Page 102 of Obsession (Temptation 4)

“It’s girl talk.” I winked, then pulled back. “How did she do?”

“Great.” He beamed, heading toward the refrigerator and grabbing a bottle of water. “I have no doubt she’ll pass with flying colors once she turns sixteen.”

I drew in a deep breath. “I’m not sure I’m ready for her to drive.”

“She’s a smart girl with a good head on her shoulders,” he assured me. “Plus, I told her the only car I’m going to let her drive is the Mustang.”

I raised a brow. “And that’s helpful how?”

“Easy.” He shrugged. “It’s a stick. No texting and driving.” He gave me a brilliant smile, then glanced at all the boxes.

“What’s all this?”

“Just going through all the stuff I had in storage. Deciding what to keep and what to get rid of.”

He narrowed his gaze. “Does this mean you’ve finally ended your house hunting?”

“Sadly, there’s just nothing on the market that suits my needs,” I said sarcastically as I stood, sauntering up to him. “As many times as I’ve told my agent I need something that comes with a hot, professional ball player, she’s yet to find a single one.” I placed my hands on his chest and lifted myself onto my toes. “So I think I’ll stay here.”

“It’s about time you came to your senses, you stubborn arse.”

I brushed my lips against his. “And I thought you loved my stubborn arse.”

He cupped my backside, giving it a squeeze. “You know I do.” He pressed his mouth more firmly against mine.

“On that note…” Naomi stood from her barstool. “I’ll leave you two lovebirds to celebrate officially being roomies.” She paused. “And each other’s stubborn arses.”

“Thanks, Naomi,” Lachlan said, dropping his hold on me to give her a kiss on the cheek.

When he stepped back, she turned and wrapped her arms around me, hugging me tightly. “I’m so happy for you, Jules. You deserve all the happiness in the world. Never forget that.”

“You won’t let me.”

“Damn straight.” She gave me one last squeeze, then retreated from Lachlan’s house.

Myhouse.

“I think this calls for a celebratory bottle,” Lachlan announced, making his way toward the wine cabinet.

“I couldn’t agree more.”

“Why don’t you go sit out on the patio? I’ll be right behind you.”

“Sounds good.”

I turned from him, about to head outside, but paused, swiping the Forty, Fabulous, and Free list off the island. I wasn’t sure why. As grateful as I was to no longer be the woman I was when we concocted this list, it still filled me with a sense of nostalgia to look back on the early days of my relationship with Lachlan.

Once outside, I made myself comfortable on the patio couch, the setting sun casting a subtle, pink glow over the massive back yard.

But instead of only a baseball diamond and batting cages, there was now a half-size soccer pitch he’d installed so Imogene could practice whenever she wanted.

“Here you go,” Lachlan said, handing me the wine bottle as he sat beside me.

I arched a brow. “No glass?”

“It’ll be like old times.” He winked.

“Like old times,” I repeated, taking a sip. When I swallowed, I darted my eyes to the bottle, laughing at the familiar label of the Opus One Cab Sav.