Page 41 of Fine, Dork

I rolled my eyes. “Math problems are different than feelings problems.”

“Not really. A problem is a problem, and you try different solutions until you find something that works. That’s what we’ll do, K.”

“I love you, Jaxon.”

“I love you, Kinley.”

“You could come with me to Ireland! J, come with me,” I begged and gave him puppy eyes.

Jaxon laughed and wrapped me up in his arms. “I can’t come with you. I have a deadline at work. I should be working right now, honestly.”

I groaned and pressed my face against his chest. “I miss you already, and you’re holding me! You turned me into a crazy person, J.” I laughed and sat up straighter. “I’ll quit photography and be your domestic goddess. I’ll be here every day when you get home from work, baking cookies and pies in a cute little apron. We can get a puppy and have babies, and then I’ll never have to miss you ever again.”

Jaxon burst out laughing and pulled me in for a kiss. “That would make you fucking miserable, K. You’re not going to quit photography because you have a gift and the world needs your pictures.” His pretty blue eyes turned soft. “What if I planned on coming with you on a few of your photography trips every year, and then we made this your permanent home?”

“Or, go with me here, what if took less international work? What if I only traveled like three or four times a year?”

Jaxon gazed into my eyes and shook his head. “No, Kinley, you love wandering and seeing the world. I’m not going to let you give that up for me.”

I sighed and kissed his soft lips. “Jaxon Wood, I wandered because I didn’t have a home. Now I do. You’re my home, and I want to be wherever you are.”

???

Ten Years Old

Jaxon sat next to me in the grass with a notebook. “Okay, let’s figure out the dimensions and everything first.”

“What are dimensions?” I wrinkled my nose.

“Like, how big all the rooms will be.”

“Oh. Big. It’s going to be like a castle.”

“Yeah. It’ll be epic.” Jaxon started drawing lines in his notebook with a pencil. He always used pencils instead of pens so he could erase his mistakes. “I want a science and tech lab in the basement.”

I nodded. “That would be perfect. I’ll come to visit you with snacks and stuff.” I plucked a blade of grass that was longer than all the rest and held it up to let the breeze whisk it away. “I want an art room with huge windows. Like, maybe it won’t even have walls, just windows.”

“Okay.” Jaxon drew some more lines above his first ones and wrote the words window walls. “Then we should have a big kitchen and a TV room with all the best gaming systems.”

I smiled and turned my face toward the sun to feel its warmth. “Yeah. Our house is going to be so freaking cool, J.”

“Totally, K.”

22

Kinley

The night before I left for Ireland, I had a big old lump in my throat. I didn’t want to spend two whole weeks away from my sexy boyfriend, and I was pretty sure I was going to cry about it. I tried to make jokes instead, to lighten the mood.

“All right, J. I’m not allowed to wander drunk and alone through the streets at night, or pick up sexy, tatted Irish guys at pubs. Got it.”

Jaxon shot me a glare and shoved the t-shirt he’d just folded into my bag. It was so freaking cute that he was helping me pack, and I was an asshole for teasing him.

“Baby,” I looped my arms around his neck and kissed him. At first, he didn’t kiss me back, but it only took a second before his arms were wrapped around my waist, and his lips were working mine. I pulled away and smiled at him. “I don’t want the Irish guys. I promise.”

He nodded but didn’t smile. “K, am I going to be enough for you?”

I laughed. “What are you talking about?”

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