She and Winnie had finished the project he’d been working on before he’d left—painting the master bedroom. But he’d been gone long enough that she was starting to miss him unbearably.
They moved down the stairs and into the kitchen, stopping short at the sight of CJ in full cop gear holding Gavin pressed up against the refrigerator. He was either trying to interrogate Gavin’s tonsils, or kissing him hello.
“Again?” Winnie asked.
“I think you mean still,” Piper said.
“Ba-ba-ba-ba-ba,” Ro said.
Winnie smiled down at her girl. “You said it, little mama.” To the guys, she said, “Isn’t the honeymoon over yet?”
“Nope,” CJ said, and smiled into Gavin’s dazed-looking eyes.
Gavin grinned dopily back at him. “Definitely nope.”
“Come on,” Winnie said. “You’ve been married for months. CJ, you promised to love and cherish and to stop hogging the GameStation. Gavin, you also promised to love and cherish, and to still grab CJ’s ass, even when it gets old and wrinkly.” She pointed to the proof—the pics taped to the fridge where Gavin had just been held against it.
There was a pic of Gavin and CJ beneath a rainbow altar being married by an Elvis in drag. And one of all of them grinning drunkenly and toasting gallon-sized champagne glasses toward the two grooms. And then another of both of those same two grooms jumping into the hotel pool in their matching tuxes.
But Piper’s favorite was a shot someone had gotten of her and Cam slow dancing in a corner beneath a flashing disco ball, eyes only for each other. She was smiling, with a goofy look on her face. Right before, Cam had leaned in and asked her, “What do you think of us being next?”
She’d said, “Next for what?”
He’d just smiled at her, and she’d nearly swallowed her tongue.
“Are you serious?”
Cam had dropped to one knee and produced a gorgeous diamond ring, and she’d gasped. “I’ve loved you for a long time,” he’d said. “You make me smile, you make me feel like a superhero, like I can do anything. But the truth is, all I want to do is be with you. I want to sleep with you every night and wake up with you every morning for the rest of my life.”
“Yes,” Piper had whispered.
“Jeez, Piper, wait until he asks you,” Winnie had said.
Cam, not taking his eyes off Piper, had smiled. “Will you—”
“Yes,” Piper had said again, softly, past the huge lump of joy and excitement in her throat.
Winnie had shaken her head.
“What if he’s asking if you’ll do his laundry for the rest of his life?” Gavin had joked.
Cam had dropped his head and stared at his own knees for a beat. Probably second-guessing his desire to join her crazy family. Then he’d tried again. “Piper, will you marry me? And to be clear, that doesn’t include doing my laundry.”
She’d dropped to her knees and kissed him. “Yes,” she’d whispered against his mouth.
Remembering this now made her miss him all the more and she moved to the kitchen window, staring out at the lake for a little bit of happy.
Chance, sensing her sadness, whined and licked her chin.
“Thanks, baby.” She hated these forced separations so much. She’d never let Cam know, not wanting to add any stress to his plate, but it was getting harder and harder to be apart. That was when she realized there was an odd silence in the kitchen behind her, and she turned around.
Cam was right there in front of her, and with a gasp of surprise, she threw herself at him. He caught her—and Chance—with ease, and then, without any words, their mouths found each other. His kiss was hard and desperate and hungry . . . everything she was feeling, and it said everything that needed to be said. Love. Longing. Desire. Affection. Everything . . .
When they surfaced for air, Cam looked down at the puppy giving him huge eyes. “Who’s this?”
“Chance.” She held her breath.
“He ours?”
“Yes,” she said softly, hoping he’d be okay with that, that he’d understand she’d been lonely as hell and—
“Nice. He’s cute.” He nuzzled the puppy, looking heart-stoppingly sexy while doing it, then gently set him down. He then picked up Piper and plopped her on the counter, making himself at home between her legs. He was holding her so tight that she couldn’t breathe, but hey, who needed to breathe?
They were alone. Well, relatively anyway, as Chance was sitting on one of Cam’s feet.
“Never again,” he murmured against Piper’s lips.
“At least until they call you, right?” she quipped, trying to make light.
“No.” His eyes were dark. Serious. “Never again.” He pulled a very official envelope from his back pocket and set it on the counter. “I’m out. It’s official. I’m a retired man, babe.”
“Wow,” she breathed. “So I’ve got you all to myself now?”
“Every inch.”
She felt love and happiness fill her heart. “I’ve got plans for those inches. Lots of plans, Cam.”
His smile went a little wicked as he picked her up again and, as she wrapped her legs around his hips, strode with her to their bedroom. He stopped short in the doorway at the fresh paint on the walls and the sheets covering all the furnishings.
“Um,” she said. “Surprise.”
Without skipping a beat, he took her straight into the bathroom and kicked the door shut. “The shower will do.”
“Agreed.”
“And then the hot tub.”
She nodded eagerly.
“And then—”
She sank her teeth into his lower lip and gave a playful tug. “Let me save you some time, soldier,” she whispered, and slid her fingers into his hair. “Anywhere. Anytime. For the rest of my life. I’m all yours.”
He let out a breath and pressed his forehead to hers, his eyes soft and warm and full of more emotion than he usually showed. “And I’m yours, Piper. For the rest of our lives.”
Sounded like the perfect plan.
P.S. Insights, Interviews & More . . .*
About the Author
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Meet Jill Shalvis
About the Book
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Reading Group Guide
You’re My Honey Bun Muffins Recipe
Read On
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Coming Soon . . . An Excerpt from The Summer Deal
About the Author
Meet Jill Shalvis
New York Times bestselling author JILL SHALVIS lives in a small town in the Sierras full of quirky characters. Any resemblance to the quirky characters in her books is . . . mostly coincidental. Look for Jill’s bestselling, award-winning books wherever romances are sold, and visit her website for a complete book list and daily blog detailing her city-girl-living-in-the-mountains adventures.
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About the Book
Reading Group Guide
Piper has a very hard time asking for help. Is this something you have in common with her? Do you think men or women are more prone to not asking for help?