to grab a drink, so she nodded. “I can help.”
He waved her to stay where she was and disappeared into the dining room. She resisted the need to watch him walk away.
Grinning at herself, she bit into a raspberry-apple scone that was quickly becoming her favorite, right along with the fritters.
Wyatt returned and set two mugs on the table, then went back in for his food. Contentment settled around Esme. Not only because he’d brought her tea, but for the cozy feeling of acting like a couple.
When Wyatt sat, she held up her mug to clink with his. “Thank you.”
He grinned. “You’re welcome.”
For a few moments, they sat in silence, enjoying the view and the company.
“How’s it feel leaving Duckington Palace behind?”
She laughed. “I love that room. It’ll always hold a special place in my heart, but I’m excited.”
His grin echoed her own. “Me too.”
“I’ve been moving from town to town for so long, it’ll be nice to settle.”
He studied her. “I guess as a model, you did a lot of traveling. Where was your home base?”
“For years, traveling was a blur of hotel rooms, airports, and location shoots. I had a room in my agent’s house. Claudia and her wife Hania lived in LA and I worked from there quite a bit.”
“No house?”
She shook her head. “Over the years, I bought a few houses, tried to find a place that fit. But I wasn’t home enough to settle in and enjoy, so I sold them all, usually within weeks. The room at Claudia’s suited me best.”
“Doesn’t surprise me at all. Sounds like Claudia and Hania were family.”
She blinked her misty eyes at the comment. “They were. They refused to take rent from me. As my agent, Claudia got a percentage of my earnings. She said that I had paid for the house in the first place, and that I was always welcome.”
He grinned. “I’m betting you found a way around the rent issue.”
She laughed, loving that he knew her so well.
“Claudia loved visiting vineyards, and Hania loved art, mostly sculptures and paintings. I sent them on yearly vacations to Napa Valley and then bought a new art piece for them when they returned. In fact, the most recent paintings I bought them before they passed was by Josie Ellis, who lives out at Midnight Lake. I didn’t realize it at the time, but I featured some of her work in one video I shot in Phail Central. It can be a very small world.”
“That’s an incredible coincidence. I haven’t been out to Midnight Lake yet, but it sounds like a fun day if you’re up to it sometime.”
She smiled. “It’s a date.”
Fire heated Wyatt’s eyes. “Good. You ready to move your stuff?”
She nodded and picked up the plates and mugs. “I’ll put these in the dishwasher first. My bags are in the corner of the dining room.”
When she returned, Wyatt had both her duffels over her shoulder and her purse in his hand. She grabbed it. “Okay, let’s go.”
“This is it?”
“I’ve learned to travel light.”
It didn’t take long to walk to the farmhouse. Wyatt reset the security once they were inside. They switched to moccasins and left their boots in the mudroom.
In the kitchen, they found Ford and Jolie eating oatmeal and fruit at the table. They both smiled at her. “Welcome home.”
Esme had to suck in a breath and blink hard. “Thank you.” Her voice trembled and she swallowed hard to clear her throat.
Jolie bounced up from the table and hugged her. “We’re so glad you’re here to stay. Have you picked a room yet?”
Esme shook her head. “This is the first time I’ve been in the farmhouse.” But it already felt like home.
Jolie smiled. “You’ll love it here. Wyatt can give you the grand tour. There’s so much space, but we mostly spend our time here in the kitchen or in the family room at the back. There’s also a library and another living area. Plenty of space if you need a break from us. We can be a lot.”
Esme laughed. “I’m looking forward to it.”
Jolie hugged her again. “We picked some flowers for your room. There are a few open bedrooms, but we thought you’d like the view we chose. If not, move them. Have fun.”
Wyatt led her up the staircase. “There are eight bedrooms, each about the same size and with its own bathroom. Ford renovated most of them over the past winter, so they’re warm and up to date. He’ll finish the last one this winter.”
She nodded as she followed. Wyatt stopped outside one room and smiled. “This is where Jolie put the flowers. My room is right there.”
Next door. No matter the view, Esme didn’t think she’d be moving anytime soon.
A vase of happy flowers sat on the dresser in front of the window. A queen bed was covered with a lovely quilt done in soft pinks and purples.
There was another dresser, two nightstands, and a closet. She didn’t have enough things to fill even a quarter of the beautiful, homemade furniture.
The newly renovated bathroom had another vase of flowers and folded towels ready to use.
She hadn’t even looked at the view when she smiled at Wyatt. “It’s perfect.”
“Good.” He placed the duffels at the end of the bed, drawing her eye that way.
Her body shivered at the thought of spending some quality time with Wyatt there. A glance showed that his thoughts echoed her own.
Unable to resist his magnetic pull, she stepped in front of him. His eyes sparkled, and his gaze flickered between her eyes and her lips.
Unable to resist, she put her hands on his chest and reached up on her toes.
She wasn’t sure who moved first, but their lips crashed together.
No soft brushes this time. Instead, they opened immediately, and their tongues began to dance.
Esme gripped his shirt and pulled herself closer.
Wyatt’s arm banded around her, holding her close while his other hand cupped her head.
Heaven. She’d just landed in heaven.
Holy hell, the woman could kiss.
Wyatt tightened his grip when her body shuddered. She leaned into him and deepened the kiss again.
He wanted to devour her in one giant gulp.
He also wanted to strip her clothes away, start at her toes, work his way up, savoring every inch of that long, lithe body.
She tasted like the chai and pastries they’d shared. She also tasted as he’d imagined. Pure heat and beauty. Pure Esme.
Wyatt wanted to lose control, toss her onto the bed, and start living out his list of fantasies.
Instead, he slowed the kiss and eased back to rest his forehead on hers. They both drew in deep breaths, but neither let up on their tight grip.
When he leaned back enough to see her properly, she smiled up at him. “Wow.”
He grinned. “Definitely wow.”
He planned to step away, step back. His body had other ideas. He leaned down and licked her lips, kissed each corner, and then dove in again.
His body was hard as concrete when he managed to ease back again.
This time, he wrapped both arms gently around her and pulled her in for a long hug, running his hands up and down her body while he corralled his control. “I could do that for days.”
She giggled into his chest. “Me too.”
“Good. Now, I need to leave this room before I toss you on that bed and we don’t leave it for the next decade.”
Skin flushed, she smiled up at him. “We should be reasonable adults.”
He nodded and brushed his lips over her forehead. “It’ll be hell, but we should. When we get to that stage, I don’t want you to have any regrets.”