Page 104 of Just Forever

It’s such a simple statement that contains so much permanence.

It takes my breath away.

Bennett goes on about additions. Ryk comes and stands next to me. He throws his arm over my shoulders and presses a kiss to the side of my head. I lean against him.

“You look happy,” he murmurs.

I drop my head onto his shoulder. “Kind of am.”

“Only kind of?” he asks with a teasing note in his tone.

“It’s just… all good. And Ibelieveit’s good.” I feel stupidly cryptic, but I can’t explain it any better.

Things are good, and I don’t waste the good waiting for the other shoe to drop.

I just am.

Right here and now.

“Can we build a deck?” I ask. “And maybe get some plants at some point?”

“Do you have a secret green thumb I don’t know about?”

“I doubt it. But I’m good at research, so I bet I could find something that’ll be difficult to kill.”

He chuckles softly. “This is your home. You can do whatever the fuck you want here.”

My heart is so full I have no idea how it even fits in my chest anymore. Genevive walks over, heels clicking on the scuffed floors.

“I feel like this occasion calls for champagne.” She pinches Ryker’s cheek. “My baby boy is all grown up.”

“We don’t have champagne,” Ryk says.

“Well, of course you don’t. We came prepared. Bennett?” Genevive says.

The man produces a bottle from a bag on the floor and four glasses. Actual glasses, not plastic ones.

The cork comes out with apop, and Bennett pours the champagne.

Ryker raises his glass.

“To the future,” he says.

“The future,” I echo.

We all clink our glasses together and drink.

Ryker smiles at me, and I smile back.

And all I see everywhere are possibilities.

RYKER

The party isLake’s idea. To say I was surprised when he suggested it is a bit of an understatement, but he looked excited when he casually threw the idea out there one evening while we were hanging out on the couch.

So, we’re having a party. Because I’d give him anything he wants.

“Call it a housewarming while you’re not even moving in. It’s like you don’t want to put in the effort to throw a proper party. This has Lake written all over it,” Rachel says as she walks into the house and hands me a six-pack. There’s no furniture or appliances, obviously, so we bought a few buckets and filled them with ice.

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