Page 143 of The Promise Of Rain

Her guards fell away as her soft eyes met mine.She blinked and swallowed hard.“I’d love to have a baby.”

I raised my eyebrows.“Sugar mamaandbaby mama?You’re going to be busy!”

She laughed and smacked my shoulder.

I grinned at her.“So, are you moving in here?Or am I moving into the apartment?”

“I’ll move here.But don’t buy it yet!I need to think, hard, if I want to stay in Moose Lake.”She eyed me.“How do you feel about moving?”

I wrapped my arms around her.“So long as you’re with me, I’m home.”

28

Questions

Jenny

So long as you’re with me, I’m home.

His words rolled over and over in my mind, keeping me warm, fighting the fear, reminding me I wasn’t in this alone as we packed up my apartment the following weekend.

The furniture was staying, along with basic kitchen essentials, but my good bakeware and cooking supplies were coming with me along with most of my clothes.

Including the new lingerie I had yet to work up the courage to wear.Every time I looked at it, it seemed to get racier.

I should have started smaller, but Maxine and Maggie were persuasive.

Smaller?

If it was any smaller, it may as well be dental floss.

Seeing everything I wanted to keep fit into one large suitcase, I decided then and there to hit the mall with Maxine and Maggie to buy more clothes.My old clothes became less appealing with every day that passed.

Maybe Vera and Julie could come, too.

Maybe.

Using the interior stairs, we piled the boxes in front of the window at the entrance to Buns and Biscuits.This way we could bring all the boxes down at once and Deacon could pull his truck right up to the curb to make things easier.

Outside, the birds celebrated the arrival of spring, while I celebrated Deacon’s short sleeves and the flex of his biceps as he carted box after box down the stairs.

On his final pass, I latched onto his arm and bit his biceps.

He laughed out loud.“Feeling feral, baby?”

“A little,” I admitted.I scrunched my nose and tipped my head back to meet his eyes.“Kind of want to lick you right now.”

He grinned, that long dimple in his cheek the barometer for his happiness.“Hold that thought until I get you home.”His eyebrows rose, a teasing light in his eyes.“Unless you’re into public displays?”

I leaned closer.“Everybody’s at church.You want to take me in front of the window?”

He made a grab for me, but I laughed and danced out of his grasp.

I propped the door open, walked out into the sunshine, and stretched my hands up to the sky.

“It’s a perfect day,” I exclaimed softly as he popped open the liftgate.

He effortlessly hefted the largest box and pushed it into the back of the cargo area.