Page 110

I waved her away. “Abigail, go!”

She ran out of the kitchen, and I prayed for her safety as I switched off the burner and searched for something, anything to dampen the flames. In the nick of time, I found a sheet pan and smothered the stove fire, then used the sprayer to contain the burning cabinet. By the time the fire truck arrived, the flames were gone.

“You all right, Rex?” one of my firefighter buddies called as he stormed into the kitchen.

Panting, I said, “Yeah, I think I got it. Where’s Abigail?”

“She’s out front.”

“Can you take it from here?” I asked.

He nodded, and I jetted off out front in nothing but my pants, my chest hair probably singed from the flames. Abigail stood on her front lawn with a blanket wrapped around her waist and the same look in her eyes she had when Winston was stuck in the tree.

“Are you okay? Where’s Winston?” I ran to her.

She trembled in my arms. “He’s fine. I put him in my car. What about the house? Is it bad?”

“The fire’s out, but the kitchen is pretty scorched,” I said, and she dropped her head into her hands.

“I always mess everything up,” she whispered, anguish dripping from every word.

I wrapped her in my arms. “Well, in your defense, I was the one who was cooking.”

The realization hit her so hard that her mournful expression turned almost righteous. “Oh, yeah. You were!” She looked back at the house, gaze turning thoughtful. “You did say you would make mistakes.”

“Yeah, but I meant more like leaving the toilet seat up, not almost burning your house down.” I felt a little sheepish myself until Abigail lifted up on her toes and kissed my cheek.

“It’s okay, Rex. Maybe it was time the place caught fire and burned.”

“What do you mean?”

“I told you how I only kept this house to spite my ex. Maybe it’s time to move on.”

An idea struck. “Maybe we could move on together. Find somewhere with more…balance,” I said, smiling.

She tilted her head. “What do you mean?”

“Let’s buy the Baker house.”

Her jaw dropped. “What?”

“You and me. A fresh start. All that cabinet space for microwave popcorn, and it’s only three blocks from Lotus Flower.”

“Rex,” she said, laughing. “We can’t.”

“Why not? You said you wanted to move on, and this feels right. For me. For you. For us.” I wiggled my eyebrows. “Whaddya say?”

Her smile softened as she considered the idea. “I think it’s crazy, which means I love it. And I love you, Rex Montgomery.”

“I love you, Abigail Stone.” I held her tight and kissed her again, knowing that this wasn’t just for real—it was forever.

EPILOGUE

ABIGAIL

“It’s really ours,”I said, staring up at the Craftsman-style home with the stone facade and wood siding. Just like Rex, I loved the house more the more I saw it. It wasn’t just the house; it was what it represented—a beginning for Rex and me. I look over at my man, smiling at the scar on his eyebrow. There was a little bit of a bad boy lurking under the surface, after all.

“Yes, it is,” he said and squeezed my hand. Then he jingled the keys with his other hand. “Are you ready to go inside?”