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Slade looks down. “Yeah. I love her too. I miss them. All of them.”
“It was hard to leave. The trip was magical.” I don’t mention the emotions of our last night. No need.
“Yep. Tomorrow is back to the grind. I have a new maid starting. Need to get her trained. It’ll be a busy day.”
“It’ll be a busy daytogether,” I remind him.
He heaves a sigh from deep within his chest. “I’m looking forward to this next chapter in our lives. I really am. We have a lot of life to live as of yet. This is just the beginning, and beginnings are always exciting.”
“You know what my favorite part is? The happily ever after.”
Slade comes to life before my very eyes. I know what’s coming next. “I love that part too, but it’s just so vague. I mean, they never mention whatreallyhappens. It’s kind of a cop-out. We never know if he goes bald or if he gets fat with a paunch hanging over his belt. We never know if she screams at her eight kids all day while trying to get them to behave. There’s never any talk of mopping floors, cleaning toilets, mortgages, or changing dirty diapers. No mention of throw-up in the middle of the night, sassy kids, teenagers who hate everyone and everything, dental bills, or college tuition.”
I scoff, all of my dreams dashed. “Well, dang, now I’m depressed. Does happily ever after even exist?”
Slade returns to his thoughtful mood. “I think, in between the bad, there’s a whole lot of good. Those are the parts we live for, the parts we remember most. That’s the happily ever after.”
“So, it does exist?” I ask, hopeful.
“I’m counting on it. Or else we’ve been tricked by a major conspiracy theory.”
“I’m on to you.” I blow him a kiss. “You’re actually a romantic at heart.”
“Don’t tell anyone. I need my man card back.” Slade sits back in his seat. “That being said, I personally can’t wait to clean throw-up off the floor in the middle of the night. Livin’ the dream, right there.”
“In that case, I’ll be sure to let you have that coveted responsibility.”
His eyes land on mine. “Freudian slip, Marin?”
“Nope. I mean every word. That’s a promise I can keep.”
Slade laughs aloud. “Get over here.”
I’m happy to oblige. I climb onto his lap as our arms wrap around each other. Our lips meld together naturally in a heated kiss. Kissing Slade is becoming the norm, but I’ll never take it for granted.
Not a chance.
chapter thirty
SLADE WAS WRONG. Time is rushing forward, moving faster than I thought possible. Two weeks have flown by, and I don’t know where they went.
I release a sigh of contentment as I watch Slade cooking dinner—while I pretend to help—thinking about my time at Sheridan House. Doing the breakfast dishes with Slade every morning, cleaning all the rooms in Sheridan House daily. I don’t love being a maid, but I do love my life with Slade.
I take a break every day to watch Slade’s bubble show. We cook dinner together every night, as we are now. And by we, I mean him. We play games each evening. Joss is right. He cheats at games. Every chance he gets. Guess you could say I found his biggest flaw. The scoundrel.
Mostly, we laugh. All the time. I’ve decided laughing is Slade’s superpower.
Actually, I take that back. Kissing is his superpower. The man can kiss. I admit, we do it kind of a lot. Maybe even all the time. Life is good. I love living at Sheridan House with Slade.
It’s chilly out this evening. After our walk on the beach, he left his scarf on, hanging loosely around his neck. I grab him by it, surprising him. I pull him close and we enjoy a long kiss. He returns to cooking as though nothing happened, making me hide a smile.
I love how protected Slade makes me feel. Like on the cold, windy day last week when I swore I saw a man wearing a hat and scarf that hid his face following me. Freaked me out. When I told Slade, he ran outside to look for the man, but he was gone. I’m sure it was just my imagination, but I loved how safe I felt.
My phone rings, taking me out of mylife is goodreverie.
“Hi Kira. How’s life treating my favorite person in the whole wide world?”
“Pretty sure I’ve been replaced in that category. In this case, I’m okay with it, but only because Slade’s a masterpiece, and I want him for you. That being said, I’m doing great, thanks. You sound awfully chipper. I take it things are going well?”
