AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Why this?”
He looks up at me. “Why this?”
“Out here, sunset, and a picnic.”
“One, because the view is beautiful, and I like being alone with you.”
I lean closer. “I like that too.”
“And, I made this food with my own two hands. I like that you’ll be eating something I made.” He draws in a deep breath. “We’re taking this slow. I wanted to sit here, with the woman I love, and watch the sunset.”
The quiet timber of his voice washes over me and tears burn the back of my eyes.
“You know, I had a one-night stand a few years ago. The only other time I did it. It was with Sam.”
“That’s an interesting response to my declaration.”
I shake my head. “I’ve always been the good girl. The one who didn’t do one-night stands. But there was one other guy who pulled at me like that.”
He looks up from the plate of food he’s putting together. “Yeah?”
“And then there’s you. I should have known that night, known after I saw you again. The universe had to make sure that we could be together, that we would be right together. I love you, Mason.”
He stills and sets the plate down and looks up at me. Love shines from his eyes.
“I still need to take it slowly, but I do love you.”
He cups my face, his calloused fingers sliding over my cheeks. “You are my world. You and Callie and Sammy. As long as you know that, we’re good.”
“I do.”
He brushes his mouth over mine, a gently gesture that I feel all the way to my soul. And we sit together, watching the sun sink over the Hill Country, and I send a prayer up to Sam, who I know is watching over us. I might still be dealing with my feelings—I started therapy again—but I know in my heart that he would approve of Mason. What’s more important is that I approve of him, and he is becoming my entire world.
And for the first time in a long time, I am okay with that.
Epilogue 2
AVERY
“I’m still trying to figure out how you ended up renting a house from Estella Howard,” Liv says as she digs into her salad.
“I mentioned that I was looking for a place to rent at the last meeting, and she said I could stay there.”
She sets down her fork and looks at me. I hate that look. All my siblings give it to me. Being the youngest of a family of five isn’t easy. Sure, by the time I was born my parents were tired. It made it easier to get away with things. My brother and sisters have always been jealous of that, but now I get the looks from all of them. It’s like they think I can’t manage my own life. Did any of them graduate from high school at the age of sixteen or finish their MBA while building a thriving business? No.
Sure, I’m an acquired taste, but once people get to know me, they love me.
“First, what meeting?”
I roll my eyes and make a face. When I would do that to my parents, they would laugh, and I would get away with changing the subject. Granny Pam, that was another story.
I sigh and push aside the wave of sadness that hits me. I’m still trying to deal with her loss and I can’t break down in public. Again. I’m just thankful it didn’t happen in front of any of my siblings.
“I was at the last LOL meeting.”
She blinks as I continue eating. We’re at The Mason Jar, and even if my sister didn’t love him, I would vote for this as the best barbecue restaurant in all of Texas, and that’s saying a lot.
“Why were you meeting with a lot of old women?”
