Page 122 of From Nowhere

Ozzy carries all four sacks of groceries, and I let him because I like having a part of my life where I’m not proving to the rest of the world that I can do anything a man does.

I can fight fires and fly planes.

I can be calm and keep a steady hand when it matters most.

I can be strong and brave.

But with Ozzy, I want to be the woman whose groceries he carries, whose wood floor he refinishes, whose bare ass he bites, and who he calls “baby.”

“Can Bandit have a piece of my doughnut?” Lola asks, perched on the counter next to the cat.

Ozzy and I reply, “No” at the same time while unloading groceries.

“Why don’t you have a kitchen table and chairs?” she asks.

“Because I’m going to remodel the kitchen and do a lot of things that are messy, so I’m waiting until that’s done before getting any more furniture,” I say, lining up cups of yogurt on the top shelf of my fridge while Ozzy picks out a doughnut.

“You should ask my dad to help you because he’s really good at building and fixing things.”

“What about you?” I ask, sipping the coffee I got at the doughnut shop. “Aren’t you going to help me?”

“I can hold the tape measure like I did for my dad at our house. And I can watch Bandit.”

“Perfect.” I wink at her while hopping onto the counter next to her and picking a jelly-filled doughnut from the box.

Ozzy steals my coffee and takes a sip, eyeing Lola and me. His lips curl into a grin before he pulls the cup away from his mouth.

“Can I see the backyard?” Lola asks, licking her sticky fingers.

I widen my eyes. “You didn’t show her the tree house?”

“Oh my gosh! You have a tree house?” Lola flies off the counter and runs toward the back door.

“Be careful,” Ozzy warns just before she closes the door behind her. He rolls his eyes, but his satisfied smirk reemerges when his attention returns to me.

“What’s that smirk about?” I ask.

He wedges himself between my dangling legs. “I could get used to this.”

“What can I do to help makethishappen?” I set the rest of my doughnut into the box and wrap my arms around his neck.

“You can be patient, because everything in my life requires so much patience.”

“I can do that,” I say, teasing the nape of his neck.

“She’s a lot.” He nods toward the back door.

“I’ma lot.”

Ozzy hums. “Yes. But in a different way.” His smile fades, replaced with worry lines stretching along his forehead as his gaze drops between us. “If you ever start to feel like you’re in over your head—”

“I love her too,” I say.

Ozzy’s eyes find mine again.

I shrug. “I might have fallen for her before I fell for you. She’s pretty adorable. And she likes to save abandoned animals.”

His gaze washes over every inch of my face while he holds an unreadable expression.

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