Page 87 of The Other Half

With that sweet smile that sent my stomach plummeting to my feet, he wrapped his arms around me. “Not the only reason.”

“And what’s the other reason?” I rose on my toes and pressed my lips to his.

“Partly because I don’t want that owl lamp to come to life and kill you in your sleep.” He whispered against my lips, and I laughed. “But mostly because I love you and I don’t want to miss another morning waking up next to you. Even a few acres is too far away.”

“Well,” I said between kisses, “if that’s the case, then I accept.”

“Yeah?” He leaned back and grinned.

I nodded my head, and the look in his eyes made my heart swell to near bursting. “I love you, Jake, and I would love to move in with you.”

With a grin so wide it could have torn his face in two, he leaned forward and swept me into his arms. “You make me so happy, Cassie. I love you so much.”

I waggled my eyebrows. “Can I bring the owl lamp and all my pink décor?”

His laugh echoed through the kitchen. “Leave the owl lamp. We’ll discuss the décor. Maybe we could compromise. A few pink camo accents. Oh, and Muskybait. Definitely Muskybait. Hank would go on strike if you left her behind.”

I scrunched up my nose. “Like I’d leave my Princess behind. So, no pink camo. How about since you get your camo man cave, I get a pink lady cave. A new Alton family tradition.”

“I like it.” He smiled. “The spare bedroom is all yours to cover in every shade of pink imaginable.”

“Deal,” I said, and he dipped me backward, folding my body against his as he pulled me closer. When our lips connected, I sighed into his mouth, exhaling the last of the hurt that had plagued me these last few years. In Jake’s arms I was happy. Healed. And I never intended to leave the safety of his strength.

After we’d gotten our fill of each other’s lips, he pulled me back to standing. “Now, part of our new traditions is breakfast on my porch. Our porch.” He smiled. “Go on out and relax, and I’ll bring your eggs soon.”

After one last kiss, I picked up my cup and made my way to the porch, forcing myself to contain my happiness and not skip my way there and spill my coffee all over my rack. T-shirt, you mean your rack t-shirt. Excited to greet the day from the porch with the views I would get to enjoy every morning, I walked outside and settled into my chair. My phone chirped, and I looked down to see my grandpa calling.

“Good morning, Grandpa!” I answered.

“Well, you’re in a good mood.”

With a happy sigh I nodded, then remembered he couldn’t see me. “The best.”

“So, life in Door County is treating you well?”

“I love it here, Grandpa. It’s heaven.”

“Hmmm,” he responded. The tone of his reaction caused my brow to furrow.

“What’s wrong?”

Jake walked out and smiled as he set my plate of eggs in front of me.

“It’s my grandpa,” I mouthed to him and he nodded.

“I’ll give you some privacy,” he whispered back. Before I could argue he took away the best part of my view and headed back inside.

“Grandpa?” I asked again. “Are you okay?”

“It’s not often I have said this in my life. But... I was wrong.”

“Wrong? About what?” I took a bite of my eggs and muffled my happy moan.

“Garvey. It seems he was planning on breaking apart my company like a dead car and selling off the parts. It would have left every employee without a job.”

“What!” I choked on my eggs. After successfully swallowing them down, I sat forward. “Are you serious, Grandpa?”

“After you told me again how much you distrusted him, I hired investigators to look into him before I signed the final papers. They posed as investors and he made them the offer to sell. You were right, Cassie. Your instincts were right.”