Page 62 of Her Dom's Secret Past

Chapter Seventeen

John

My physio was going well and my leg finally responded. By mid-August, over four months since the accident, I still had a limp but could manage all the stairs at home. I’d started running again after discovering a few old walking tracks through my land. I put them to good use, making sure I checked for snakes. I also began working out in the gym alongside the sauna. I was pretty confident I was about ninety-five percent back to my old fitness level. It wouldn’t be long until I reached that one hundred mark, albeit with a slight limp.

Anabelle’s friends had quickly become my friends, and somehow we slipped into a routine of the four of them coming over Sundays. Much to everyone’s surprise, Charlie, Justin, and I became very close. I thought it was the love of cars and motor bikes that did it with Charlie. With his partner Justin, well, he was a great guy who owned a landscaping business. He had a small nursery as well, and I often dropped in to lend a hand. It kept me occupied and the physical work helped my body heal. On top of that, we shared a love of reading and similar authors.

Charlie had a Fat Boy 114 Cruiser in blue as well as an old 1969 Electra Glide that he wanted to restore. Where he and Justin lived, there wasn’t much space, and I’d offered to let him work on it here. He jumped at the chance and now the pair of us liked to devote an hour or two on it. Justin had a 2013 Seventy-Two and the three of us had a couple of local trips. I’d tried to convince Anabelle into coming with us, but so far she’d refused.

I’d bought a 2016 Harley-Davidson Dyna Fat Bob and I’d also found a 1938 Harley-Davidson W Motorcycle with a sidecar that only needed a little work. Then I hoped to coax Anabelle into coming out with the boys and me.

Justin was helping me organize a vegetable and herb garden. He was able to get all the plants I needed wholesale, not that I wasn’t prepared to pay full price, but he’d said no. At first, it was a lost cause as the kangaroos that called my place home kept eating the plants as fast as we put them in. Then one weekend the guys helped me build a very tall fence around the garden and that solved the problem. I was still hoping I’d find a wombat. Justin told me he’d found an old empty wombat burrow about half a kilometer from the side of the house, but that was all.

Toward the end of August, Anabelle and I were curled up on the long settee in the family room, wood fire burning, simply relaxing. She was lying with her head on my lap and we were talking about nothing in particular when I decided it was time to put the question to her.

“Sweetheart?”

“Mm?”

“Move in with me. I hate it when you’re not here. I know it means a longer commute for you, but it’s only thirty minutes and I can drive you.”

She sat up and fixed her gaze on me.

“You spend the weekends here and I’m usually at your place Wednesday and Friday nights. Will you consider it, please?”

She cocked her head and smiled. My God, I loved that smile. Her whole face lit up and I couldn’t help grinning back.

“You mean it?”

“Of course I do. Ana, I love you, more than I could have ever thought possible. I want us to be together. I know we’ve only known each other a few months, but I can’t imagine a world without you beside me. You are my woman.”

She laughed, a sweet tinkling giggle.

“Okay, in that case, I think I should put you out of your misery and live here with you.”

“You will? Honest.”

“Yep.”

I grabbed her and kissed her.

I remembered reading something years ago about kissing someone and it making your toes curl. I thought it was such a dumb thing to read, but now I knew exactly what it meant. My heart soared, my toes curled—my cock reacted. She wasmy everything.

“What will I do with my place?”

“That’s up to you, sweetie.”

“Maybe I could rent it out.” She got an intense look on her face and frowned a little. “In October, I have a big bridal expo that I’m attending. The week before is an absolute madhouse and we put in very longhours.I’m thinking I’ll rent my place, but wait until after the expo. That week I’ll spend at the apartment because I’ll be too tired to drive back here.”

“I can always drop you off and pick you up.”

“I know, but some nights we don’t leave until midnight or even later. It really is a maniacal week. I honestly think it would make sense for me to stay at the apartment for that week.”

“I understand fully, and it does makes sense. You’ll have to tell me all about this expo and if there is anything I can do to help. But in the meantime, is there furniture you want to bring over?”

“Not really, my stuff is old and I can rent the place furnished for a better price. It’s only my clothes and personal items.”

The next weekend, the last one for August, and Anabelle moved in. We used both cars to bring her stuff across and I hired a trailer to put in the things she wanted, like her books, computer desk, and linens. She had a number of boxes filled with things that she used when designing. I suggested we use one of the empty rooms to set up as an office. There was one on the main floor that was large and opened onto the front deck.

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