Page 66 of The Sailor

“It’s empty. Mom isn’t planning on doing any more rentals. You think she might be open to letting Harper and Kash move in? Having one bedroom isn’t ideal, but we might be able to put up a curtain or something to give Harper some privacy, because we both know she’d give the room to her son. It would give them both space away from Victor, and it’ll be up to Mom how much she wants to charge, of course . . . but I’m guessing she’d barely charge them anything, considering how much she enjoys having Kash around.”

Linc’s head whipped around to stare at Zach. “I hadn’t thought of that.”

Zach grinned. “See? I might be the baby, but I’ve got a good idea now and then.”

Linc chuckled and leaned sideways, knocking into Zach’s shoulder. “Naw, you’re only good for the food you can make. That’s the only reason we tolerate having you around.”

“Asshole,” Zach said.

“Pecker head,” Linc retorted.

“Lickspittle.”

“Mumpsimus.”

“Pettifogger.” Zach grinned. This was just like old times. Growing up, they’d had to look up words that were insults that didn’t sound like curses so their mom wouldn’t make them do extra chores as punishment for saying them.

Linc smiled at his little brother. “It’s good to be home. I’ll talk to Mom. Thanks for the suggestion.”

“Shouldn’t you talk to Harper first?” Linc asked.

“Nope. She’d probably refuse out of pride. Which would be stupid. And if I ask if she wants to move into the house, she’d almost certainly say no simply because it’s me asking. If Mom brings it up, and makes her think it was her idea . . .” Linc’s voice trailed off.

“Right. Smart. But won’t Harper be pissed when she learns that it was you who first brought it up? You know she’ll figure it out eventually. Love Mom to pieces, but she’s not exactly Fort Knox when it comes to keeping secrets.”

Linc shrugged. “Probably. But technically, you suggested it. Not me.” He winked. “Either way, since it’s for Kash, she’ll deal.”

Zach figured his brother was probably right.

“If you need me—or Knox or Chad—you know we’ve got your back, right? With this Pearson asshole? No one fucks with a Lobsterite,” Linc said fervently.

“I know. Thanks. I’d already decided that it might be necessary to bring in the local Rockville network . . . you know, get people to subtly do things to make Pearson’s life here . . . difficult. I’ll keep you updated as to what’s going on.”

“I’d appreciate it.”

“Hey! You guys gonna stand there holding up that wall or come and help us carry some of this stuff to the other house?” Chad called out.

“Keep your pants on, we’re coming!” Zach yelled back.

Linc clapped his hand on Zach’s shoulder, then they headed toward the room where everyone else had gathered. It would be a tight fit in the new house with everyone there, trying to help get things set up how Chad and Britt wanted them, but since everyone was family, it could never be too crowded.

Later that evening, Zach sat in his favorite recliner with Marit on his lap. He was surprisingly exhausted after a long day out at Lobster Cove. A lot of it was emotional exhaustion. Many people didn’t believe men could be emotional, but with the surprise of hearing about the texts Marit was getting, the excitement he felt for his brother and Britt, the talk with Linc, seeing how happy his mom was about the upcoming grandchild . . . he was more than ready to sit and simply “be” with Marit.

Which was a new thing for Zach. In the past when he’d had girlfriends, he’d always felt as if he had to entertain them every second they were together. Make sure they were happy. That they didn’t need or want anything. With Marit, that was rarely the case. She didn’t need entertaining every moment of the day. She seemed just as content to sit in a quiet room, like they were doing now, as she was to go out and do something.

The bottom line was, it felt like Marit was a perfect match for him. It had been almost three months since they’d been dating, and he loved that she’d spent most of her nights here at his place. She had clothes here, toiletries next to his in the bathroom, and he got such a kick out of seeing her boots and fishing gear taking up most of the room in his front closet. He’d clear out all his drawers and closets for her stuff if it meant she spent more time here with him.

“What are you thinking about so hard?” Marit asked quietly. Her head was resting on his shoulder as she snuggled into him. She fit perfectly in his arms. She really was tiny compared to his six-six height. It amused a lot of people how disproportionate they were, but he didn’t even notice anymore. She was just Marit. Her larger-than-life personality made her seem as if she were ten feet tall.

“How happy I am that you’re here,” Zach said quietly. “How well we fit together. Both physically and with our lives in general. How I’ve never been with anyone who fits me like you do. How I could spend the rest of my life enjoying evenings like this . . . you using me as a body pillow as we relax after a long day.”

Marit’s head came up, and she stared at him, but Zach couldn’t read her expression.

“Too cheesy?” he asked without even a hint of a smile.

“No,” she whispered.

“Good. Because that’s how I feel. This morning, I almost tripped over one of your boots. It had tipped over and was partially blocking the hallway. I’d gone to the front closet for something, no clue why now, but I wasn’t paying attention and almost face-planted into the wall.”