Chapter 26 #3
“I’ll never take your beautiful heart for granted,” Skylar says, his eyes locked on mine.
“I know your acts of kindness aren’t for recognition.
Your care and concern for others is as natural to you as breathing.
I’ll be honest, I’m kinda envious. I find it harder to trust others, but you’re teaching me every day that others are worth caring about and helping.
” He kisses me softly. “But you’ll always get the lion’s share of my attention and affection. That’s a promise.”
I fight to hold back tears. “The greatest reward I’ve ever gotten in this life is meeting and falling in love with you. I promise that you’ll always be the most important person in my life. My sweet, precious penguin.”
We kiss again but are interrupted by three hellhound heads letting out whining yawns.
I chuckle. “I think Elvira has spoken.” Then I dare to ask Skylar something I’ve been wanting to for quite a while. “Do you think you’d like to sleep with me tonight? Just cuddling and holding each other.”
Skylar searches my face and smiles softly. “That sounds real nice.”
We quietly head upstairs together, Elvira hot on our heels but still notably silent, and I have to wonder for real if Angelica has somehow managed to communicate with her about this. I’m sure Ryder would be fascinated by this question as well. Can hellhounds and hellcats speak to each other?
Inside my room, Elvira jumps up onto the bed and curls up in her usual spot at the foot of it. Skylar surveys my private sanctuary. It’s his first time in here, and I let him look his fill. Just having him here with me has me brimming with giddy delight.
He examines the many romance novels on my bookcase, the reading chair by the window, and the antique bureau I love that came with the house. He pauses there, studying something.
When he holds up an envelope with his name on it, I nearly trip over air.
“What’s this?” he asks, curiosity written all over his face.
“Th-that,” I stutter. “That’s a love letter I wrote. For you.”
He stares at me and his bottom lip trembles. “Of course you wrote me a fucking love letter. That’s so you, Hal.”
“Sometimes I’m not always able to say what I’m feeling in the moment, and it can be easier to write it down.”
He nods slowly and then tilts his head. “But you haven’t given it to me yet. Is there a reason?”
I swallow thickly. “I was waiting for the right moment.” I flush. “I’ll admit, it’s a little embarrassing, but everything in there is written from the heart.”
He sets it back down on the desk gently, almost reverently.
“You can read it,” I offer hastily.
He smiles. “I will. But not tonight. I think I’ll save it for the right time that I need to read it. If that makes sense.”
My heart swells and I smile back. “It does.”
Then he moves over to the bed and trails a hand over the brightly colored afghan there.
“Another of your creations?”
I nod. “In the winter, I do a lot of crocheting when it’s too cold and snowy to go out much. I’ve had time to make a lot of blankets over the years.”
“It’s beautiful,” he murmurs.
My entire body fills with cozy warmth.
Skylar kicks off his shoes, shucks off his pants, and climbs up onto my massive bed in his T-shirt and boxers. He nestles under the blankets and Elvira curls up near his feet.
He’s always so bold in ways that I’m not. I love that about him.
Nervous but full of anticipation, I take off my apron and hang it on the hook on the wall before I carefully climb into bed.
Under the covers, Skylar comes to me willingly, and I wrap myself around him in the way I’ve wanted to do for ages, it feels like.
It’s as natural as two pieces of a puzzle fitting together.
Skylar presses his body into mine, and I tighten my arms around him, sighing with contentment.
“I’ve wanted to hold you like this for so long,” I whisper.
He runs a hand through the hair on my arm, stroking it softly. “I’m already a fan. We can do this a lot from now on.”
I swallow back my nerves and push forward.
“Well, I’ve been thinking. If we’re going to start bringing in more business to the B&B, it might make sense for you to share a room with me, especially when we’re busy.
But I don’t want to put any pressure on you,” I hasten to add.
“If you prefer to keep separate rooms, we can definitely do that.”
Skylar turns in my arms to face me and cups my face in his hand. “Let’s do it. We won’t know if it’s going to work until we try. I’m sure we’ll figure things out, and we can test what works best for us both.”
“I never want to make you feel uncomfortable, so I hope you’ll continue to be open and honest with me about how you’re feeling.”
He nods. “I will, and I expect you to do the same with me.”
“It’s a promise.” We seal our promise with one last sweet kiss, then snuggle in for the night.
As we lie together in each other’s arms, Elvira curled up at our feet, I marvel at how much my life has changed in such a short period of time.
For ten long years, I built a life here in Mystic Hollow, all the time continuing to hope and dream that I too would find love and a partner I could share a lifetime with. My patience paid off in the end, and Mystic Hollow came through for me in the way it always has.
Because it finally brought Skylar to me.
And my penguin and I are going to build the happiest and most beautiful life—together. It’s nothing but rainbows, sunshine, and blue skies ahead.