“Fucking hell, woman. I’m already hard again. Who am I to keep you from your passion?” I placed a long, hard kiss on her mouth before releasing her.
Her lips were swollen when she asked, “Do you think there’ll be room for me and Nola?”
“Nola?” I looked over at the small, gray kitty. “Is that the cat’s name?”
“Yeah. I figured if we made it here alive, I was going to name her Nola.” She smiled. “One of the reasons I brought her with me was I figured a new cat might distract Bach a little. You know, since I’ll be taking away his only companion—or at least much of your attention. He hates me as it is. Maybe she’ll be a distraction?”
Holy shit.
Zara’s other warning now made perfect sense.
Your pussy doesn’t want a new friend.
“I’m not so sure Bach is going to be happy.”
“Why do you say that?”
I didn’t have the heart to tell her about Zara’s prediction.
“Don’t worry about it. We’ll work it out. Everything’s going to be fine.” I smiled.
Epilogue
* * *
Hazel
Ten months later
Matteo and I were planning an early Christmas celebration in Seattle before we traveled to Vail to spend the holidays with his parents.
For two people who loved adventure, we’d lived a pretty settled life over the past several months. Though we kept a jar full of folded-up pieces of paper with different trips we wanted to take written on each, vowing never to lose the adventurous spirit that had launched our union. Sometimes we’d pick a paper randomly out of the jar and take off for the weekend when finances would allow. But honestly we loved our downtime just as much—hanging out at local coffeehouses or playing with our cats. When you’re with the person you’re supposed to be with, every day is like an adventure. We didn’t need to always travel the country to feel fulfilled. Just being together—hanging at the local coffeehouses or playing with our cats—made us happy.
We were blessed to have found each other. Despite the rough start to my relationship with Matteo, I knew in my heart that my time with Brady had existed so I could meet his friend. Maybe that’s fucked up, but it’s the truth.
We’d opted to stay in Seattle because of Matteo’s teaching job. As much as I’d always said school photography wasn’t my passion, I ended up getting a photo contract with a local school district here. Only now I wasn’t just doing school photos; I’d branched out, shooting more weddings, family portraits, and headshots—and even some local musical acts. Diversifying my offerings gave me more flexibility. I could make my own schedule, and if that meant taking two weeks off to go to Vail with my boyfriend, it was my choice.
Matteo and I had moved out of his studio apartment and found a two-bedroom not too far from his original place. With both of our incomes, it was still affordable to live in the city. I didn’t miss Connecticut at all. I hadn’t really found myself until I’d met my true love. With Matteo, I didn’t long for anything but being with him—I didn’t need stability or wild adventures. I just needed him. He’d helped me realize that true happiness is simply following your heart. He was my heart.
Matteo walked in as I was daydreaming and petting Nola in the living room.
“What are you thinking about?” he asked.
“Just how much better this Christmas is than the last one. It feels fitting that we’re going back to Vail soon, too. Like we’ve come full circle.”
He sat next to me on the couch and kissed my forehead. “I can’t wait to take you skiing again.”
“Yeah, maybe I can graduate from the bunny slopes with more than a day of training this time.”
He winked. “I’ll make it happen.”
I massaged his knee. “My sexy ski instructor.”
“I was thinking maybe we should book a night at the hotel where we met,” he said. “You know… we might get sick of being at my parents’ house for two weeks anyway.”
“I would love that. It’ll be like old times.”
He kissed my neck. “Except now instead of dreaming about sleeping with you while I’m in the next room, I’ll get to have you as much as I want.”
I gripped his shirt. “And instead of sneaking looks at your shirtless physique, I can have that body however I like.”
He moved closer and spoke over my lips, “What do you think would’ve happened if we hadn’t both chosen that hotel? Where would we be right now?”
I sighed. “I hate to say it, but I think I’d be married to Brady. I would’ve never known he’d cheated on me. I’d be bored and feeling unfulfilled back in Connecticut. And I would’ve never realized how amazing life could be.”
Matteo nodded. “I feel like I’d still be in the funk I was in before we met. I probably would’ve eventually met you back in New York and wondered how Brady got so damn lucky, though. The thought of you with him now makes me want to throw up.”
We didn’t speak of Brady much. But when we did, I could tell it made Matteo a little sad.
“Do you ever...miss him?” I asked.
Nola crept up on us and purred.
Matteo pondered that for a minute. “I miss what he and I had before I knew he was a cheater. I don’t think he’s a bad person, but he damn well didn’t deserve you. I had to lose his friendship in order to have you in my life, so I don’t have any regrets.”
“I don’t, either. Knowing what I know now, I don’t even feel sorry for him anymore.” I stared off as I rubbed Nola’s belly. “I do miss his mother, though. She and I were close. I wrote her a long letter before I moved to Seattle. I never heard back. That makes me sad. But he’s her son. Her allegiance will always be with him.”
Matteo laid his head on my shoulder. “Have I thanked you lately for giving your old life up for me?”
“Are you kidding? I wasn’t really living back then.”
The kitchen timer went off, prompting us both off the couch. I’d baked a lasagna for our early Christmas dinner.
A while later, we sat together in our little kitchen, enjoying each other’s company while the cats lurked under the table, holding out for our scraps. Thankfully, after a rough start, Bach and Nola got along, for the most part. They had a nightly routine where they’d fight playfully. Of course we had to find someone besides Carina to watch our pets while we were away, because you know I nipped that shit in the bud real fast. No more attractive exes watching Matteo’s cats. We now had a nice neighbor, Elias, who’d agreed to check in on Bach and Nola daily while we were away.
After dinner, Matteo stood up from the table and reached for my hand. “Are you ready to exchange gifts?”
I was nervous, but excited to give Matteo his present. It wasn’t anything like what he was expecting.
I followed him to the room where he’d been storing my gift. “So, I finally get to see what you’ve been hiding in the spare bedroom?”
Matteo had told me my present was too big to hide in a closet. So he’d ordered me not to go into the spare room for the past couple weeks. I’d been tempted to peek, but had managed not to give in. I suspected it might have been the treadmill I’d hinted at.
Instead, what met my eyes when he opened the door was the best, most heartfelt present he could have given.
“When?” I shook my head in disbelief. “How did you manage to put this together?”
“It hasn’t been easy. I’ve been sneaking in here to assemble it whenever you had an assignment and I happened to not be working at the same time. The other day when you ran to the store to get your tea, I snuck in fifteen minutes.”
It was a Victorian dollhouse, like the one I’d always wanted as a kid. I’d told Matteo when we first met that Brady once bought me a kit, but hadn’t built it for me. I never would have imagined he remembered.
My jaw dropped. “I can’t believe this. It’s amazing.”
The dollhouse had three floors, and it was blue on the outside with pink shutters. It was basicall
y a mansion, as far as dollhouses went. As I looked closer, I realized that this was more than your average dollhouse, and not just because of its size. This was personalized.
“The animal on the wall!”
He laughed. “It’s a stuffed raccoon, an ode to our time at Wyatt Manor.”
I shook my head. “I cannot believe all the detail you put into this.”
“Check out the tablecloth in the kitchen,” he said.
I covered my mouth. “Oh my God!”
It had pineapples on it, in honor of the sex party we’d attended in Santa Fe.
He’d turned our adventures into a home. It felt like a metaphor for my entire experience with him.
It was a feast for the eyes—miniature furniture with real linens, carpets, lighting. But where were the people?
Then my eyes found the upstairs bedroom, and there they were. The male figurine with brown hair was kneeling in front of the female—a redhead wearing southwestern-style boots. The man’s hands were extended, and there was a tiny box sitting atop them.
My heart beat faster as I realized the man was proposing.
When I turned around to look at Matteo, he was already down on one knee with a little box of his own.
My mouth went agape.
“Hazel, we haven’t known each other for two years yet, but I can’t remember a time without you. You’re my adventure partner, my best friend, my lover, and my soulmate. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me?”
He had no idea how much his doing this tonight meant.
At a loss for words, I wiped the tears from my eyes. “I love you so much. I would rather die than live life without you at this point. I will absolutely marry you.”
I hadn’t even looked closely at the ring until now. It was a gorgeous, round solitaire diamond. He couldn’t place it on my finger fast enough, and when he did, it felt magical—like my entire experience with him since the moment we met.
Matteo lifted me up and spun me around.
When he put me down, I said, “I’m really anxious to give you your present. Be right back.”
My heart racing, I ran to our room to grab the gift bag.
I returned to him in the spare room and handed it over.
He removed the tissue paper, and his forehead crinkled. He lifted out buffalo plaid footie pajamas—a pair for him and a pair for me. His said Mr. Hooker, and mine said Mrs. Hooker.
Clearing my throat, I said, “I struggled with whether to order Mr. and Mrs. I didn’t want you to think I was being presumptuous. It was supposed to be a joke. But after tonight, it totally fits, doesn’t it? The buffalo plaid is really Christmasy, too.”
“Heck yeah! How did you know I’ve always wanted these?” He winked. “Are we supposed to change into them tonight? Because I’d be down for that. Although, they’ll be tough to get off easily when I need you naked.” He paused. “Wait. Buffalo? Buffalo plaid. Maybe Zara wasn’t referring to your rental car in Louisiana? Maybe this is where she got the buffalo from. Or I guess it was a bull…”
“That hadn’t occurred to me. I’m not sure.”
My palms were sweaty. He hadn’t seen what else was in the bag. The entire point of this was being missed.
“There’s something else in there,” I finally said.
“Really?” He reached inside. “Oh shoot. You’re right.”
Matteo lifted out a third pair of buffalo-plaid footie pajamas. He unfolded them and held them up to read the words on the front: Baby Hooker.
He grinned. “Sweet! Someday our future baby can wear this.”
He wasn’t getting it.
I bit my lip as my heart pounded. “Well, if the future’s in eight months…yeah.”
It took him a few seconds to process.
“Wait, what? You’re…you’re pregnant?” He shook his head in disbelief. “How?”
“Turmeric.” I laughed nervously.
“Huh?”
“Turmeric. I started taking supplements. Heard turmeric had lots of health benefits. Didn’t know one of those benefits was interfering with birth control.”
He blinked repeatedly. “I fucking love turmeric! Gonna put that shit on everything now!” Still holding the pajamas, he wrapped his arms around me.
“You’re happy about this?”
He squeezed me tighter. “Of course I’m happy. This is best Christmas gift you could give me.”
“I was worried it was too soon.”
“It can’t come soon enough.” An adorable excitement flashed in his eyes. “Be right back. I have to get something.”
Matteo walked over to the closet and removed a box from the top shelf. He opened it and took something out. “I was saving this. But I think it’s time to bring it out now.”
He held up a little baby figurine and walked over to the dollhouse. He reached into the second floor bedroom and took the small box out of the man’s hands. He adjusted the guy’s legs so he was standing across from the woman. Then he positioned both of their arms out and placed the baby in between them. It was one of the sweetest moments of my life.
Matteo knelt down and placed his cheek on my stomach.
“Hey, little guy or girl. It’s your daddy.” He looked up at me.
I smiled down at him as tears came to his eyes. It was rare to see him cry, and now I was crying, too.
He continued talking to our baby. “I thought your mom’s hair in that Ziploc bag was my favorite keepsake from our time together. But nope. You, little one, will always be my favorite souvenir.”
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Acknowledgements
* * *
We are eternally grateful to all of the bloggers who enthusiastically spread the news about our books and persist even as it becomes harder and harder to be seen on social media. This has been a challenging year for all of us: bloggers, readers, and writers alike. Thank you more than ever for all of your continued hard work and for helping to introduce us to readers who may otherwise never have heard of us.
To Julie – We are so lucky to have your friendship, daily support, and encouragement. Thank you for always being one message away.
To Luna – Our right-hand woman. We appreciate your friendship and help so much and are so proud of all you’ve accomplished this year.
To our agent, Kimberly Brower – We are so lucky to call you a friend, as well as an agent. We’re so grateful that you are always with us every step of the way in this literary adventure.
To Jessica – It’s always a pleasure working with you as our editor. Thank you for making sure Hazel and Matteo were ready for the world.
To Elaine – An amazing editor, proofer, formatter, and friend. We so appreciate you!
To Sommer – Thank you for bringing Matteo to life on the cover. You nailed it. This one is at the top of our favorite co-write covers ever!
To Brooke – Thank you for organizing this release and for taking some of the load off of our endless to-do lists each day.
Last but not least, to our readers – We keep writing because of your hunger for our stories. We love surprising you and hope you enjoyed this book as much as we did writing it. Thank you as always for your enthusiasm, love and loyalty. We cherish you!
Much love,
Penelope and Vi
Other Books by Penelope Ward & Vi Keeland
* * *
Park Avenue Player
Stuck-Up Suit
Cocky Bastard
Playboy Pilot
Mis
ter Moneybags
British Bedmate
Rebel Heir
Rebel Heart
Hate Notes
Dirty Letters
Other Books by Penelope Ward
* * *
Just One Year
The Day He Came Back
When August Ends
Love Online
Gentleman Nine
Drunk Dial
Mack Daddy
RoomHate
Stepbrother Dearest
Neighbor Dearest
Jaded and Tyed (A novelette)
Sins of Sevin
Jake Undone (Jake #1)
Jake Understood (Jake #2)
My Skylar
Gemini
Other Books by Vi Keeland
* * *
Inappropriate
All Grown Up
We Shouldn’t
The Naked Truth
Sex, Not Love
Beautiful Mistake
Egomaniac
Bossman
The Baller
Left Behind (A Young Adult Novel)
Beat
Throb
Worth the Fight
Worth the Chance
Worth Forgiving
Belong to You
Made for You
First Thing I See
Connect with the Authors
* * *
Join Penelope Ward’s reading group
Join Vi Keeland’s reading group
My Favorite Souvenir Page 28
