AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Will you give me a goodnight kiss when I get back?” he asks.
“Of course,” I answer without any snark, sleep-fueled anger, or any sort of fight.
Brent kisses my cheek before getting back up to change and get ready for bed. I roll over because I’m facing the edge of the bed and Brent won’t get his kiss that way. When he rounds the bed, he quickly reads the note before sliding between the sheets.
“I’m glad y’all had fun. The movie was good, by the way. I also talked to Gregory and I know what you know.”
“Good.” I scoot closer and kiss him, waking up more and more as his arms tighten around me. “Brent,” I murmur against his mouth. “I have something to tell you.”
He turns away to turn off the lamp. “Don’t feel like we have to talk about whatever it is now. I’ll behave and go to sleep. You can tell me in the morning.”
“But I’m awake now and it’s important.”
His hand finds its way to my hip. “Okay. I’m listening.”
With a deep breath and a smile he probably can’t see, I whisper, “I’ll move in.”
He squeezes my hip. “Are you sure? You haven’t even gone for a run to clear your head. There’s still p
lenty of time to think about it. I don’t want you to feel like you need to make a decision now.”
“Brent, I’m sure,” I interrupt before he can go on talking like that for another second longer. I rest my hands on his bare chest. “All the reasons I want to outweigh any reason why I should wait. If you still want me, I’m moving in.”
“I most definitely still want you.” There’s a slight shift on the bed. His nose gently bumps into mine and then his lips brush once, twice, three times before he finally kisses me. I’ll never be able to pick my favorite kiss from Brent. Or the most memorable or the best because he makes them all so breathtaking, heart-pounding, soul-stealing, that they end up being incomparable to anything else, including each other. “Have I told you lately that I love you?” he asks as he settles his head on his pillow.
“Not in the last few hours; I’m starting to worry you’re falling out of love with me.”
Brent laughs. “Impossible, but just so you know, I do love you.”
“I love you too.” I decide to forget my pillow and use Brent’s chest instead. With the sound of his breathing and his heartbeat, I’m able to fall back asleep within seconds.
We stop in Skagway. Our excursion is a long one today. We’re on a bus, learning about the mining industry during the Gold Rush. Our driver even stops on the road when we see a bear cub along the side of the road, so those on that side of the bus can get pictures and we can all get a good look at the cute bear. The view of mountains and water is beautiful. I think that seems to sum up Alaska: beautiful.
We have to stop for customs because we’ll pass into Canada. Our first attraction today is a suspension bridge. First of all, just looking down at the rushing water flowing past is pretty. Everything around me makes me want to take a deep breath as if it could cleanse me of any ugliness I’ve faced in the past ten years. Yep, there’s that kind of feeling that I’d go all the way back ten years.
Just the thought of suspension bridges normally makes me nervous. I don’t have time to be nervous because Brent grabs my hand and pulls me along behind him, walking steadily but not too fast. He stops in the middle to glance down at the water. I brave a peek just as someone jostles the bridge. It probably isn’t a big move, but it’s enough to have me grab Brent and say, “Let’s keep moving.”
“Are you afraid of heights?” he asks as we walk once more.
“No. I don’t like bridges that easily move.”
He laughs in such a way that I’d like to kick him. We make it to the other side without incident and admire what we can see from here. For the most part, we’re alone this second. Brent wraps his arms around my waist. “It’s been a good trip, hasn’t it?” he asks.
“Yes,” I agree. “I have a question, though.”
“Which is?”
“How do you think they’ll react?” A good translation would be: Do you think there will be blowout from Kayla because I’m moving in with you? She didn’t seem all that happy about it not all that long ago when she thought I might.
“Like perfect children,” he replies, causing me to snort. “Kayla doesn’t want to be called a hypocrite twice and Gregory could probably care less. I thought you could move in and they could find out on their own, but I know that won’t go over as well as if I tell them. They’ll know after we get home.”
I nod, feeling better now that I know his game plan. Unfortunately, it’s time to head back across the bridge. We’ll have a few minutes to check out the gift shop before it’s time to get back on the bus. We’re supposed to go to a camp at Liarsville next for a salmon bake. That should be interesting if for nothing else than I’ve never had salmon, or any other seafood. The camp is supposed to be a tent city from the late 1800s. Before we can explore, we’re directed to an area where a buffet is set up and we can eat.
Who would’ve thought that I’d go on a cruise and by the end of it not only would Kayla and I be on good terms, but Brent would ask me to move in with him and I would agree? Life is insane with its twists and turns. Things have turned out well for me so far. I can only hope they’ll continue to go well.
“So, Dad, can I move in with you when we get home?” Gregory asks once we’re back on the bus.
“You want to discuss this now?” Brent asks.
