She liked that idea and nodded as she wiped a tear from her cheek.
“We’ll get the most ugly, pink-ass Gloria flowers we can find,” he solemnly said.
She busted out laughing, as that was actually something that Gloria would have liked.
“I know she’s going to smile down at us every time our garden hurts our eyes with all that pink,” she said.
Owen laughed. “Yep. She’ll love nothing more than to yank our chain from somewhere up there.”
“Shall we head back inside?” she asked as the air became chilly. Or maybe it was just her feeling tired after spilling out her guts to Owen.
“Sure, I had pizza delivered earlier when you were still in the shower.”
Her belly made a sound like a puppet-master mumbled inside of her, making them both crack up.
“Your belly still does that shit?” he asked with a wide grin.
“I know it’s loud, but surely I’m not the only one who has a belly who does that.”
He chuckled. “Not as loud and as often as yours, Gorgeous.”
“Frankie has the same thing, you know.”
It was a stupid thing to say and she waited on him to sneer something like he wouldn’t know because she’d kept their daughter from him.
“I would love to hear it. I can’t wait to find out all these little things. Did you know that she sleeps just like me?”
Of course Tara had already noticed this about her daughter, but she didn’t want to rub it in his face. So she said, “Like how?”
“You know, like a skydiver. We’ve looked it up one time when you slept over at the B&B that first time.”
Tara remembered that night. Her mom was away for a week and Tara had finally gathered enough courage to spend the night at Owen’s.
“Frankie does that same thing with her hands around her pillow and—what?”
Tara bit her lip and shook her head. “Nothing.”
“Ah, you were thinking back to our first time together, weren’t you?”
Busted.
“I was a nervous wreck,” she said as she entered the house with Owen hot on her trail.
She heard him close and lock the patio door and she turned around with a smile.
“Thanks,” was all she said, as he immediately understood why she needed to keep the doors locked.
“No problem. If you can bring up the pizza, I’ll go check on the other doors and windows. I’ll see you upstairs in our room.”
“Our room?” she asked as she held still in the middle of the living room.
He arched a brow and said, “You didn’t think I would let you sleep anywhere but next to me from now on, did you?”
She walked up to Owen and got on her tiptoes. She held his eyes as she said, “I’m never leaving you again, Owen Mills.”
“I’m going to hold you to that,” he said before he kissed her.
She leaned back and said, “You do that. And don’t mind me if I spread the word around town that there will be no more tying up of random tourists.”