Page 107 of Secrets That Bind Us
He grins, leaning over to tug me into a tight embrace, and it warms my heart. Eli givesthe besthugs. “It’s been a pleasure and an honor working with you. The rest has just” -he twirls a wrist in the air- “been a bonus.”
“Baby? Oh hey, Eli.” I hear from behind me, and I turn to see Dean with Savannah and Noah. “We’re just about to go shopping for Savvy’s dress with Jake. You ready to go?”
I nod. “Yeah. Eli?”
He holds his arms out, and Noah and Sav go to him, giving their uncle a hug. “Unfortunately, I have a few more things to do here, but we’re still going to dinner, right?”
“Of course.” I slip off the barstool and land on the concrete of the patio floor.
His phone starts ringing again. He pulls it out of his jacket pocket and rolls his eyes with a huff when he sees who’s calling. “Good. It was a great first day, Ver. You should be proud.”
And I am.I leave him to his Very Important Phone Call that he answers with an annoyed, “Yes?”
I follow my kids and their father out of The Ink Plot and down to Mrs. Townsend’s new boutique, feeling all too nostalgic. Dean looks at me and I know exactly what he’s thinking about– our first Homecoming together sophomore year, when he brought me and we picked my dress and his suit out together. And now we’re doing it for our daughter… and she’s leaving her ownfootprints over ours in this small town that I never truly left behind.
We pull the door open, and Meredith Townsend greets us enthusiastically.
After getting off a call with both Eli and the platform streaming executives, I find Dean in my closet later that evening, pulling out his uniform for the morning. I wrap my arms around his torso, feeling the grooves of his abs under my fingertips. I kiss his spine where I can reach, then tip my forehead between his shoulder blades. “I need to talk to you.”
I can already hear the smile in his voice. “Yeah? Is this the part you tell me you’re pregnant with baby number three and we’re gonna have to have a shotgun wedding? ‘Cause let me tell ya, I’m down. I’ll call Judge Jones right now. He owes me a favor.”
I laugh as he turns around and puts his arms around me, placing his hands at the small of my back. I rest my chin on his chest and look up into those cobalt blues of his, loving the way they glitter when he looks at me. “No… uh… I got some news today which is why I was talking to Eli out on the patio of Ink Plot. Seems someone leaked my new manuscript to a streaming platform and they want to make a limited series of it. Twelve episodes. That’s who I just got off the phone with.”
“Oh yeah?”
“They want to go ahead and set up a meeting and buy the rights. But… they want me to be as involved withthe entire process as I can be. They want to make sure it’s exactly as I saw it in my mind.”
“I see…” He pauses but then smiles so radiantly it makes me smile too. “Holy shit, babe. This is fucking awesome. When do we go?”
“You want to go to New York?”
“I wanna go where you go, babe. Remember? You and me forever. I mean, it sucks they leaked your manuscript, but it’s really fucking awesome that you got a call from the executives. Like, I don’t know how that happens but, it must not happen very often, does it?”
I shrug, because I don’t know, either.
“So, when do we go?”
“I told them after the wedding. Plus, we’re moving to your place. We have to put the house on the market. There’s so much shit to do.”
He leads me out of the closet and we sit on the bed. “Yeah, but I mean, the house will sell itself.”
“You’d be leaving everything behind. Are you sure this is what you want?”
“I mean, we’re taking Bear, right?”
I nod enthusiastically. “Yes. Savvy is so attached to him and I don’t think I’ve ever seen a dog so attached to a girl in my life.”
“And we’ll visit?”
“We have to. I own a business here now.” I remind him.
“Then I’m good. I want to experience your life, Verity. I want to experience the New York you got to experience. I want all the things as long as we do them together. I’ve always wanted that. That hasn’t changed for me.”
“We’d be going to Canada, too.”
His eyes bulge out of his head. “Do I need a passport?”
I laugh. “Yeah, you’re gonna need a passport.”
