by Lacey Black
I don’t even realize I’m crying until I wipe at the tears on my cheek. He’s referring to my list. I know it. The one I wrote during my soul-searching period. The one I printed and took with me to Seattle, and somehow left it for Theo to find.
The Love Vixen continues, “Ultimately, the part that hit me the hardest was when you suggested he might be closer than you think. Well, you were right, Love Vixen. He is. He’s right next door. Because it’s me. I’ve fallen for my neighbor. What do I do now? Sincerely, Smitten by Waiting in Washington.”
She sits back and smiles. “What do you think, Vixens? Isn’t Smitten just the cutest? He wants to know what he should do, but I think he already knows. He’s already made a grand gesture to Waiting, just by writing in, but he needs to make sure his feelings are known. Go to your neighbor, Smitten, and tell her how you feel. Don’t leave anything to chance.
“And if Waiting in Washington is watching, I guess your pizza delivery just showed up,” she replies with a knowing smile, one I reciprocate instantly. She’s talking about me sitting back and waiting for love to show up at my door, like pizza delivery.
But I’m not going to wait.
Not for this.
Ignoring the rest of the show, I jump from my seat and take off for the back door. Just as I’m about to grab the doorknob, there’s a knock. It stops me in my tracks. I peek through the crack in the miniblinds. “Yes?” I state, barely able to contain my grin.
“Pizza delivery.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
Theo
The moment the door is ripped open, she launches herself into my waiting arms. I feel like I can finally breathe again. Like my world is right once more.
“I can’t believe you did that,” she mutters, her face pressed tightly into my neck.
“I can’t believe you thought I’d just walk away.”
She pulls back and meets my gaze. “I’m so sorry. I freaked out last weekend and acted childishly. I should have asked about Rachel when I saw her sitting at the table, but then I went back to your room and found my list,” she stops and closes her eyes for a heartbeat, “I just was so embarrassed you saw it, and then I thought maybe you and Rachel were getting back together and I was just a fling and—”
The only way to stop her rambling is to kiss her.
So I do.
I press my lips against hers, my fingers diving into her hair, as I hold her still and devour her mouth with my own. Only when the kiss borders on inappropriate do I pull back. Her eyes are half-lidded, her pupils dilated. It’s one of my personal favorite looks to see on her gorgeous face.
“Are you done?” I ask, the corner of my mouth twitching with humor.
“Yes,” she replies breathlessly.
“Good. I know why you ran from me, Pen, but like I told you last Sunday, I wasn’t letting you go.”
Her hands grip the back of my shirt as she sags against my chest. “I’m sorry I was scared.”
“You don’t ever have to apologize for being scared. You just have to promise to come to me and let me help you work it out, okay? That’s what partners do. They help each other when needed, and I want nothing more than to be your partner in this life. Friends, lovers, partners,” I state, reaching for her hands and linking our fingers. Bringing them up to my mouth, I place kisses on her knuckles.
“I can do that,” she whispers, resting her cheek against our joined hands.
“Good. Because I am here to stay. If you’ll have me.” Tears fill her eyes, which causes pain in my chest. I hate to see them in her eyes, but it’s worse watching one fall down her cheek. “Don’t cry, Pen,” I add, swiping the pad of my thumb across her skin.
“They’re good tears,” she replies with a sniffly grin. “I feel like I’ve been waiting my whole life to find the person I’m supposed to be with. I just never expected that person to be right next door the whole time.”
Sliding my fingers back into her hair, I ask, “Can I kiss you again?”
She smiles the most beautiful smile I’ve ever seen. “I kind of hoped you would.”
I bring my lips back down to hers, really tasting her for the first time in nearly a week. Five very long, very painful days. She opens her mouth, granting my tongue entrance, as she grips my shirt once more and presses her body to mine.
When we’re both gasping for oxygen, I finally break the kiss, loving how wet and swollen her lips are.
“Mmm,” she purrs, as I trail my lips across her jaw. “I have it on good authority you’re a very good kisser, Smitten.”
I chuckle, sliding my mouth toward her ear. “Only because of you, Waiting.”
Penelope wraps her arms around my waist, and we just stand there, hugging. Even though the air is much colder now, I don’t feel any of it. Her warmth wraps around me like a warm blanket.
“What’s that?”
Her question catches me off guard for a split second. I almost forgot about her surprise. “Oh,” I start, stepping back so she can get her first real view of the piece I built her. “This is for you.”
Her eyes fill with moisture once more as she steps forward, a slight tremble to her hand as she slides it across the top bar. “You made this? For me?”
I shrug and shove my hands in my pockets. Now it’s my turn to feel a bit embarrassed. “Yeah. Actually I made it almost two weeks ago. After that day I helped carry in your groceries and we talked about your grandma’s quilts. I went back that night and made it.”
She gazes up at me with wonder and appreciation. “You made me a quilt rack?”
Again, I shrug and rock back on my heels. “Yeah, well, it’s practically a crime to leave her quilts sitting on top of that plastic tote thing. This way, you can display them.”
She turns and throws her arms around my waist one more time. “I love it. It’s beautiful. Thank you,” she sobs, squeezing me tightly.
“You’re welcome, Pen,” I reply, placing a kiss on the crown of her head.
“Do you want to come inside?”
Nodding, I reach for the rack and carry it into her house. I watch as she rushes over to where the quilts are stacked and practically kicks the plastic tote aside. “Do you think it’ll look okay here on the wall?” she asks, glancing around the living room for a potentially better spot.
Setting the rack down against the wall, I answer, “I think this is perfect.”
Penelope nods and starts to hang the quilts from the bars. When she has them all in their place, she steps back and smiles. “It is perfect. Thank you, again.”
I slip my arm around her shoulder and draw her against my side. “You’re welcome.”
We stand there for several long seconds, neither of us moving or talking. Suddenly, she straightens her back and turns to look up at me. “Teagan knew about The Love Vixen.”
I flash her a quick smile. “She did. She was in charge of making sure you were watching tonight.”
“You make it sound like there were others involved.”
“Of course. My friend, Patrick, who I think you met last summer when he wandered into your yard accidentally,” I start, using air quotes on the last word, “made a call to someone he knew to make sure my letter was read on her podcast.”
“Wow, you went to all that work for me?”
“For us,” I reply, kissing her lips once more.
I can’t seem to get enough of them.
Something brushes against my leg just as a loud meow echoes through the room.
We both glance down at the same time and watch her cat circle my legs, rubbing her body along my pants. “She likes you more than she likes me,” Penelope observes.
“I have a way with…”
“Don’t you dare say it!” she interrupts, her disdain barely covered by her laughter.
Chuckling, I turn her back into my arms and hold her close. “I was going to say cats.”
“Mmhmm, I bet you were,” she deadpans, clearly not buying my line.
“Now what?” I ask.
She gives me a wicked grin as she pushes her chest against mine. “You know, I woke up alone last Sunday morning, and I had all sorts of plans.”
“Plans? Tell me about these plans?” I inquire, my cock already starting to get hard.
Turns out, her plans line up pretty well with my own. We spend the rest of the night in bed, rediscovering and exploring each other until we’re both exhausted and sated. We fall asleep in each other’s arms, only to be woken up in the middle of the night to do it all over again.
Life is good.
With Penelope in my arms, it can only get better.
Epilogue
Penelope
“Can you help me?” he asks. The moment I turn around, I find his eyes glued to my ass as I walk to the passenger door.
“Help you with what? You’re clearly doing just fine staring at my butt.”
He snorts. “It’s a fine ass, Pen, but I meant with this table.”
I close the passenger door and return to the back of his truck. “You need my help lifting that? It’s one small table.”
“Yeah, but I don’t want to hit the legs on my tailgate. It could dent or crack the wood.”
Oh. I guess that makes sense. I bend down to help him lift the small end table, mostly trying to make sure it clears the tailgate and sides of the truck. Really, he doesn’t need my help at all. He lifts the piece effortlessly and secures it quickly. Once it’s in place, he flashes me a wide grin. “All set. Ready?”
I nod, returning to the passenger side and climbing up in the truck.
Theo reaches over and takes my hand, like he always does when we get into a vehicle. In the last month since we started officially dating, he takes every opportunity to hold my hand, something that doesn’t go unnoticed.
We make the short drive to Harmon’s, where Theo plans to sell this small table. It’s the perfect addition to a reading corner or kid’s bedroom, with shelves down the middle and a wide top to hold a lamp and other knickknacks. He finds a parking spot by the entrance and jumps out.
It doesn’t go unnoticed that he lifts the table one-handed and uses the other hand to close the tailgate. When he finds me giving him the look, he starts to laugh. “Sorry, I wasn’t passing an opportunity to have you bend over and help me.”
I swat his arm and roll my eyes. “Such a guy thing to do.”
“Guilty,” he boasts proudly, reaching the door and holding it open for me. Inside, we’re bathed in warmth, a stark contrast to the late November weather outside.
“Hey, Theo!” Angie Haskins hollers from behind the counter. She moves quickly, joining us by the front door. “What did you bring us today?”
“A small table,” he says, telling her about the piece he built with scrap wood the day before.
“I love it and know just the spot for it,” she replies, pointing toward the back of the store. “Let me grab the ledger and I’ll meet you back by that display grouping.”
We walk to the back, and I take in the different furniture pieces along the way. Sofas, end tables and coffee tables, reclining chairs, and curio cabinets. When we near the back, there are other pieces like bedroom sets and office furniture.
Theo takes the table into one of the small alcoves, while I continue to browse. There’s a rustic desk, along with bookshelves and wooden filing cabinets that all match. The design isn’t my style, but I can’t deny they are beautiful pieces. I continue on, glancing at other items, before stopping in my tracks.
I spot the desk right away, my feet carrying me that way instantly. It’s simply stunning. Hard, clean lines and that gorgeous red mahogany finish I’ve come to love. In fact, upon closer inspection, it’s damn near identical to the china cabinet I bought a while ago and have in my office.
Then I see the sold sign sitting in the middle, and my heart drops into my shoes.
“What’s wrong?”
I turn and find Theo standing directly behind me. “Oh, I was just admiring this desk, but it looks like it’s already sold.”
“Hmm,” he replies, leaning forward and getting closer to the sold sign. “Says it’s sold to the woman I love.”
His words strike me as odd, so I move forward and read the rest of the sold sign. Under name, it says Waiting, the woman I love. Details list the piece as Made with Love by Smitten. A bubble of laugher slips from my lips. “You made this for me?”
He nods, wrapping his arms around my shoulders and drawing me into his embrace. “I did. I actually made it that week after the wedding when you were hiding from me. I brought it here and asked her to hold it for you. Apparently, Angie’s a romantic at heart. She quickly agreed.”
I rest my cheek against his warm, hard chest. “I don’t think she’s the only one.”
He scoffs, but we both know it’s true. “Just don’t tell anyone, okay? It might ruin my street cred.”
I can’t help but snort. “Yeah, we wouldn’t want to ruin your image.” Meeting his gaze, I add, “Thank you. It’s gorgeous.”
He smiles before softly kissing my lips. “You’re welcome.”
I glance over at the beautiful desk once more. My beautiful desk. “And now I know the real reason why you brought me here. It wasn’t to help carry that little table. It was to help carry this thing.”
His deep chuckle vibrates his chest. “Well, that’s sort of the reason. I needed an excuse to get you here to see it. Angie is going to have it delivered Monday morning though, so we don’t have to try to get it out of here ourselves.”
“Oh, well that’s nice of her.
“I did have to promise to make a similar one. She had about a dozen inquiries about it over the last few weeks.”
“That’s because your work is brilliant. Like you.”
He gives me that mischievous smirk I love so much. “I am pretty smart. In fact, I have big plans for dinner later tonight. Specifically, post-dinner plans,” he says, wiggling his eyebrows.
“Yeah? Like…the two of us, alone…and watching that new murder mystery documentary we saw previews for?”
He laughs. “I’ve created a monster. That’s not exactly what I had in mind, but I suppose we can watch that show…first.”
“Oh, so you were thinking of something else. Perhaps break open that new box of condoms I found in your nightstand drawer this morning.”
He arches his eyebrow. “You were digging in my nightstand?” I can tell by his tone he’s not upset at all.
I shrug. “Had to make sure we had enough for my plans later.”
“Oh, don’t keep me in suspense. Tell me about these plans,” he instructs, arm around my shoulder and leading me toward the front of the store.
I stop and meet his gaze. “How about I just show you?” I whisper.
Theo laughs. “Fuck, I love you,” he declares before slamming his lips down onto mine in the perfect kiss.
“And I love you,” I state the moment he lets me come up for air. We continue through the store, stopping by to confirm Monday’s desk delivery with Angie. The moment our feet hit the sidewalk, I add, “You know, that’s the first time we’ve said that.”
“I know,” he replies, opening the passenger door and helping me hop up onto the seat. “You better get used to it. I’m going to say it a lot.”
Before I can speak again, he kisses me soundly, releasing my lips with a loud pop. Theo makes sure I’m secured with the seat belt before shutting the door and moving to the driver’s side. Once he’s inside, he reaches for my hand and links our fingers together.
Funny, how things happen. One minute you’re angry at your neighbor for his excessive noise, and the next, you can’t imagine yourself by anyone’s side other than his. He still drives me crazy, sometimes on a daily basis, but now when he’s being loud, I just go next door and distract him with kisses.
It works wonders.
I guess sometimes it takes meeting practically every Mr. Wrong out
there before you finally find your Mr. Right. I don’t know what the future holds for us, but I do know I’m more complete when I’m with him than without him. He makes me laugh and feel valued, and I make sure he feels the same way.
We’re a team, in this together.
No more waiting.
I finally found him.
THE END
***Disclaimer. The Love Vixen is a fictional character. She is not a doctor, and her advice should probably never be followed. Anything resembling an actual event or article is completely ridiculous because I made the whole thing up!
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