Page 77

We’re set up in the backyard of the house we’re now the landlords for. Landon and I moved into an apartment Landon’s boss, Gordon, secured for us while we were on our honeymoon, which was a relief for me. One less thing to worry about with everything changing.

Yes, I’m married to a real estate agent and we’re renting, but we haven’t quite figured out where we want to be yet. With the housing market going crazy, I’ll be okay to wait a little longer before we buy.

I’m taking some online design classes and we started a house we can flip a couple months ago. With Drew’s help, we’ve been able to get the bottom floor torn out and re-sheet rocked. And I can’t wait to start painting the rooms to give it life.

The guests arrive, bearing presents for our island themed shower. We’ve got tiki torches, Hawaiian floral print, and every other island type decoration I could find at the store. Because what’s better than finding out you're pregnant on a cruise ship? Celebrating it after.

There are a ton of people from Tiffany’s time at Love, Austen. Her boss, Meg, brings in a large diaper cake and several small outfits. She’ll be set with a car seat and stroller and enough toys to last until Ellie is a teenager.

And Hillary came back. We might not be as close as Landon and Dani when it comes to sibling relationships, but we’ve got our own connection. She moved into my room in what she coined as the Spice House, and Dani moved upstairs. With the amount of personalities there now, the name fits.

A while later, I’m in the kitchen ready to refill the appetizers and the water, when a couple arms wrap around my waist and pull me in for a hug.

“Hey, I thought you were in a meeting this morning.” I turn around, giving Landon a small peck on the lips.

He nods, kissing me again. “I was. I thought I’d come help you clean everything up when you’re done.”

“What did Roman talk to you about?” Landon had gotten a call a few days ago that Roman wanted to meet while he was in town. We’ve spent the past several days going over the possibilities of what it could mean.

“You’re allowed to say no.”

I frown, wondering why he would lead with that. “To what?”

“He’s asked us to live in London for a year. He wants me to be a trainer and go to the different divisions to help them be more cohesive and work together.”

“London, for a year?” I’ve gone through excitement, terror, and a little sadness within the past few seconds. Living abroad means I won’t get to be near the support system I’ve built over the past two years. And Ellie Jo will grow like a weed.

But it does mean we get to do some of the things Landon and I wrote on our joint bucket list. Landon calls it the Together Forever Bucket List. I have to laugh every time he says that. The Breakup Bucket List is still a touchy subject.

He nods. “Then we’ll come back and settle here, if that’s what you want. Roman wants me to train the branches in the states as well and then we could open up a branch of our own somewhere.”

“A year in London. A girl could get used to living in Europe.” I wink and lean forward to kiss him again. I don’t think I’ll ever get sick of it.

“I told Roman about the house we’re working on. We have a couple months to get it finished and then we’ll travel there. He’ll get everything arranged for our housing. In between, we’ll be filling out all the paperwork to get there. Are you okay with that?”

Finishing the house would be one less thing to worry about. “Would you be working all the time? Like, meetings every day?”

“There will be some travel involved, but you can go with me everywhere. And I think the trainings would be only a couple days a week.”

I smile, thinking of riding trains and experiencing the cultures. “So we’ll get to cross off a few things on our list?”

“Absolutely.”

“Then I’m all in.” He leans forward and kisses me more deeply, pulling me to him.

A couple years ago, this was all a dream. But this reality is better than I ever could’ve imagined.

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