The Resurrection of Wildflowers (Wildflower #2)(57)

He ducks his head, his shaggy hair hiding his eyes from my view. “Do you want to move in with me?” His cheeks turn bright red like he’s embarrassed and nervous. I think I love seeing him flustered way too much. Thayer is normally the definition of cool, calm, and collected, but this has him feeling floundered.

“You want me to live with you?” He nods. “Like share the same bed? My hair clogging your shower, clothes on the floor, my crap taking over yours—that kind of live together?”

He nods again. “It makes sense, right? Why wait?”

He has a point. I mean, I did throw my birth control away. We had another conversation about it that night. He wanted to make sure I was clear headed and making a sound decision. I wasn’t that drunk that morning, I drank way less than Lauren it just makes me feel foggy-headed, but it made me happy that Thayer always puts me first and understands how important my consent is.

I glance next door at my teenage childhood home. I don’t want to live there. It’s not that it holds bad memories—my dad never lived there—but it doesn’t feel like mine. It reminds me of her, and I don’t think I could ever do anything to change that. The best course of action is to clean it up, fix some small things, and sell it. Georgia and I can split the money and it’ll help out both of us.

The store is a different situation. I know it’s stupid to keep it, makes no logical sense, but I have way more trouble parting with it than the house.

“Yes,” I say softly, then a bit louder I add, “I’ll move in with you.”

His smile starts small, then it grows into a full-blown grin. He doesn’t say anything. Instead, he scoops me into his arms, spinning me around and around. My feet lift off the ground and I giggle.

He sets me down, cupping my cheeks. “I swear to God, Sunshine, I’m going to make you the happiest woman on the planet.” He doesn’t give me a chance to respond. Slanting his mouth over mine he kisses me deeply.

Some people never find this kind of love in a lifetime. I found it at eighteen, lost it for a while, and now I’m never letting it—letting him—go.





CHAPTER 37





SALEM





I could tell Caleb was sad when I packed up more of my stuff and took Binx with me. I told him why and there was the briefest flash of pain in his eyes before he forced a smile and said he was happy for me. I don’t like that I’m always breaking his heart, but I remind myself we’re divorced now, and we were both going to move on eventually.

One day, he’ll find his person, and then he’ll understand.

I’m hanging up a dress in Thayer’s closet when he comes in, wrapping his hands around me from behind. He smells like sweat, earth, and cigarette smoke from his day on the job site. He doesn’t smoke anymore, at least that’s what he says, but some of the guys he works with do.

“I missed you.” He lays his head on my shoulder. His hands go to my stomach. “Do you think you’re pregnant yet?”

I giggle, swaying out of his arms so I can turn to face him. “You’re obsessed with knocking me up out of wedlock, aren’t you?” I can’t help but joke. Truth be told, I don’t feel the need for him to propose. Now that we’re together again I know everything will happen in the timeline it’s supposed to.

He looks me over with a half-smile. “Fuck yeah. I love the thought of you round with my child.” I roll my eyes. He grabs my hips, gently pulling me into his space. He towers over me, so I angle my head back to see him. “I didn’t get to see you the first time. I didn’t get to feel her kick or take you to doctor’s appointments. I want that.”

I wet my lips, feeling shame.

He cups my cheek, forcing me to look at him when I try to drop my gaze. “Don’t do that. Don’t hide what you’re feeling from me. I want us to be honest with each other, always. That’s when things get tough, when you hide things, or lie about how you feel.”

I sigh, my shoulders feeling impossibly heavy. “I wish you could’ve been there too and I feel awful that you didn’t get to be.”

“You did the best thing,” he reminds me for the umpteenth time. “I wasn’t … I couldn’t have been the man, the father, I needed to be back then. You knew that.” He rubs his thumb over my cheek. “I refuse to let you have regrets, because we have right now. I get to wake up every day with you in my arms. I get to hear Seda running in the halls when she’s here. Winnie and Binx get to be best friends.” I laugh at that, because surprisingly they are. My black cat and the corgi like to sleep together on the couch. “And one day, whenever it’s meant to happen, I’ll get to hear our crying baby down the hall.”

A tear leaks out of the corner of my eye. He quickly swipes it with his pointer finger.

“Now,” he grabs my hand, “come shower with me.” He grins wickedly, eyes dark with desire.

I let him tug me along and when he presses my naked back against the shower tile, sinking inside me, I finally let go.





After a FaceTime call with Seda we settle on the couch with a bowl of popcorn for a movie night. Thayer lays down, plopping his head in my lap.

“What are you in the mood to watch?”

“To be honest,” he yawns, “I’m probably going to fall right to sleep, so whatever you want is fine.”