After we’ve eaten, he stands, extending his hand to me. “Come on. Time for bed.” His eyes twinkle, making me wonder what else he’s got planned.
Walking through the bedroom, I see he’s made the bed with new sheets matching the color scheme we chose.
I don’t even get a chance to compliment him on how great the bed looks when he leads me into the en suite bathroom, and my jaw drops. When I left a day and a half ago, it was starting to come together, but he must have worked nonstop to get it looking like this in such a short time.
“Oh my god, Dylan. Is that a fireplace in the bathroom?” I gasp, almost in awe of how gorgeous the room looks as I take in the gorgeous room.
The beautiful fireplace in question is lit and flickers gently. Between the fireplace and the candles scattered around, the whole room seems to glow. The tub is full of luxurious-looking bubbles, and the room smells better than any spa I’ve ever been to. I turn to him with delight.
“This is amazing! How did you get all this done so quickly?” I ask.
“It was no big deal, just a few extra hours,” he says with a smile.
I wrap my arms around his neck, taking his mouth in a kiss that promises more—but later… much later….
He pulls away from me, his eyes shining in the firelight. He reaches for the hem of the T-shirt I changed into before leaving work. “Arms up.” He grins when I obey immediately, jamming my hands into the air like a five-year-old. He removes my clothes gently, pausing to place a few chaste kisses at various spots on my body, making me giggle when his stubble tickles. Then he takes my hand and helps me into the warm water.
Lying back, I close my eyes and take a long, slow breath. I can already feel some of the tension draining out of my exhausted muscles.
“Are you going to join me in here, just to snuggle?” I ask coyly, but he shakes his head, instead sitting down on a little step stool beside the tub.
Starting with my arms, he runs a washcloth slowly over every inch of me, and I feel so cherished and loved I can barely process it. By the time he’s finished with me, I’m completely boneless, my eyelids so heavy I could fall asleep in the water.
“Ready for bed?” he asks, his voice soft. I just nod. He helps me out of the bath and dries me with tenderness that almost brings tears to my eyes. Dylan knew exactly what I needed, even more than I did. His tender care feels like permission to let everything go. All the adrenaline from a long shift in the ER slips away into the ether. All I need to do is let him take care of me; I don’t need to worry about a thing because Dylan is here, and he’s got me. The same way I’ll always have him when he needs me.
Leading me to the bed, he pulls back the covers. “Will you lie with me?” I ask him, certain I’ve got puppy dog eyes.
He grins. “Of course.” He strips down to his boxer briefs and climbs into bed beside me as we both get settled in.
He’s the big spoon as he pulls me close to him, placing a sweet kiss on the back of my neck.
My last conscious thought before letting the comfortable blanket of sleep settle over me is that I have nothing to even think about. Not work, not this house, not stress about my addiction or money or family or anything. Being with Dylan has lightened the load I carry, and it feels so good. I’m never letting this man go.
“I love you,” I whisper into the soft darkness, and he tightens his arm around me, placing another gentle kiss just behind my ear.
“I love you so much, Reed. So much I’m never letting you go.” I feel his smile as he whispers the words against my skin. “Now, sleep, baby. I’ll be here when you wake up.”
And so, I do.
THE END
Epilogue
REED
“Okay,we’lltalktoyou next week,” I call to Jackson and Mason as they get into their car. Closing the front door, I turn to face Dylan, who’s standing behind me.
“Well, that’s all she wrote.” I wrap my arms around his neck and tip my face up for a kiss. “How are you? It wasn’t too much, right?” I ask, always conscious of his comfort level, especially when there are lots of people and chaos around.
“It was perfect, really. I had a great time.” He smiles and lowers his mouth to mine.
“Mmmm.” I melt into him, and we stand there for a few minutes, enjoying each other and the sound of a quiet house.
The renovation was completed late in the spring, and Dylan and I spent a lot of time at the Queen Anne house over the summer, taking advantage of being in the city by getting out to different restaurants and doing fun, touristy stuff neither of us had done for years like a harbor tour of Seattle’s waterfront and dinner at the Space Needle.
Next week, my furniture will be moved out and replaced by designer pieces that will look perfect in the photos we’ll use for both the real estate listing and for Hot Dam Homes advertising and publicity. The house will go on the market in a few weeks.
Although having it finally completed is a huge relief, there’s a twinge of bittersweet. This house is what brought Dylan into my life, and for that fact alone, I’ll always love this place.