AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Naughty girl,” he replies, leaning in and placing a tender kiss on my lips. “Don’t worry about anyone else. No one is going to be upset you’re here.”
“I guess I’ll believe that when I see it.”
Jensen exhales. “It’ll be fine. Besides, I’ve already talked to my mom about you.”
Okay, I wasn’t expecting that. “You have?”
He nods. “Saturday morning, before our date to the festival.”
After a few long seconds, he doesn’t elaborate. “And?”
“And she’s happy you’re back in town and can’t wait to see you again.”
“Even after…everything?”
“Yes, Kate, even after everything. There was a force keeping us apart, but it wasn’t one of us, and frankly, we’re the only ones who matter anyway. Just you and me,” he replies with a shrug.
“And me! Don’t forget me!” Max hollers behind his dad.
I can’t help but giggle. “Yes, and Just Max. We can’t forget him.”
“Of course,” Jensen says, smiling over his shoulder at his son. “You ready to go back and see Grandma?” he asks, resulting in Max jumping up and down and practically running toward the backside of the house. “As you can tell, he loves coming here.”
With my hand tucked in his, Jensen helps me down from his truck and shuts the door. “I can see that.”
He stops us before we get too far away from the truck and pulls me into his arms. I glance around, afraid someone might be watching. “It’ll be okay, Kate. I promise.”
Deciding to put all of my faith in this man, I give him a quick nod in agreement and go up on my tiptoes, placing a kiss on his lips. “Thank you.”
“For what?” he asks, wrapping his arms around my waist.
“For just being you.”
“That’s easy,” he says, bringing my hand up to his mouth and kissing my knuckles. “You bring out the good in me. I’m my best me when I’m around you.”
I feel the slightest blush and can’t fight the grin. As far as compliments go, that’s a pretty damn good one. Hand in hand, we head in the same direction Max went, eventually emerging in the backyard of the Grayson Bed and Breakfast. The backyard is almost the exact same as I remember it, except for the updated flower gardens. The small cottage out back has been repainted too, and now boasts a welcome sign with sunflowers.
“That’s where I live now.” Even though it’s been twelve years and she’s a woman now, I recognize the youngest Grayson immediately. I always loved spending time with Marissa. We had a lot of things in common, from our love of books to our art. She was an artist with a whisk in the kitchen, while I was one with a paintbrush.
“Marissa,” I reply, taking in the lovely young woman before me. My arms move, but I hesitate for a second. If she notices, she doesn’t say. Instead, she pulls me into the biggest hug I’ve had in forever. “It’s so good to see you,” I tell her honestly.
“I’ve missed you,” she whispers, pulling back and giving me a warm, friendly smile. “We all have.” She glances to where her brother stands beside me, talking to the tall, built man with sandy blond hair. “This is Rhenn, my boyfriend, but I believe you’ve already met. He lives with me in the cottage,” she adds.
Rhenn sticks out his hand. It’s huge, wrapping around my hand and almost swallowing it whole. “We’ve met, Angel. I’m almost finished with her electrical job,” the big guy says with a smile.
“Good to see you again, Rhenn. You’ve done an outstanding job at the house,” I assure him.
“I’m glad you like it,” he says, taking a pull from his beer bottle.
“The new outdoor lighting is wonderful. I can’t wait for it to all be finished so I can go out back and use it all.”
“I’m sure with the pool, spa, and outdoor barbeque area, it’ll be amazing,” he adds.
“The pool guy will be here tomorrow. He’s going to inspect the waterlines, foundation, and the pump of the pool, as well as repair the fountain out front. As long as there’s nothing seriously damaged, both will be operational and filled by end of week,” Jensen states.
“I heard you put a lot of work into the kitchen. I’d love to see it sometime,” Marissa says, her eyes lighting up at the prospect of visiting the big, gourmet kitchen that’s almost complete at my house.
“Anytime. In fact, when the pool is done, we can have a pool party and you can check it out,” I tell her.
