He nodded and said, “I actually have two of the consoles, so I guess my nieces and nephews will have to share the one that’s left.”
I had a follow-up question. “If they’re not in stores yet, where’d they come from?”
“Um…they might have fallen off the back of a truck.”
“You stole them?”
“Me? No. The person I bought them from, however…”
I grinned and shook my head. “I thought you were reformed.”
“I am now. That was my last official act as a criminal,” he said.
The watch face was covered in fingerprints, so he polished it up with a handkerchief. Then he put it on and turned his wrist, examining the watch from different angles with a smile. I was so damn glad he had that back.
When we got to my room, he looked around curiously but refrained from commenting while I quickly packed my things. I knew it was a hovel, and it was nice of him not to point that out.
Soon we were back in the cab, and fifteen minutes after that we stepped into the townhouse’s foyer. “Home sweet beige,” he quipped, as we piled our things just inside the door.
“This place isn’t so bad. A few house plants and some colorful throw pillows, and it might seem downright homey.”
“I’m glad you think so. I’d like to hold off on buying a place here for a bit, because there’s something I want to do first.” He took his phone from his suit pocket and pulled up a real estate listing. Then he showed me the screen and asked, “Do you think your mom would like someplace like this? I obviously plan to ask her when we visit, but I want to find some examples to show her.”
Tears welled up in my eyes as I looked at the charming cottage, which was for sale in Manhattan, Kansas. “You’re buying my mother a house?”
“That’s the plan. Obviously, if we can talk her into moving to Vegas or San Francisco so you can see her more often, I’ll buy her something there instead.”
That was when I started sobbing. He picked me up and held me securely as he murmured, “Baby, don’t cry.”
“I can’t help it,” I managed. “This is all I ever wanted, to make sure Ma was okay. I tried so hard. I sent money home every month, but it was never enough. There was always some catastrophe—her old car breaking down again, or a medical bill, or something else. We could never get ahead. But this, this is going to make such a huge difference.”
He carried me into the living room and sat on the couch with me on his lap. It took a while, but I finally got the tears under control. Meanwhile, he waited patiently and rubbed my back.
Finally, I whispered, “This is so much. What can I ever do for you in return?”
“You’re already doing it. You’re letting me take care of you, and you’re taking care of me in turn. That’s all I need.”
* * *
That evening, we walked to the local market and bought some groceries. Then we came home, put some music on, and went to work making dinner together. With our combined playlists on shuffle, we never knew what song was going to come through the speakers next. This resulted in some groans, some cheers, and a lot of laughs.
After we got a big pot of soup simmering on the stovetop, one of Adriano’s old-fashioned songs came on. He twirled me under our joined hands before pulling me close. As he sang to me in his rich baritone and we swayed to the music, I was overcome by the most incredible feeling. For the first time in my life, I felt happy, secure, and at peace, all at the same time.
I wanted to explain that to my sweet, amazing boyfriend. But when I looked into his eyes and he smiled at me, I could see he felt exactly the same way.
Epilogue: Jack
Two months later
The weekend before Christmas, the townhouse was overflowing with our friends and family. Holiday music was playing, the tree and the decorations sparkled, and the whole place smelled like vanilla and cinnamon from all the baking we’d been doing.
We’d flown Wyatt in for the holidays, and I’d finally confessed my (now former) life of crime. It felt good to come clean, and he totally took it in stride. I should have known my best friend accepted me no matter what.
At the moment, he and JoJo were seated in front of the fireplace, carrying on a lively conversation about movies. I’d been delighted when the entire Pink Victorian Crew showed up for our holiday party, and discovering JoJo was fluent in ASL was a wonderful bonus.
On the other side of the room, Romy, Mandy, and her fiancé Chet were deep in conversation with my mother. We’d flown Ma in for Thanksgiving, and she’d gone back just long enough to pack and give notice at her job and apartment before returning to the west coast.
She and Mandy had bonded almost instantly at Thanksgiving, and Mandy had been helping her house hunt in Las Vegas. I was so happy my mother had decided she was ready for a change, and that I’d get to see her a lot more often.