Page 29 of River

“Sure, I’m a good cook. I’ll grill the steaks, And you can make the salad. How does that sound?”

“Sounds perfect,” I said. I was kissing his chin.

“Are you two going to stay in bed all day, or are we going home?

Both of us chuckled as Gage walked around the door.

“So, does this mean you two are a thing?”

“Yes, she is mine,” I said

“And he is mine, Kat agreed. No more skinny models areallowed in the Golden Team offices unless one of the others is dating them.”

“And no more surfers are allowed to come and pick you up.”

“That only happened one time.”

“One time was too many; it won’t happen again. If you want to go surfing, I’ll take you. If you want to go out to eat, I’ll take you,” I kissed her softly.

“It’s a deal. Let’s go home,” Kat said, cuddling next to me.

“If you want to go home, you’ll have to stop cuddling. Or else I’ll embarrass myself trying to get out of this bed.”

I heard her chuckle again. “Sorry.”

“I’m happy we got all that out of the way. You are mine, and I will cherish you every day. Will you promise you won’t run off to these dangerous countries without me knowing?”

“If you are there when I’m going, then sure, I’ll tell you. But if you are gone and I need to leave, I’ll call you when I can. You know I don’t go often; I go when I need to help someone. Maybe once a year. You are constantly off saving someone. Perhaps I can start going with the Team more.”

“I can’t get over the so put together Kat Mellows with this Kat,” Gage replied.

I looked at him and smiled. I forgot he was here.

14

River

She was mine,and there was no way in hell I was letting her out of my sight. She didn’t know it yet, but she was going home with me. Our first stop was to get our puppies. When we arrived at Jack and Myrtle’s house, Myrtle had tears in her eyes; she did not want to give Penny up.

“Myrtle, I want you to have Penny; she will be your guard dog. I know how attached you and Jack are to her. I’m going to stay with River for a while, and I will see you in a few days.”

“You can share my dog with me,” River said.

“What’s your dog’s name?”

“Her name is Sissy.”

“Sissy, does she like that name?”

She loves that name. Don’t try to change her name.”

I would never do that. She’s had the name for weeks now. Why would I try to change her name? I’m sure I’ll get used to Sissy.”

We pulled up into my driveway. I took Sissy out of the back seat and walked into the house. Kat stopped and clapped her hands.

“This is beautiful. Look at all of your plants. I love the furniture you picked out. It’s absolutely gorgeous,” she said, looking around. Kat looked at me and smiled. “So does this mean we are sharing a bed tonight?” she asked.

“We share a bed every night, sweetheart. Let’s get your things and put them in my room. From now on, this will be our room. I don’t want you going back to your house. Can you give us a try and see how long you can live with me?