Page 23 of Love Notes
I was barely seconds behind him.
He sprawled over me, his breath hot and fast against my jaw.“Holy shit.That wasincredible.”
I kissed the top of his head, happiness coursing through me like the bubbles in soda.“Yeah.It was.”
Hewas.
WE ATE ATthe small kitchen table with our chairs pushed close together.It was late by the time we ate, but neither of us minded.The cat watched us warily from the corner of the kitchen she appeared to have claimed as her own, but that might have been because Adam had put down a few pieces of shredded chicken for her.
When we finished dinner, I stacked the dishwater while Adam wiped down the counter.Then, leaning against the counter, he said, “You should stay here.”
I hit the button to start the dishwasher, and it hummed to life.“What?”
His mouth twisted.“Ryan, you’re sleeping in acamp bedin your workshop.”
“It’s not so bad.”
“No, it’s not,” he said.“But it’s also not a proper bed, when there’s one here you’re more than welcome to share.”His face flushed bright red, and he cleared his throat.“Or there’s the spare room downstairs.”
God, I was so sick of that camp bed.
“This is a weird situation,” he said.“I’m inviting you to stay in your own cabin.And I don’t want there to be anything weird between us because of what we just did upstairs.So, don’t feel to be obligated to stay over or anything, at least not in the same bed as me, but there’s also a spare room, and it’s stupid for you to be sleeping in your workshop when you could be here instead.”
“Yeah, but you didn’t want to be disturbed,” I said.“That’s what Rebecca said.You paid for the entire place.”
“And you spend every waking hour over in your workshop anyway,” he said with a shrug.“I mean, think about it, that’s all.The offer’s there, and it makes sense.”
He was right.It did make sense, but it also opened the door to a whole lot of awkwardness if he changed his mind for any reason.Like if it turned out he didn’t want anyone in his space after all, or, more specifically, that things didn’t work out between us and he didn’t wantmein his space.
I held his gaze, searching for any uncertainty there and not finding any.“Okay, but only if you know that you can kick me out again if you want to, no questions asked.You paid for the cabin.It’s yours, not mine, until you leave.”
He showed me a pleased smile.“Okay.That works for me.Now.”His eyes sparkled as he nodded toward the cat.“What’s your pet policy?”
I’D NEVER SHAREDmy bed with anyone.I’d never had a boyfriend, and all my hookups happened out of town.I’d been back to a few different guys’ places in the past but never had one to mine.The cabin was my sanctuary, but Adam fit here.He fit in my bed too, his body molding to mine.I’d never been anyone’s spoon, either big or little, but I liked how Adam snuggled closer, reaching for my arm and pulling it over him.
I slept a lot better than I had on the camp bed, but I was awake as dawn lit up the lake outside the floor-to-ceiling window with a slow fire.It was my favorite part of the day, and it turned out it was even better with Adam sleeping in my arms.
The sky lightened as I watched it, the fiery colors of the dawn slowly fading into soft daylight.
A new day was beginning.
When I pressed a soft kiss to the side of his head, Adam’s hair tickled my lips.
And maybe—my heart raced when I thought of it—a whole new life.
LIVING WITH RYANfelt so easy that it had to be a trap.
After that first night, he brought his clothes and personal belongings back to the cabin.A finished wood-turned bowl found its way onto the coffee table, where it held all my pens.
We fell very easily into a routine.In the mornings, he made breakfast, then kissed me goodbye and headed over to the workshop with the cat following him.Apparently she got more entertainment out of watching him work than she did watching me tap keys.And who could blame her?
Some days we met up for lunch and some days we didn’t.Ryan had a busy schedule and a lot to get done before Founders Day, and I had trips into town and around the area to steal inspiration wherever I could.My outline was taking shape but more importantly, my cast of side characters were as well.They were the villains and the victims of this next novel, and they needed to shine just as much as the established main characters.Despite what I’d told Ryan, I had worried that he would distract me from my writing, but I’d been filled with a new optimistic energy that somehow translated to my novel.I had three chapters for Anita in time for our next Zoom meeting, instead of the two I’d promised.
I made dinner because Ryan took care of breakfast, and our evenings were usually spent on the porch swing, where I read and he whittled.It was sickeningly domestic, and I loved it.We were as comfortable as a couple that had been together for years.Other people had vacation romances—I apparently had a vacation long-term husband.
And the sex?Holy shit.The sex was incredible.And not because we did anything I’d never done before—Ryan’s handyman skills didn’t extend to a homemade Saint Andrew’s cross or anything—but becauseRyanwas incredible.He was sweet and kind andgenuine, and I was falling fast.He didn’t even comment when a litter tray appeared in the bathroom, only smiled.The next day a box from Amazon came addressed to me, and I opened it to find a cat tree and a bunch of food inside.
Ryan spent even longer hours in his workshop as Founders Day approached, turning out small pieces for his booth.Little whittled animals, cheese boards, coasters, hand-carved spoons, trivets, rolling pins, his roses, and wooden bowls.Caldwell Crossing was buzzing, or as buzzing as a place like Caldwell Crossing ever got, in the lead-up to the event.Honest-to-god bunting appeared in the streets, and booths and food trucks began to turn up in Caldwell Park.Anticipation was in the air as I visited the library the day before Founders Day, and there were more people in the usually-sleepy main street than I’d noticed before.It wasn’t exactly high tourist season for a place like Caldwell Crossing—that was when the leaves changed in the fall—but it was clear that all those local crafts and produce could still draw a crowd.
