I peppered her moist skin with kisses and rolled off to lie beside her while she still panted, sprawled out across my bed. That was my new favorite sight. Kensie freshly fucked by none other than me. I mentally patted myself on the back. She sighed pleasantly and rolled to her side to face me. Those big brown eyes twinkled at me, for me, and my heart sucker punched my chest. “Move in with me.”
I watched as her smile fall, but not in disappointment. In something else, shock maybe. It was probably too soon to ask someone to move in with you, but Kensie wasn’t someone. She was the one, and from what life had cruelly taught me, when you are sure of something you don’t wait. I was sure I wanted to wake up just like this every morning with her. I wanted to come home from work to our house, have our friends over to our house, and spend every single damn day with her in our house.
“Really?” She asked me softly, but I wasn’t worried about her hesitation. If Kensie didn’t like an idea, she’d let me know. She was worried that I wasn’t sure.
“I’m positive.” I smiled at her. “I want to hear you snore every morning forever.” I laughed out and earned another pillow to the face. “No, really,” I pushed the pillow aside again and leaned over her so I could look her directly in the eyes, “I want to live with you. I want you near me, always.”
She blinked a few times and a huge smile spread across her gorgeous face. “I want to live with you, too.” She said to me so positively that I didn’t even question it as the truth.
Chapter 31
August
“I love you, but that’s hideous.” I told her affectionately.
“Thanks.” Kensie’s face lit up. I suggested we have Christmas dinner here at our place this year. She thought it was a great idea, and took it a step further by making it an Ugly Sweater Party. I doubted this brilliant idea of hers, until I found my perfect sweater that read Happy Holladays, complete with a fake gold chain. Kensie’s sweater was more, well… it just might win the ugliest sweater prize tonight.
I sent her off to a girls’ night with a bag of craft supplies and wine, and the next thing I knew I had to go pick her up along with the puff ball covered monstrosity of a sweater.
“I’m glad you suggested we have everyone over tonight.” She leaned in and kissed me quickly. She learned right away that anything more than a peck made me want pin her to the bed.
“Me too,” I muffled while slipping my sweater on over my head. “It’s the perfect way to celebrate our new life together.”
Kensie moved in the very day I asked her to. Wes helped me move all of her stuff from her dorm to my house, and we were officially living together. Wes harped on me the entire time about giving my domain over to a female. He said there would be twenty pillows on my bed and fruity smelling candles everywhere before I could even blink. He was right about the candles, but I didn’t mind. Other than that, all Kensie suggested we change was the bare walls. That weekend, she helped me frame and hang pictures of Ella and all of our family and friends. That was when my house became our place, our home.
A knock sounded from the front door. One accidental viewing of my ass running naked down the hallway, and our friends learned not to waltz in unannounced anymore. “I got it.” I kissed Kensie on the cheek and left her to finish getting ready.
I opened the door and Capri came in. “Merry Christmas!” She beamed at me and checked around my shoulder for Kensie.
“She’s still getting dressed.” I hugged her to me. “Merry Christmas, sis.” She handed me the small box I was waiting for. I didn’t want Kensie to see it, so I had it sent to my parent’s house. “Thank you.” I took the small box that held so much power it felt much heavier in my hand than it really was.
“You’re welcome. She’s going to love it.” She assured me, but I already knew that. What I was most nervous about was what came after the gift.
* * *
Kensie
Christmas in our home had just become the best Christmas yet, much like Thanksgiving last month. There was a trend beginning with everything involving August being the best. Being here surrounded by our favorite people was the perfect way to spend the holiday.
I tidied up the kitchen while everyone else gathered in the living room. We decided not the exchange gifts this year, but to instead donate one to the youth center for the kids. August and I personally hand delivered every gift card our friends and family had purchased. I’d like to call them slackers, but really what do you get a teenager. Gabby was especially thrilled with the prospect of shopping with her girlfriends.
“Ready for the ornaments?” August poked his head into the kitchen. After Wes complained over not having anything to open tonight, Capri suggested an ornament exchange. August had been nagging me all night about that damn exchange.
“Yes,” I said smiling through my irritation, “now it’s time for the ornaments.” He smiled wide at me and disappeared back into the living room. I peered in watching him take his seat on the couch in the room filled with my family.
Lennon sat perched on the arm of the chair that Wes sat in. She flicked his ear and I laughed to myself imagining what could have come out of his mouth. Capri sat on the floor just to the right of Wes’s chair, and I didn’t miss the way his leg kept brushing against her shoulder. She glanced up at him and smiled shyly when he grinned down at her adoringly. Just a harmless crush my ass. I hoped those two would figure it out soon.
“You coming out soon to exchange ornaments, honey?” My mom came through the kitchen with an empty cookie platter. What was it with these people and the ornaments?
“Yes, all ready.” I leaned into her when she wrapped her arm around me. My mom and John were still dating. Well, I guess they actually defined themselves as dating after I walked in on them in her living room. I shuddered at the image. Some things can never be unseen. I get that now.
I couldn’t be happier for her. After years of putting herself last to make sure I was adjusting as best I could, she had finally made a life for herself. I couldn’t have picked a better guy than John for my mom either. Over the last few months he had taken on a role in my life that my own father couldn’t seem to do in years.
That’s was part of why he was not here tonight. My dad made a decent effort at calling me throughout the last weeks to say hello and see how I was. That was far more than he had ever done, so I had to give him that. He called last week and invited me to the house for Christmas, but I declined. August and I already had plans here with everyone, and even if we didn’t I wasn’t really interested in spending the holidays with my dad, not yet anyway.
I took my place on the couch snuggled up next to August and he leaned in to give me a kiss. “This one’s from mom and dad.” He said unwrapping a small box Capri had brought over. His parents had wanted to be here, but his dad woke up that morning with a terrible case of the flu. I made sure to make a plate of leftovers for Capri to take to his mom.
I met them for the first time as August’s girlfriend a few weeks ago just after August and I reconciled. They embraced me into their family immediately, and it was clear to me how August and Capri had become such warm living people.
August’s eyes grew wide when he pulled out the tiny ornament with a snowman couple toasting with champagne flutes. “What’s it say?” I asked leaning over him to get a better look. “Congratulations?” I asked.
The room was silent except for Wes, who coughed out a laugh, “Way to go Steve and Donna.” Lennon and Capri simultaneously assaulted Wes, Lennon with an elbow to his temple, and Capri with a pinch to his leg.
“It’s for moving in together.” Capri spoke up, “To mark the year you guys got together.” Oh. Well, that was a sweet idea.
Capri reached under the tree and pulled out another box. “This one is for you, Lennon.” She tossed the box up behind her. Lennon grinned and opened the gift.
“Badass!” She yelled when she held up the silver mocking jay ornament. “Thanks Capri.”
Capri picked up another box un
der the tree when both Wes and August yelled, “No!” I jumped into my mom.
“What the heck?” I asked my heart still pounding in my chest.
“Sorry,” August spoke more calmly.“ Not that one, Capri.” She laughed at him.
“Relax, I was setting it aside and grabbing a different one.” She smiled knowingly back at him and then at me. Okay, something was definitely going on here.
“Here, Capri,” Wes reached down across her rigid body, “This one is yours.” Yeah, before we had all exchanged names, Wes came to me and asked specifically for Capri’s. He said something about getting a free ornament with the gift he ordered his mom, but I wasn’t buying it.
Capri sat frozen and a bit shocked staring at the box Wes had placed in her hand. “Well, open it.” He urged her excitedly. She shook herself out of her shock and opened up the box. She pulled out a tiny crystal ornament in the shape of a paintbrush. She placed her hand over her heart and held the ornament up to the light where it caught the shades of the colorful tree reflecting back onto the room. “It’s beautiful.” She said in awe more to herself than any of us.
Wes was fidgeting in his chair nervously, but calmed some when Lennon patted him on the shoulder and nodded her approval. Capri turned to look up at Wes. “It’s perfect, thank you.” Wes smiled so hard I swear his dimples were going to pop right out. That was definitely not a free ornament. That was something he put a lot of thought into, and I was proud of him.
* * *
August
I completely panicked when Capri picked up Kensie’s gift. She had specific instructions to wait until the end of the exchange to give it to her. As grueling and not so riveting the whole thing was, it had worked out to be the perfect opportunity. Next year, though, I’d have to suggest a different type of exchange to liven things up a bit. Maybe a beer exchange? That’s genius.
The room suddenly started to buzz with anticipation. Kensie’s mom fidgeted where she sat pressed against John’s side, who laughed loudly for no apparent reason other than what he was about to witness. The guy had always been pretty happy, but now that he was seeing Kensie’s mom, he was downright jovial.
Across the room, Lennon bounced up and down on the arm of the chair with cell phone in hand. I had asked her to take some pictures, and she squealed her reply. Piercingly, squealed her reply. I looked across the room to my best friend who gave me an encouraging wink, who had been there for me through every horror and now every triumph in my life. He could have walked away. He could have left me in my misery to go have some fun of his own, but he never did. He helped carry me to this point in my life. They all did.
“Alright Kensie, looks like this one is yours.” Capri clenched her teeth in a smile and giggled, passing it to Kensie. She would make an awful actress. What the hell? Kensie mouthed to me, and all I could do was shrug my shoulders. Like my heart wasn’t going all Jackie Chan in my chest. Like my body wasn’t creating it’s own sauna in my ugly sweater. Like I wasn’t going to vomit all over her brand new mint green Chuck’s I gave her this morning. Open the damn box, Kensie. “Open the box!”
* * *
Kensie
“Did you just yell at me?” I asked August, kind of amused. He was freaking out next to me. “No, well, yeah, but just, uh, I just really need to go to the bathroom.” Wes roared in laughter across the room and Capri looked at August like he was a world-class idiot.
“So, go to the bathroom.” I didn’t see what the big deal was. I knew he wasn’t completely excited about the ornament exchange, but he had been acting like it was the worst kind of torture, sighing and groaning each time someone else took a turn.
“Just open the box.” He said awkwardly controlled. I shook my head and continued to unwrap the ornament. By process of elimination, I knew it was from him. It was probably against some sort of gift exchange rules that you couldn’t receive a gift from your significant other, but I was glad our first ornament was one he had picked out for me.
I could feel the heat radiating off August when I peeled off the last piece of wrapping paper. I wish he’d just go to the bathroom already. I took off the lid to the tiny box and reached in pulling the ornament out by a delicate gold ribbon. I held it up in front of me and my mouth fell open in a surprised gasp.
He had gotten me an ornament with a quote from my favorite book Pride and Prejudice. He certainly had help with this one because only Capri and Lennon knew how much I loved Elizabeth Bennet. Don’t even get me started on Mr. Darcy. That man is the epitome of book boyfriends, and in my hand, I held an ornament with his words on them. “You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you.”
My heart warmed at the words. I had once read them and dreamt of having someone to love me that intensely. I smiled towards August. There he was. “I love it. I can’t believe you even found this.” He smiled at me, but I caught something different to it. That’s when he slipped his lip into his teeth and bit on it. He was nervous.
“I know you love that book,” he said, “but I wasn’t sure if this was from a good part or not.”
Was that a sniffle? I looked over to my mom quickly looked to the kitchen. Odd, I smiled back at August. “It’s the best part of the whole story. It’s when Mr. Darcy finally proposes to…” August fell onto both of his knees on the floor in front of me and I gasped in awareness.
“What part is it, Kensie?” He asked me again in a small smirk.
“It’s the part.” I was crying now, but I tried to talk through my tears, “It’s when Darcy proposes to Elizabeth.”
He held his hands up in front of me holding a tiny velvet box. I looked at him through my tears. “Truth or dare, Kensie?” I laughed then and heard the giggles and sniffles around the room reminding me that our family surrounded us.
“Dare.” I said intentionally because I trusted him. I trusted him profoundly. He opened the box, but I could only tell by the movement and gasps in the room. My eyes were fixated on the beautiful soul behind his eyes. It was genuine, and it was kind. It was devoted and it was attentive. It was strong and steady, but above all, loved fiercely.
“Marry me?” He asked softly, and I lost it. I sobbed and hiccupped and fell to the floor on my knees with him.
He held me, and laughed into my hair, when I heard Wes yell from behind him, “You’d better answer or we’ll make him serenade you.”
I pulled away and looked into August’s eyes. I wanted him to see into me when I answered him, just as I had seen into him when he asked me. “Yes.”
* * *
August
Thank God. For a minute I was second-guessing how quickly I had done this. I’d known since the day I met her that she would be my wife, and I wasn’t much for waiting on things you know to be true. Life wavered too often to hesitate. When she pulled back and looked me in the eyes, really looked into them, I knew my answer.
Cheers erupted in the room amidst the sniffles and random clapping when she gave me our yes. I smashed my lips to hers and kissed into her salty tears and beautiful smile. I held her face in my hands and placed my nose to hers. “I love you.” I whispered those three words that would never encompass the feelings I held for this woman, but yet said it all.
“I love you.” She whispered back. That was all I needed in this life. The promise that when things were blurred and distorted, that there would be someone planted firmly beside me to simply be my truth.
Acknowledgments
My sincerest thanks go to my editor Autumn Hull at The Autumn Review. She not only helped in making this book ready for publishing, but she also aided me on this brand new experience of becoming a self-published author. For her guidance, expertise, and kindness I am truly grateful.
To my beta readers, especially Rebecca Jackson and Tiffany Pettijohn, thank you for your encouragement and your helpful thoughts and suggestions.
Thank you to the bloggers and editors that were there for me in the beginning of this journey, especially Amy R, Kelly F., and Amy K at
101 Ways to Make Love to a Spoon and Caryn Watson at Watz Books and Teasers for posting my first teasers. Thank you author B.L. Berry for your friendship, support, and guidance, and thank you to all of the authors at New Adult Authors Unite!.
To Victoria Routolo. Without her this book wouldn’t exist. Thank you for reading everything, the good and the bad. Thank you for your late night texts and emails helping me to sort things out, and for helping me to create these characters and developing a story line that I am proud of. Thank you for your constant encouragement and friendship.
Thank you to my family, friends, and my wonderful husband. Thank you for the Mac Book you bought me for Christmas so that I could begin this journey. You offered me an endless amount of encouragement and support throughout the past year. I love you.
About the Author
Kimberly Rose is a self-proclaimed binge reader, devouring books one after another. She's creates characters and stories in the same way maintaining a notebook of thoughts and ideas. Truth in Wildflowers is the first time two characters have found a home in a full-length book.
Kim lives with her husband and daughter wherever the Navy takes them. So far home has been San Diego, California, Charleston, South Carolina, and next up Oahu, Hawaii. Yes, she’s lucky and she knows it.
When she’s not sitting on the couch with her laptop writing, Kim can be found with her nose stuck in her e-reader or hidden under endless amounts of tulle and glitter with her daughter.
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