Page 54 of Blueberry Cake
He chuckled, chest vibrating against her cheek. “Well, we’d better get to relaxing then.”
As Boyd moved for the trunk, Queenie hauled him in again by twisting her fingers through his necklace. Boyd latched onto the hair at her nape, holding her into the kiss. He hummed, lips buzzing. “Now you may grab my things,” Queenie permitted, coming up for air.
“A queen who knows what she wants and I’m head over heels for her.” With her bags over his shoulder and his hand on the small of her back he led her upstairs. “Mom already popped open the wine and I’m pretty sure there’s a glass with your name on it.”
“So we’re getting drunk on the beach, huh? Let’s hope I don’t embarrass you.”
With a grin and a kiss to her hair, Boyd opened the door. “I would love to see you try.”
Queenie stepped into the house and stopped in her tracks, her jaw dropping when she met a breathtaking view of the ocean. The vision was clear, sparkling beyond the picture windows at the far end of the open-concept living area. The space was seamless to the back porch, the windows seemingly non-existent as a nice breeze came in, swooshing through her hair.
“It’s why we come so late in the season. You couldn’t have the windows pushed open like this in the middle of summer. Now it’s just perfect.”
Queenie stared at the ocean for a moment, his words barely registering in her brain. “It’s gorgeous.” With the house being on stilts, they had an unobstructed view of the water. “I might never want to leave.”
“It was a dream house purchase.” Boyd gave her a gentle nudge, guiding her farther into the room.
As soon as she was able to pull her gaze away from the view, she noticed Beatrice smiling at her from behind the kitchen island. “That was my first reaction too. He didn’t let me see any of it before he finished the renovations.”
Queenie rounded the island and pulled Beatrice into a hug. “How are you?”
“Good and yourself?”
“Feeling much better now,” she admitted, turning back to Boyd. “Don’t I get a private tour?”
“Of course.”
But before she could leave, Beatrice handed her the aforementioned glass of wine. Boyd proudly showed her around the two guestrooms, then the master which had an equally gorgeous view of the ocean. As she lost herself in the waves of the water again, he wrapped his arms around her and sucked kisses up her neck.
“I missed you.”
Queenie set her glass aside in favour of scuffing his beard. “I missed you too.” She rolled her head back and nuzzled her cheek against his throat. “The weeks seem much longer now, and the evenings are so much lonelier.”
“It does feel that way.”
“I’ve been thinking about us taking the next step.”
“You have?” he asked, his fingers teasing along her waist. “And what may that be?”
“Us moving in together.”
“I’ve been thinking about it too, but wasn’t sure when to bring it up.”
“It feels right. At least, it does for me.”
“Same here. I would love for us to live together. I knowdowntown is out of the way for you, so I’m open to finding something that suits both our needs.”
She turned in his embrace, unable to hide her surprise. “You are?”
“Of course. I even considered moving into your place but let’s be honest, a queen-sized bed doesn’t do it for me.”
“No,” Queenie agreed. “It doesn’t.”
Boyd picked her up and carried her to the bed, where he sat down with Queenie in his lap. “When is your lease up?”
“In four months.”
“Enough time to find something new.”
