Page 52 of Nailed

“I had to keep him in my shirt the whole drive to keep him warm.”

I laughed through my tears. “Jamie, I love him.”

“I’m sorry he’s not a goldfish. The person at the store said these guys do better outside of a tank and—shit, I should have gotten the goldfish.”

“No,” I said as we wrapped our arms around each other and headed inside. “He’s the perfect change of plans.”

CHAPTER19

Jamie

We made love, of course, right after we poured our fish baby into a wide glass vase we found in the cupboard.

Only this time, we took it slow and soft. I wanted to treasure every moment with Sarah, to memorize her body once more now that she was mine.

Afterward, we sat in bed, Sarah wearing that shirt of mine she confessed she’d been sleeping in ever since I gave it to her, and me in a pair of sweats and nothing else. We ate the lasagna Seamus had insisted I bring and drank from the wine Chelsea had handed me and tried to come up with a name for our fish.

So far, I’d vetoed all the ones she suggested, telling her about each person I’d known with the same name.

Finally, exasperated, she said, “Okay, Jamie. What would you choose?”

I thought for a minute, then shrugged, setting my dish aside and taking a hearty sip of wine. Chelsea knew a lot about wines, and she’d been teaching me how to identify what I was tasting.

I smiled. “Sergeant Pepper.”

Sarah’s mouth fell open, then she shut it again. “Damn it, it’s perfect.”

“It’s okay, baby,” I said, kissing her on the eyebrow. “You can name our dog.”

She paused mid-bite and smiled. “Really?”

“Really. All that land I bought—we’ll need a dog for our walks.”

She sighed contentedly, and I wondered if she saw our future spinning out together the way I did. Sarah, with her own office in the house I built for her. A handful of animals, and a giant workshop so Sarah could do woodworking beside me whenever she wanted. I’d already decided I’d hand Seamus Reilly Contracting within the next couple of years and would take on select projects as an independent consultant. After that? Who knew. All I knew was it didn’t get any better than this, right here.

I told Sarah the same as I lay back on the bed, folding my arms behind my head.

“Are you sure?” Sarah asked.

I laughed. Once again, she was bang on. “No, I’m not sure. Actually, I’m dead wrong. This is just the beginning, isn’t it?”

“Yes,” she said, setting her own dish down. Then she curled against me, running her hand across my chest.

“Jamie,” she said, her voice tentative.

“Yes, baby?”

“I was thinking, if you’re up for it, maybe…” She hesitated.

I peered down at her. “I’m up for anything with you, sweetheart.”

“Maybe you could tell me about Kevin?”

It wasn’t what I’d expected to hear, and for a moment, I was quiet.

“If it’s too hard—” she began, but I shook my head.

“No,” I said. “I want you to know him, too.”

---