by Roan Parrish
“This…Is this…Are you…?”
I sat down next to him and took his hands in mine.
“Thought maybe, if you wanted, you could move in with me.” Skeleton meowed. “Us. With us.”
The sweetest expression I’d ever seen passed over Felix’s face. His eyes were bright and liquid, his whole face glowing. Relief shot through me, and I chided myself for ever thinking he might not say yes.
“Really?” he said softly.
“Well, yeah. And I talked—”
“Shut up and kiss me and savor the moment, jerk!” Felix demanded, grinning.
I put Skeleton down on the couch and pulled him close. I kissed him and I savored the damn moment.
I savored the knowledge that I would never have to ask Felix if he was coming over after work again. That I would never have to wonder if he slept well in his own apartment. Never have to eat dinner without him.
It filled me with such shocking joy I nearly couldn’t hold it inside me.
Sometimes I couldn’t believe how much I loved him. Couldn’t believe how much it was possible for me to feel, now that the numbness and distance had been cleared away like cobwebs.
Felix’s touch, his taste, his smell, were so potent, so immediate, that they made the whole world feel new.
“Talked to Sofia. She says she was going to talk to you about it soon, but she wants to get her own place. Closer to Coco, I guess. So, if you move in here, then you guys can give up your apartment.”
He beamed at me and his eyes swam. I’d known he would worry about leaving his sister in the lurch.
“That a yes to moving in with me? We can repaint. Redecorate. Whatever you want.”
A tear streaked down his cheek and he nodded.
“I mean, I’m basically only doing it so I get to live with Skeleton,” he said.
I wiped away his tears with my thumbs.
“Say it, sweetheart. Say you’ll move in. Say you’ll stay with me.”
More tears spilled down his cheeks, but his smile was huge.
“Yes,” he choked out. “Yes to everything with you, always.”
He tugged me to him, then he kissed me so softly that it was just a sweet press of lips. We stayed that way, so close we could see everything. We looked into each other’s eyes and breathed each other’s air and tasted each other’s lips over and over.
I was living.
We were together.
We were home.
The End
For everyone who sometimes needs permission to be a person.
Acknowledgments
This book metamorphosed into something entirely different than I planned, and I’m so grateful to my wonderful editor, Shauna Summers, for trusting me when I sent yet another email that began, “Sooo, now I’m kind of thinking instead…” Thank you for always rolling with my ideas and always helping me hone them.
Deep thanks to Jenny and Anni, who yet again talked through the themes of this book with me and told me some hard truths I needed to hear about things that weren’t working. You always help me articulate my intentions in ways I can’t do on my own.
Thanks to Jude Sierra for your wonderful and useful feedback on this book at just the right moment.
Thank you to my mother, who let me call and ramble about various versions of this project when I had no idea what I was doing and got excited about each one.
Thank you to my sister, who walked with me as I rambled about every version of this project even after I knew what I was doing (kind of). This time, the kitten is her fault!
Thank you, as ever, to Courtney Miller-Callihan, my wonderful agent, who always has my back.
Thank you to my amazing readers, who were so excited to finally learn Huey’s story. Please know that I couldn’t do any of this without your support. I appreciate each one of you.
Finally, a huge thank-you to the amazing team at Loveswept—Lexi, Madeleine, Gina, Matt, and all the others I don’t even know about. Working with you on this series has been a privilege and a pleasure. I can’t thank you enough for treating my work with such care.
BY ROAN PARRISH
In the Middle of Somewhere
Out of Nowhere
Where We Left Off
Small Change
Invitation to the Blues
The Remaking of Corbin Wale
Natural Enemies
Riven
Rend
Raze
Heart of the Steal (co-author)
Thrall (co-author)
About the Author
ROAN PARRISH lives in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where she is gradually attempting to write love stories in every genre. When not writing, she can usually be found cutting her friends’ hair, meandering through whatever city she’s in while listening to torch songs and melodic death metal, or cooking overly elaborate meals. She loves bonfires, winter beaches, minor chord harmonies, and self-tattooing. One time she may or may not have baked a six-layer chocolate cake and then thrown it out the window in a fit of pique.
roanparrish.com
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