Page 152
"That's much better. And please don't lift me into the truck."
"You weren't moving fast enough, wife."
Dammit.I buckled up while he got the truck rolling towards home. "I don't think I like the hyphenation." No matter what order we put our last names in, it sounded made up.
"Yeah, that's why I keep saying it. I'm hoping it'll click but it's not. I don't want you to just take my name though. That's not us."
"We could pick a totally new name. We could be the Smiths."
He shot me an unimpressed look.
"The Finnquills."
He shuddered. "Oh god, no. Just no."
"The Tranqfinns."
"Now you're just fucking with me." He turned onto our access road and sure enough there was a gleaming older Bronco that had been completely redone and it was pulling an enclosed trailer that had been painted to match.
"What on earth?" Charley had parked way off to the left along the creek. She already had an awning unfurled, a carpet of some kind laid out with two chairs and a table. "That thing is a camper?" It looked like something you hauled landscaping equipment inside of.
"Apparently. At least she stopped trying to haul it up the mountain." He stopped his truck in the middle of the road. "You want a few minutes alone?"
"Absolutely not, Mr. Finnick."
"Not that one either." He shook his head and unbuckled his seatbelt.
"But it's like Finnick Odair! LikeTheHunger Games!" I pushed the heavy door open and dropped down to the running board just as Jackson hurried over.
"You're not changing our last names to a character reference in a book not written by you." His hands squeezed my hips as he guided me down.
"So you're saying I could suggest a character written by me?"
He groaned, resting his forehead against mine. "I will entertain it. But if I'm being honest, I'm a little tired of being referred to as a character in a book."
I winced, not connecting the Huckleberry Finn nickname at first. I should have thought of that. "If I'm being honest, I kind of like the idea of professionally staying A.M. Quill but around town being known as Mrs. Finn." I would leave my legal name alone. No fuss, all the glory.
He pulled my hips to his and kissed me with a growl. "Now we're talking."
"You know I can see you mauling Marley through your truck, right?" Charley yelled from her trailer-camper-Bronco situation.
I smiled but didn't stop the kiss. It was good to have her here.
Jackson hooked his fingers into my pockets. "She's going to be a handful, isn't she?"
"Absolutely. I love it."
He sighed. "Then I'll learn to deal with it. Maybe it's a good thing she brought her own place to stay. We won't hear or see each other without ample warning."
"And now you can escape to the barn if she's being too much."
"Or maybe I'll just guide a lot more hikes," he grumbled. "Lead the way."
I took Jackson's hand and started across the grassy meadow but then Charley broke out into a run and so did I and we collided into a pile of arms and hugs and laughs. "What are you doing here?"
Charley pushed me away with a scowl. "You knew I was coming."
"In a couple of weeks. After your grand retirement." I was even tossing around the idea of sneaking down to attend the game since there was no longer the threat of Cristobal.
Table of Contents
- Page 1
- Page 2
- Page 3
- Page 4
- Page 5
- Page 6
- Page 7
- Page 8
- Page 9
- Page 10
- Page 11
- Page 12
- Page 13
- Page 14
- Page 15
- Page 16
- Page 17
- Page 18
- Page 19
- Page 20
- Page 21
- Page 22
- Page 23
- Page 24
- Page 25
- Page 26
- Page 27
- Page 28
- Page 29
- Page 30
- Page 31
- Page 32
- Page 33
- Page 34
- Page 35
- Page 36
- Page 37
- Page 38
- Page 39
- Page 40
- Page 41
- Page 42
- Page 43
- Page 44
- Page 45
- Page 46
- Page 47
- Page 48
- Page 49
- Page 50
- Page 51
- Page 52
- Page 53
- Page 54
- Page 55
- Page 56
- Page 57
- Page 58
- Page 59
- Page 60
- Page 61
- Page 62
- Page 63
- Page 64
- Page 65
- Page 66
- Page 67
- Page 68
- Page 69
- Page 70
- Page 71
- Page 72
- Page 73
- Page 74
- Page 75
- Page 76
- Page 77
- Page 78
- Page 79
- Page 80
- Page 81
- Page 82
- Page 83
- Page 84
- Page 85
- Page 86
- Page 87
- Page 88
- Page 89
- Page 90
- Page 91
- Page 92
- Page 93
- Page 94
- Page 95
- Page 96
- Page 97
- Page 98
- Page 99
- Page 100
- Page 101
- Page 102
- Page 103
- Page 104
- Page 105
- Page 106
- Page 107
- Page 108
- Page 109
- Page 110
- Page 111
- Page 112
- Page 113
- Page 114
- Page 115
- Page 116
- Page 117
- Page 118
- Page 119
- Page 120
- Page 121
- Page 122
- Page 123
- Page 124
- Page 125
- Page 126
- Page 127
- Page 128
- Page 129
- Page 130
- Page 131
- Page 132
- Page 133
- Page 134
- Page 135
- Page 136
- Page 137
- Page 138
- Page 139
- Page 140
- Page 141
- Page 142
- Page 143
- Page 144
- Page 145
- Page 146
- Page 147
- Page 148
- Page 149
- Page 150
- Page 151
- Page 152 (Reading here)
- Page 153
- Page 154
- Page 155
- Page 156
- Page 157
- Page 158
- Page 159
- Page 160
- Page 161
- Page 162
- Page 163
- Page 164
- Page 165
- Page 166