Page 119 of The House Guest

I had no idea whether she was on the pill, but I didn’t care. I hadn’t had sex without a condom with anyone else—never trusted anyone like I did Primrose. And anyway, I wanted my own baby with this beautiful woman someday.

She finally moved back so I could look into her eyes.

“Are you okay?” I asked.

“Yeah.” She smiled. “More than okay. You have no idea how much I’ve needed that.”

“I hadn’t intended for this to happen tonight.”

She rubbed her finger over my lips. “Did we really have a choice?”

“Sure as hell didn’t feel like it.” I rested my forehead against hers.

“I don’t ever want to leave,” she whispered.

I felt the pain of her words in my chest.She doesn’t want to leave.But she had to, and she knew it. Still, I wasn’t willing to go there yet, wasn’t willing to taint this moment with worries about the future. Because to talk about logistics would mean ending the euphoria of this night. We deserved to have this last a bit longer.

“Don’t think about that now, okay? Just be with me,” I said.

We stayed there in that spot, connected by our bodies for the longest time. I didn’t want to pull out or even move at all. If this moment could’ve lasted forever—if I could’ve died right here and now inside this woman—that would’ve been just fine by me.

CHAPTER 34

Primrose

The week flew by. Once Dorian and I made love that first night, we were inseparable, but we still hadn’t discussed what was supposed to happen after I left.

It was my last afternoon in Orion Coast, and we were having Chandler and Candace and their kids over for a barbecue. That could be a little awkward, I worried, since Liv was one of Candace’s acquaintances. But since I didn’t know the next time I’d be back in California, I wanted to take advantage of every minute here.

When the doorbell rang, I got goose bumps.

The moment Dorian opened the door, Candace opened her arms.

“Primrose!”

“Oh my gosh.” I hugged her. “It’s so good to see you.”

Chandler was holding their son. I rubbed the little boy’s arm. “Hey, buddy. It’s good to finally meet you.”

Their daughter clung to her mother’s leg. It made me miss Rosie so much.

Candace looked down at her. “This is Maya.” She looked over at the boy lovingly. “And that’s Mitchell.”

I felt my eyes watering. I’d never forget the time Candace had shared her fear of some other woman getting to live out her dream. It brought me so much relief to know she’d gotten her own beautiful family instead.

“How has the trip been?” she asked as they entered the house.

“It started out a bit rocky, but we’ve found our way,” I told her.

As Dorian and Chandler went out back with Mitchell, I turned to Candace.

“So, I want to say something…” I paused. “I know Liv is your friend. I’m sure she was pretty hurt when—”

“Primrose.” Candace shook her head. “You don’t need to explain. I knew Dorian was still in love with you when he started dating her. I would’ve been rooting for their relationship, if it weren’t for that. But Liv was going to get hurt anyway. I knew in my heart of hearts that Dorian was using her to get over you. My goal when we talked was to get you to understand that there was still a chance to stop it, if for any reason you wanted to. You have nothing to apologize for, so long as you and Dorian are happy.”

“You’re amazing.” I let out a breath. “Thank you for caring enough to reach out to me.”

“So…what’s next for you guys?”