Chapter 52

52

He had carried her over the snow and into the house. Dylan had just hooked her arm around his neck and let him. Fletcher really liked to carry her around. Usually, it had had enormously entertaining results.

But, well, she still had at least another week to go before Dixie said she could do that safely. Dylan was counting down the days.

Dylan was looking forward to seducing her man.

But today—she had to work. She was back on the schedule at the inn. Fletcher was finishing up with the stock in the barn, and then he was going to drive her in, eat breakfast, and then he and some of his cousins-slash-pals were going to unpack and assemble the drones. The shipments had arrived later than they’d anticipated. That meant she was going to get to be there for everything.

They were going to have a family party to show them off once they figured out how to operate them and the snow finally melted off. She was already planning it. It was going to be big. A major event.

She was going to ask her sisters to help her cook for it. It would be her first official hostessing event. Ever.

Dylan was going to play lady of the manor to Fletcher’s lord. Hamburgers, hot dogs, side dishes—she was already planning the menu.

But for now, her sunroom waited. She needed to turn on her warming lights. In her sunroom.

It was the best surprise she could have gotten.

She replayed the memory again. He had carried her into the house and straight to the back room. Right off the small laundry-slash-mudroom.

“Where are we going?” she’d asked.

“I want you to see your surprise.” He leaned in and kissed her. Dylan kissed him right back as he carried her into the room that had just been sort of a catch-all. It had probably been a back porch at one point, but someone had enclosed it years ago. It was a big space, but a bit impractical considering the size and location.

He pulled back. “Close your eyes.”

Dylan did.

He carried her into the room. “Open.”

Dylan did.

It was so different. The walls were now the softest yellow. The windows that had had broken trim in a few places had been repaired. There were tables that had been painted a bright, pretty white. The floor—he’d replaced the old wooden slats with beautiful sandstone tile. There were lights above too. “I wanted you to have the sunshine all year, brat. Do you like it?”

She loved it. She always would.

Dylan flipped the switch to turn on the lighting now. Fletcher’s Uncle Bill had wired the room for that specific purpose. For her. It was perfect. And in one tray, she had teeny tiny sprouts that were doing amazingly well.

She was humming when he found her. Fletcher wrapped his arms around her.

Dylan turned. And the words just came tumbling out. “I love you, you know. Just in case, I forgot to say it. I don’t really know how it happened. Probably the first time you kissed me.”

The words felt right, so she said them.

Dylan wasn’t going to waste time. She just wasn’t. Anything could happen to anyone. And the words had needed to be said.

When he said them back to her—nothing had ever sounded more beautiful.

She loved this man forever. Nothing would ever change that now.