Page 144 of Your Last First Kiss
And home has never felt so right.
CHAPTER44
PENNY
“Why would you put the store over there?” Dillon asks Landon. They’re sitting side by side on the sofa. Dillon has his feet propped up on the coffee table with Mari fast asleep on his chest. It’s quickly becoming her favorite way to fall asleep.
It’s mine, too, if I’m being honest.
Landon moves another sheet of paper onto Dillon’s lap. He’s literally covered in them as Landon explains his ideas, but he never once shuts Landon down. If anything, he’s encouraging him by taking him to the TAC any chance he gets.
Dillon lifts his head from the paper he’s studying and finds me standing in the doorway.
“Hi,” he says softly.
“Hi.”
“Hey, buddy,” Dillon says, looking down at Landon with more love than I’ve ever seen from a man. “Why don’t you see if you can figure out the waterfall thing for the hotel? You had some good ideas earlier. I bet if you sketch it, you’ll come up with something that will blow Lochlan away.”
“Yeah?” Landon asks excitedly, but he’s already scooping up all his papers. He runs by me with his arms full. “Hi, Mom. Bye, Mom.”
Dillon lifts his free arm and pats the space next to him. “Come here.”
I can’t deny this man anything, so I go and cuddle in next to him. I rest my head on his shoulder and stare at Mari’s chubby little face. I know someday these girls will ask tough questions about their mom, but until then, I hope we can provide them with a happy, peaceful home.
Dillon tugs on the hem of my shirt—his UNC T-shirt that I wear like a security blanket now. It’s my favorite.
“Nothing makes me happier than seeing you in my clothes, but this one? This one makes me want to do very naughty, very dirty things to you,” he growls.
Gage runs into the house and slams the door shut behind him, interrupting us before that line of conversation can turn me into a puddle of longing.
I smile as we listen to him hopping around in the entryway. We do have a happy home, and it’s mostly peaceful, that’s all I ever really wanted.
“He’s covered in mud,” Dillon says.
“I know.” I laugh. “And now he’s stripping naked in the foyer.” Sure enough, a naked bum runs by a second later, then scoots upstairs where we hear the water turn on.
“I think I found us a house today,” Dillon says out of the blue.
With my hand on his chest, I push back to look at him. “You did? I’ve been looking everywhere. I haven’t found a single thing. Chance Lake isn’t exactly a hotbed of real estate activity, I guess.”
He smirks and butterflies flutter in my belly. I don’t even try to hide my smile. “Well, tell me. Where is it? I literally couldn’t find anything.”
“You didn’t see this one because it’s not on the market,” he says with an easy swagger that has my heart racing.
“If it’s not for sale, how will we get it?”
“We ask.”
“We ask? Dillon, you’re not making any sense.”
“Do you like Ashton and Nova’s house?”
I place my hand on his forehead. “Are you feeling okay?”
He traps my hand and brings it to his lips, where he places a kiss on the center of my palm.
“Do you like Ashton and Nova’s house?” he asks again.
