Page 67 of Delicious (Delicious #1)

Epilogue

Rhett

A year ago, I was in a strange bedroom with a man I barely knew, coming all over his chest while realizing I was probably going to fall head over heels in love. At the time, I had almost no hope that it would go anywhere. Everything about me seemed all wrong for Mellie.

Except after I came all over him, he cleaned us both up and asked me to stay. I woke up in his arms, and we jerked each other off, then went to the store for condoms. We used the whole box by Saturday and had to buy another one.

One weekend turned into another, turned into another. We learned to get clever for midafternoon quickies when he was parked on campus, and Robbie started refusing to eat there, convinced there were traces of come in the food.

I met his family, and he met mine. Our friends groups were connected because of course they were. The town was small, and the Deaf community was even smaller. But the good news was they all trusted me, and that was something like a weight off because it was one less thing on my plate full of reasons that we weren’t going to work.

I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop, but it never did. We’re just…happy.

Tonight, we’re meeting after the gym for our anniversary. Normally we go together, but his truck blew a tire, and he was having it fixed, so I decided to go for a run. I needed to work out some of my nerves because I have a big question for Mellie, and I’m not sure if he’s going to say yes or no.

It’s not the kind with the ring that ends in I dos, but it’s a step toward that. It’s the kind with a small box and a key nestled in velvet. It’s an offer to make our lives a little more singular together.

“Are you going to vomit? Because I just bought these machines.”

I turn my head to see Thom standing a few feet away, a towel around the back of his neck, looking like a whole goddamn snack. He’s the co-owner of the gym with a reputation for being a bit of a himbo, but I think people tend to overlook him, thanks to his ADHD and dyslexia. His spelling is atrocious, and his inability to stay focused on a conversation for longer than two minutes is…a lot, but he’s a good guy.

And a lot smarter than people give him credit for.

“Why do you ask?”

“Because you’ve been making weird faces since you started running.”

Ah, right. The panic. “I just have a date tonight.”

He frowns. “You have a boyfriend. I know your boyfriend. Hot chef guy.” He uses Mellie’s sign name.

“Yeah. We have a date. It’s…kind of a big deal.”

“Oh? Ohhhhh.” His eyes light up with understanding. “I get it.”

“I’m not proposing,” I tell him.

He holds his hands up in surrender. “No, yeah, I get it. Fuck the man! Fuck the system!”

Rolling my eyes, I hit the cooldown button and begin a slow walk to get my heart rate down. I need to get Robbie in here. He’s been bitching nonstop about needing a place to work out, and he flat-out refuses to even touch the door handles of the campus gym.

“I’m not against marriage, but it’s only been a year. I want to see if he wants to take the next step.”

He bobs his head, all-knowing. “Sixty-nine?”

I blink at him.

“Snowballing?”

“Moving in together,” I say when I realize this precious dipshit is serious.

His face lights up with his grin, and he lifts his fist for a fist bump. “Fuck yeah, man. Let me know how it goes! Oh shit, my six o’clock is here.” He walks off before I can even let our knuckles connect, but that’s just how he is.

And his enthusiasm helped reinvigorate mine.

I hop off the machine and wipe it down before hitting the showers. I don’t linger, instead rushing through soaping up and rinsing off, and I duck out after I get dressed so I don’t get roped into conversation because although Zev hasn’t been working for a few weeks, all his coworkers have been trained into using a Deaf goodbye.

The drive to Mellie’s is just long enough to re-trigger my nerves, and eventually, I pull up beside a car marked with an Uber sign.

Heading to the passenger door is a man with a white cane I immediately recognize as Mellie’s brother. Otto’s head turns toward me, probably because he can hear my car, and I wave before remembering he can’t see it. I’m also too far to shout, so I just wait until he’s inside the car.

I’ll text him later.

When the Uber takes off, I pull into the empty space beside Mellie’s car and take a breath. The box with the key is in my pocket—it’s a symbol. I’ll happily move here if he’ll have me. It’s just a physical representation of how I want our future to go.

By the time I make it to the door, he’s waiting for me. He’s as tall and gorgeous as ever. He drags me close and kisses the breath out of me as he slams the door shut, humming loudly against my lips. He pulls away with a loud smack and curls his hands around my cheeks.

We bask for a short forever.

‘Can you stay tonight?’ There’s an almost desperate look on his face. We haven’t seen each other in a few days.

‘I can stay.’

His smile widens. ‘Good. I hate not seeing you.’

The key is an even heavier weight in my pocket now but in the best way. He’s going to say yes when I ask. And everything is going to be alright.