Epilogue
Griffin
T he extra suitcase is the first thing I notice when I sneak upstairs.
“Ba-by! I’m home!”
Footsteps pound on the stairs from the third floor, and before I can say another word or drink in the sight of her, she leaps into my arms, locks her legs around my hips, and presses her lips to mine.
Home .
Fuck, I’ve missed her. A week away was too damn long.
She peppers my face with kisses as she clings to me.
“You were writing?” She’s taken over my office upstairs; the wall is now littered with Post-its and index cards and a taped-together timeline.
“Mm-hmm.” She pulls back, face flushed and gorgeous and mine. “Got three thousand words in.”
“Nice work, professor.” I tilt my head, gesturing to the mountain of luggage piled at the end of the couch. “Thought you said you could fit everything in two.”
She chews on her lower lip. “But we have so much stuff. And we’re going to two very different locations. And very different events.”
“You do remember that I have another suitcase downstairs, right?”
Her eyes brighten. “Is there any room left in that one? ”
I chuckle. “What do you think?”
She rolls her eyes. “That my boyfriend loves clothes as much as I do.”
“Know what he loves more than clothes?” I slide my hand down and squeeze. “This ass.”
She snorts, but her eyes heat in response.
Attention fixed on her mouth, I get lost for a moment. Goddamn, I’ve missed it. And I show her how much when I take it in a slow, sensual kiss that makes her whimper. Her perfect tits are pushed against my chest as she pulls at my hair with greedy fingers and rubs her needy pussy up and down my abs.
And fuck , now I’m hard.
Looks like we’ll be leaving later than we planned.
I stride for the bedroom, every step full of lust and desperation. “Fuck. Why are you wearing so many clothes?”
She giggles. “It’s just a T-shirt and panties.” In one swift move, she tears the shirt over her head.
I groan at the sight of her topless. And when she frees the dark waves she’s piled on top of her head and those glorious locks spill around her face and shoulders?
It’s a good thing I’ve practiced agile footwork for years.
We spend the next hour reuniting, physically and emotionally. And the next catching up on every detail we’ve missed while we were apart. She tells me about closing out the spring semester, and I recount my time in LA filming promo, meeting with endorsement executives, and handling some of my least favorite off-season tasks. And then I amend our previously agreed-upon vow to never spend more than a week apart.
We lower it to five days, max.
After we take a shower that quickly escalates into other things, we dress and lug the three suitcases and a backpack down to the truck .
My palms are sweaty as I navigate through downtown Holly Holler.
“They’ve already got it roped off.” The excitement in her voice eases the quiver in my stomach. She keeps her nose pressed to the window until we turn the corner and the town square disappears from view.
She shifts in her seat and regards me. “You sure you want my handprint immortalized next to yours for eternity?” Her lips hold a smirk, but her voice carries a hint of apprehension.
“Baby, eternity with you is all I want.”
It took one phone call to the mayor and a promise to be the grand marshal in next year’s Founders’ Day parade to get us added to the list of couples who’ll commemorate their love in cold, wet cement tomorrow.
Shaw’s face flashes in my mind, and I work to swallow the thickness in my throat.
Her cheeks glow as she reaches across the console and wiggles her fingers. I swipe my palm on my shorts, then clasp her hand.
With a dreamy sigh, she pulls our linked hands into her lap and watches the scenery out the window again.
When her phone buzzes in the cupholder, she releases me and picks it up. And as she checks the message, a slow smile stretches across her face.
“Paige said they made it to Aruba with all their luggage, and the boxes they had shipped were waiting at the resort.”
I hum. “Bet she’s relieved.”
She nods and taps away on her phone for several minutes, no doubt reassuring her friend that her beach wedding will go off without a hitch. Brynn and I will join them after our extended weekend with my family, then we’ll spend a couple of days sightseeing and enjoying paradise before Paige and Beau tie the knot next Saturday.
Speaking of knots, the one in my gut expands as we get closer .
Her phone buzzes again. I assume it’s more from Paige until she groans. “Your brother.”
I don’t even need to ask which one. Sometimes I regret sharing her contact with Tucker.
“What now?” I can’t keep the annoyance out of my voice. He knows what I’m about to do.
“It says ‘Howdy, new neighbor.’” Brows drawn together, she frowns at the screen, then at me.
That fucker. I want to snatch up my phone to chew his ass, but I let it go. Our arrival was delayed by certain necessary bedroom and shower distractions, after all. So, he thinks I’ve already done it, so he’s earned himself a pardon on the ass-chewing. But as she studies the phone again, my stomach drops. Shit, she’s probably gearing up to probe deeper about his text.
If my little brother unwittingly ruined the surprise, the ass-chewing is back on.
The air in my lungs escapes when she’s distracted by another buzz. “And now he’s asking what time the handprint ceremony is tomorrow, like he can’t scroll back a few messages and find out. Or check the family text. Your mom has been texting daily reminders.”
As soon as Tuck got hold of Brynn’s number, he added her to the Lacey Fam group text.
Shit. Now I want to give my dumbass little brother a bone-crushing hug.
I blink back the burn and clear my throat. “Why the hell is he so worried about the time? He’ll be downtown with us all morning, right?”
She shakes her head and waves her phone. “He has some photographer scheduled to take professional shots for the gym’s website and social media.” She frowns at my window and points to the road that leads to my parents’ place. “Uh, you missed the turn.”
“I want to show you something first.” Heart in my throat, I continue past the turnoff that leads to Shaw’s cabin. A quarter mile later, I take a left on a two-track dirt road that will soon be leveled and paved.
“Griff…” She glances at me, then turns back to her window. “Where are we going?”
“We’re almost there.”
I follow the winding path through a wooded area crowded with tall pines and flowering dogwoods and post oaks. Another curve to the left, and we crest a small knoll. At the top, I park the truck and take her in.
Her mouth drops at the view through the windshield. The rise we’re on dips into a large meadow that stretches for acres to the edge of a small, still pond.
When she turns to me, eyes full of wonder, I tip my chin. “Walk with me?”
The shine of her smile rivals that of the May sun that greets us as we hop out. I grab the cardboard tube from its hiding spot behind the back seat, tuck it under my arm, and join her at the front of the truck, hand outstretched.
“This place is beautiful.” She slips her hand into mine, and we amble through the calf-high grass. She glances at the tube but doesn’t question me about it as we walk.
“This is the edge of my parents’ land.” I point at the trees on the opposite side of the pond. “Shaw’s cabin is about an eight-minute walk that way. These woods were our playground growing up. Spent hours fishing and swimming in that pond.”
I stop in the middle of the clearing and face the woman that I’ll spend the rest of my days with. When I hand her the tube, she raises her brows. She’s quiet as she opens the end and tips it on its side until the rolled-up sheets slide out. Taking the tube and papers from her, I unroll the largest one and hold it up.
“The front door will be right about here, where we’re standing.”
She coughs a sob and covers her mouth. “Griffin. ”
“I asked for a huge front porch and an office that overlooks the pond where you can write all the dragon stories your heart desires. If there’s anything you don’t like about the plan, though, the architect will make adjustments.”
Eyes teary, she examines the details on the blueprint. “It looks perfect.”
“We’ll pick out the rest together once they clear the land and break ground. Should be able to move in not long after the season ends.”
Those brown eyes lock with mine, shiny with happiness and love. “The apartment. We fell in love in that apartment.”
“We’ll keep it for when we want to stay in the city. Down the line, we can rent it out if we want to.” I shrug. “Building’s ours.”
“Ours,” she repeats, the word a promise.
I roll up the plans for our future home and hand her the stack of papers that Seth printed before I left town. She flips through them, studying the fine details, then blinks at me, lips parted in surprise. “These are all properties in Cocoa Beach.”
“Pick one. Then we won’t crowd Hardy and Celeste when we go down there. And,” I wag my brows, “ none of us will have to worry about being quiet.”
Her cheeks flame, and she swats my arm. Catching her hand, I give it a squeeze and bring it to my lips for a kiss.
Her parents’ house in Florida has very thin walls. And her folks are noisier in the bedroom than we are. I’d like to avoid future awkward breakfast conversations if at all possible. Though, for the record, Celeste wasn’t the least bit uncomfortable.
Clutching my arm, she rests her cheek against my bicep and takes it all in. We stand in reverent silence, gazing across the space where we’ll make a lifetime of memories. French toast Sundays and Christmas mornings and lazy weeknights. We’ll bring our babies home to this land, raise them up right, a perfect combination of their Lacey and Nelson heritages .
Our life together will be fucking perfect, because even when we face trials, we’ll hit our checkdowns to navigate the hard times, and we’ll lean on each other to make it through.
Teammates for life.
With a laugh, she throws her arms around me. “You’ve thought of everything.” She rises on her toes to whisper against my lips. “You and me forever, huh, Griff?”
“Yeah, baby.” I kiss her, soft and sweet and perfect. “Forever.”