Page 143 of Tobias

“Oh, I meant to stay," he says.

“Stay?”

“Here. With me. And you.”

“Stay here with…”

“Us.”

I hold his gaze, knowing what I’m hearing, but I’m not sure I understand. He can’t be saying what I think he’s saying… can he?

“While we’re out, we can get your stuff from Asher’s too.” I narrow my eyes, and his narrow too. “If it’s too much—”

“No!” I blurt, jumping up and into his lap. “No, it’s not.”

He hugs me back, laughing. “Thank fuck for that,” he whispers.

Yes. Thank fuck for that.

Epilogue

Tobias

One year later…

I throw the ball and watch as Biscuit runs for it, jumping into the lake when it bounces in. No fear, that one. Not an ounce of it.

“She’s going to get the house all muddy!” Theo calls out.

I glance over my shoulder to see him stepping onto the back second-story deck.

“She’s not in the house,” I answer, and I see his eye roll from here.

“You going to come shower, or what? I can smell you from here.”

I give him the middle finger and hear him laughing.

Biscuit drops her wet, muddy tennis ball at my feet, that I swear was green once upon a time, and looks up at me with her dripping face. I pick up the ball and throw it again, this time aiming for the lake. She goes for it, diving in. She loves the water, and so do I. It was a selling point on the house. The factit’s on a lake that we get full use of, with a dock for a small boat that we go out on as much as possible is amazing. We’re just outside of Seattle, not too far from Theo’s job, since he’s the main money-maker these days.

His choice, not mine. Said he’s fine making all the money as long as he gets to come home and be fucked by me. I didn’t hate the idea.

I quit the rehab first, because it was the hardest. Not seeing Brandon anymore is amazing in ways I can’t explain. I still work at Foxy’s now and then, but my availability is minimal. Mostly I stay on so I don’t get stir crazy being in a house in the middle of the woods. Working on that Mustang only keeps me so busy. I’ve yet to drive the thing, but maybe I will one day.

“Everyone is going to be here in a half hour.” Theo is leaning on the railing, looking down at me. When he says everyone, he meanseveryone. Guys from the bar, his friends, family, all of them.

“You haven’t showered yet,” I say. Biscuit drops the ball again, but this time I throw it into the open yard, away from the lake.

“That’s because I was waiting for you.”

If anything is going to make me shower, it's that. I grin and hurry up the steps.

“Come on, girl!” I call out as Biscuit runs back to me. “We’ll play more later.”

She follows me upstairs and into the house, where she does in fact get the floor all muddy. But hey, Theo wanted a dog.

I head to our bedroom, walk past our California King four-poster, and into the bathroom with Theo following. I’m barely under the water for two seconds before he’s dropping to his knees and sucking me into his mouth. I’m not even hard, but it won’t take long for me to be when he’s acting like that.

“What is this for?” I ask, grasping his hair.

---