Page 152 of The One With the Mountain Man

"That's much better. And please don't lift me into the truck."

"You weren't moving fast enough, wife."

Dammit.I buckled up while he got the truck rolling towards home. "I don't think I like the hyphenation." No matter what order we put our last names in, it sounded made up.

"Yeah, that's why I keep saying it. I'm hoping it'll click but it's not. I don't want you to just take my name though. That's not us."

"We could pick a totally new name. We could be the Smiths."

He shot me an unimpressed look.

"The Finnquills."

He shuddered. "Oh god, no. Just no."

"The Tranqfinns."

"Now you're just fucking with me." He turned onto our access road and sure enough there was a gleaming older Bronco that had been completely redone and it was pulling an enclosed trailer that had been painted to match.

"What on earth?" Charley had parked way off to the left along the creek. She already had an awning unfurled, a carpet of some kind laid out with two chairs and a table. "That thing is a camper?" It looked like something you hauled landscaping equipment inside of.

"Apparently. At least she stopped trying to haul it up the mountain." He stopped his truck in the middle of the road. "You want a few minutes alone?"

"Absolutely not, Mr. Finnick."

"Not that one either." He shook his head and unbuckled his seatbelt.

"But it's like Finnick Odair! LikeTheHunger Games!" I pushed the heavy door open and dropped down to the running board just as Jackson hurried over.

"You're not changing our last names to a character reference in a book not written by you." His hands squeezed my hips as he guided me down.

"So you're saying I could suggest a character written by me?"

He groaned, resting his forehead against mine. "I will entertain it. But if I'm being honest, I'm a little tired of being referred to as a character in a book."

I winced, not connecting the Huckleberry Finn nickname at first. I should have thought of that. "If I'm being honest, I kind of like the idea of professionally staying A.M. Quill but around town being known as Mrs. Finn." I would leave my legal name alone. No fuss, all the glory.

He pulled my hips to his and kissed me with a growl. "Now we're talking."

"You know I can see you mauling Marley through your truck, right?" Charley yelled from her trailer-camper-Bronco situation.

I smiled but didn't stop the kiss. It was good to have her here.

Jackson hooked his fingers into my pockets. "She's going to be a handful, isn't she?"

"Absolutely. I love it."

He sighed. "Then I'll learn to deal with it. Maybe it's a good thing she brought her own place to stay. We won't hear or see each other without ample warning."

"And now you can escape to the barn if she's being too much."

"Or maybe I'll just guide a lot more hikes," he grumbled. "Lead the way."

I took Jackson's hand and started across the grassy meadow but then Charley broke out into a run and so did I and we collided into a pile of arms and hugs and laughs. "What are you doing here?"

Charley pushed me away with a scowl. "You knew I was coming."

"In a couple of weeks. After your grand retirement." I was even tossing around the idea of sneaking down to attend the game since there was no longer the threat of Cristobal.

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