Page 204 of Waiting For A Girl Like You
“Is Abe already outside?” Izzy asked. “There’s a massive root under the oak that catches his wheel. I want to make sure he doesn’t have any issues setting up.”
“All the guys are out there already. I’m sure they’ve got it.”
Izzy made a noise, and Rowan couldn’t tell if what he had said was okay with her or not, but the two women were out the door, rushing off to see if they could help.
Annabeth came in last, wearing the same dress as Evie, and Rowan’s jaw dropped.
“Good God.”
“Jamison knows how to pick out a dress.” Doing a quick glance down the hall to make sure no one was there, Annabeth shimmied for him. “I forgot how good my boobs look in this.”
“Jesus, Annabeth,” Rowan whispered, utterly mesmerized. “Not in front of the baby.”
She squeezed his butt, knowing he couldn’t reciprocate due to being the responsible baby-holding adult in the room. “You’re keeping that dress on until I take it off you,” he growled when she arched up on her toes for a kiss. “Understand?”
Her teeth grazed his bottom lip. “I understand. Are the lanterns outside?”
“They are.” He tried to deepen the kiss, but she stayed just out of reach. “Oh, it’s like that, huh?”
“It is.” She smacked his ass on the way out. “I’m going to check the setup. See you outside.”
The woman had the nerve to swish her full hips as she left, and Rowan exhaled slowly, trying to will his thoughts into more respectable territory.
But when this was over, she was getting bent right the fuck over while wearing that dress.
Ben escorted Jamison into the kitchen not long after Annabeth left. Bernie was behind them, still wrestling with the veil that just wouldn’t stay put. The wedding dress was like nothing Rowan had ever seen, but, to be fair, he wasn’t exactly well-versed in bridal fashion.
He grinned. “You clean up nice.”
Jamison practically glowed. She was already a stunning woman, but like this? Poor Liam didn’t stand a chance.
“And you look good holding a baby,” she pointed out. “Are we ready?”
Bernie winced at the veil. “I’ll go check.”
The back door had been left partially open, and Bernie slipped through it, letting the screen door creak softly behind her. When things had calmed down, bringing back the screen door had been Simone’s first demand, and Rowan had hung it back up just that morning.
“You look beautiful, Princess.”
“Thank you, Daddy.”
Ben had tears in his eyes, and as soon as Rowan realized this, he made his way across the kitchen to allow father and daughter some privacy.
“I’m going to find a spot near Evie, so I can hand off this little guy when it’s time.”
He was careful not to let the screen door slam on his exit. It was about time to replace the thing, and he made a note to see if Annabeth wanted to try going to a hardware store with him later in the week. One of thesinks upstairs also needed an updated faucet since it was beginning to drip. He could easily fix it; he only needed a few parts and some tools.
Then there was that cracked board on the side porch, and some of the stucco around a column looked like it was about to go, so he should get supplies for that, too.
Thinking through the to-do list, he paused on the walkway leading to the Marriage Oak. The candelabras lit the way, but sunrise was readying itself to begin, and Rowan turned to face Haven House, an idea striking.
“Yeah,” he said to himself and Albie, who was now staring at him as if trying to figure out just who the hell was holding him. “That would work.”
Haven House deserved to be loved. It deserved a long life where those who lived within her walls felt safe. It deserved laughter and peace where children could play, and dogs ran around in the yard. An existence where there were always one too many books on the library shelves and where you could spend stormy afternoons in the conservatory watching the rain fall. Cats should forever be sunbathing in the windows, and plants should always fill every empty corner.
Haven House deserved to be lived in again. Its fate should be one filled with happiness.
And maybe it shouldn’t be the Fairweathers who held it any longer. Maybe their time here had come and gone. Sure, Simone owned Haven House in name, but the Fairweathers financially maintained it, and maybe that shouldn’t be the case.
