Page 81 of Come A Little Closer

I flashed her a wide grin of my own before I dropped my hands to her hips and picked her up, tossing her over my shoulder caveman style once more and laughing as she squealed. “Are we really doing this again?”

“You bet we are. In fact, you just agreed to doing this with me for the rest of your life. Sorry. Not sorry. I’m afraid this is what you’re in for as my wife.”

She chuckled, then patted my ass and sighed. “You know, I think I finally get what you were talking about earlier. I could get used to this view, too.”

Some primal part inside me preened. “I wouldn’t have it any other way, baby. Look as much as you want. As long as you know I’m taking my turn once we get up there.”

39

TALLULAH

Niall and I had been living together for a few weeks now, and so far, everything about it was amazing. Life was grand and arguments were few.

It turned out that we liked the toilet paper put on the same way around. Neither of us had any problem with shedding clothes and leaving them on the floor at first, as long as they were in the hamper by the time we left the room. We both needed our morning coffee before we got started with the day and we both loved watching movies in bed while we fell asleep.

With my clothes in the closet, my toiletries in the bathroom, and a home office just for me decked out on the first floor, this place was really starting to feel like home. I was even getting comfortable being here without him, which was wonderful considering that I now worked mostly from here while he went into the office every day.

Possibly the biggest boon of all was having Miss Jenny in the area. I still liked working on the porch sometimes or just having a quick sandwich or coffee out there when I took a break, and whenever I was outside, Miss Jenny was there too.

Such an institution in this neighborhood and yet, such a sweet, caring, flamboyant person to boot. I loved her.

The only point of contention between us all so far was that Miss Jenny was of the opinion I should take Niall’s credit card and go shopping for the house. She insisted that I should add my personal touch to it now, and once she’d said so to Niall, he had been all for it.

On the other side, I was a lone figure of refusal. Even Sayra and Jake had taken Miss Jenny and Niall’s side. It seemed no one could understand why I didn’t want to redecorate at his expense, but the truth was that I adored this house exactly the way it was.

Niall had kept a lot of the original furniture and décor, specifically in the parts of the house that were open to the public for tours, and it would completely ruin the aesthetic to stick a bunch of modern paintings on the walls or put cutesy knickknacks everywhere.

It’d taken a while to reach a compromise, and I definitely couldn’t confidently say that Niall was happy with the middle ground we’d agreed to. I’d bought some new bedding for our bedroom and a few other small things for the living room, but I’d left the rest as it had been.

Every now and then, he was still making suggestions as to rooms I could redecorate or things I could change, which was what made me so sure he wasn’t satisfied with our compromise. I would get there, though. Eventually.

For now, I was perfectly happy with our new, royal blue bedding and the space in my office, which I had added a few personal touches to. As I leaned back in my chair, I looked around, eyeing the indoor plants I’d bought to brighten the room and the quirky, Alice in Wonderland-esque teapot decoration I was using as a paperweight on my desk.

I smiled and closed my laptop for the day when I caught sight of the time on the melted clock I’d hung on the bookshelf. Work at the moment was nice and slow, which had given me time to settle in. I had more than enough to do, but the pace was such that I never had to come in here after hours at the moment.

I was wrapping up preparations on the remaining fall-themed festivals and events happening at Niall’s properties. I already had all the private parties being hosted at his venues organized, and the Thanksgiving dinners that would be held at the plantation were practically finalized.

I’d inherited most of the arrangements for those from my predecessor, who hadn’t been formally appointed as a project manager, but rather just an employee who had taken the lead on some of the events. It had been easy to see that his heart hadn’t been in the job, and I’d made a few tweaks to ensure that this year’s dinners would be something to remember.

I had made myself at home on cloud nine ever since Niall had proposed, and as I stood up from behind my desk, I decided to try to cook him dinner. I had a bit of time before he’d be getting home from the office and I hadn’t really ventured into the kitchen yet as the person doing the feeding, rather than being fed when Niall cooked.

Striding out of the office with my mind made up and a dish in mind, I took off down the corridor and smiled when I realized the route I’d chosen put me directly on the path to where I’d first laid eyes on him. It was hard to believe how far we’d come since then, but as I reached the spot where Cathy had decided to take off just before Niall had come around the corner, I paused.

This was one place I realized I’d like to mark with our personal story, even if other members of the public might end up venturing here. Deciding I’d make this a photo wall with pictures depicting our relationship, I grinned and hurried to the kitchen, getting started with dinner before I pulled out my phone and scrolled through the photographic evidence of how we’d grown together.

Of course, as someone who wasn’t very good at cooking to begin with, my distraction resulted in a burning scent filling the air. I looked up, groaning when I saw wisps of smoke escaping the oven. Tossing my phone down on the counter, I slid off the stool I’d been on and raced over, shutting off the heat and opening the door.

The wisps of smoke turned into plumes as soon as I cracked the door and I coughed, quickly opening it all the way before retreating. “Damn it. It was just pies! How did I mess up pies?”

A chuckle rang out from behind me and I twisted. Niall walked into the kitchen. He set his laptop bag and keys down on the counter, those blue eyes twinkling as he strode over to me. “I’ve got some spare cash lying around. We’ll order in.”

My lips pursed and I narrowed my eyes at him, but when he winked, I burst out laughing. “Did you really have to get home while I was talking to myself?”

He jerked his thumb over his shoulder. “I could leave and give you a minute to berate yourself properly?”

As he said it, he reached me and pulled me into his arms, kissing me. “Better yet, I can cook for us.”

“I know, but I wanted to surprise you.”