“That’s a lot of pressure,” Cozzie hiccups into my suit, and I realize that she’s crying.
“No pressure. Just day by day. Us being us. All the happy moments and the sad. I’m in if you are.”
There’s a heartbeat of silence. Another. Another. I barely resist the urge to tear her away from my chest so that I can look at her, but then she lets out a sob mixed with a laugh and she pulls back and wraps her arms around my neck. She looks up at me, crying unashamedly, and god, she’s beautiful. I love her. I love her and my heart nearly rips out of my chest and does a happy dance all over the place, because I know she’s going to say yes.
Except she doesn’t say it. She just nods and smiles that dazzling smile of hers through her tears. She shifts her hands to cup my jaw. They’re warm, so warm and alive, and for the first time in a very long time, I feel exactly the same way. There aren’t any more secrets between us. Not about what I feel. Not about my heart and my soul or my art. It’s just us. Our hearts, beating against each other’s chests, breathing the same air.
Cozzie Miller.
I never thought I’d be here. I’d hoped, dreamed, painted her as my muse, but I never thought she’d be mine or that I’d have the privilege of being hers.
“Moment by moment,” she breathes, then she tugs my mouth down to hers to seal the deal.
There isn’t any way I’m holding back. I’m done with that. So, of course, I let her know just how much I’m in agreement, how much hope I have swelling inside of me, and how amazingly happy I am by kissing her absolutely breathless.
Epilogue
Cozzie
I know I waited years to move in with Bryn. Trell and I waited all of six months before I made the move.
I love where I am. I love waking up next to him. I’m usually up first, since I have to be at work by eight, and even on the weekends my internal alarm seems to be set. On those mornings, mornings like this one, I love to lay there and just watch him sleep.
The sun is barely up yet, it’s so early. I brush a lock of hair out of Trell’s face and run my hand down his jawline. He doesn’t stir. In a few minutes, I’ll get up and make us coffee. I’ll wake him up and he’ll make sure that he fully distracts me so that the coffee is completely cold by the time either of us drink it and neither of us will complain.
Then, because it’s the weekend, Trell will give me my regular Saturday painting lesson. I’d never painted before, but I was surprised at how much I enjoy it. At least when everything is working out, but even Trell gets frustrated so I guess that’s just part of the process.
Our families are still coming around to the idea of us. His mom and dad welcomed me from the start. My parents are going to take a little longer. It’s weird for them, but they’re as supportive as they can be. They even helped me pack up my apartment.
I brought my two rescue cats with me of course, a pair of ten-year-old Siamese sisters with pretty black masks and the bluest eyes. Trell protested good naturedly, but he spoils them by getting them groomed every other month. They’re his princesses.
Trell surprises me by stirring. His eyes flutter and when he spots me, he grins. “How did I ever get lucky enough to wake up to the most beautiful woman on earth?”
“Flattery will get you nowhere,” I laugh, but inside, I’m glowing.
“Are you sure?” Trell’s big hand sweeps around to cup my cheek.
“I’m not completely sure,” I confess, like it’s some big secret.
“That’s what I figured. Then let me tell you how extraordinary you are. How your beauty could make a grown man weep and how nations would war with each other for the right to call you theirs.”
“I think you have your mythology mixed up,” I laugh.
Trell’s finger sweeps over my bottom lip. “I don’t think so. I think I have it exactly right.”
My eyes flutter shut and I lean into him. He pulls me close and melds us together into a perfect fit. When he kisses me, he takes his time. The kiss is sweet and full of heat and promise. We have nowhere to be this morning.
“This is my favorite part of the weekend,” I murmur. “Doing nothing. With you.”
“Nothing,” Trell snorts. “I’ll show you nothing!”
“But the cats!” I protest half-heartedly. It’s kind of a standing joke. We can’t scandalize them.
“Right,” he groans. He slides out of bed. “Nothing a can of tuna in the kitchen won’t fix. When I get back, you better be ready.” He wags his brows suggestively.
I have to throw a hand over my mouth to stifle the giggles. God, he’s silly. He’s silly and I love it, just like I love everything else about Trell. I thought it would take me a long time to fall again. I was wrong. I never found anything so right.
Trell saunters off, and when the cats hear the drawer in the kitchen sliding open and the first crack of the can, they both run off, meowing up a storm. I grin to myself. I’ve never been happier. I spent so many years getting it wrong, which doesn’t mean that this is easy or that we haven’t had our moments. Just like every other couple, we’ve had our growing pains, but we’ve worked through them. I think everyone was surprised about how sure Trell and I were right from the start. I had a lot of experience to draw on about what was right for me and what wasn’t, and so I was sure. I was always sure. I think I’ll always be sure as we grow and change and do life together.
When Trell comes back and shuts the door, he has a big grin plastered all over his face. I let out a squeal and dive beneath the covers. When Trell wraps me up in his arms, I go willingly. When he kisses me with blisteringly hot kisses, I kiss him back. We mold together, a perfect fit. My heart is so full that I think it might actually explode. And if it did, I know Trell would put me back together. He’s right. We’re right. He’s my perfect fit and I know how lucky that makes me.
The luckiest woman in the entire freaking world.
THE END
Thank you for reading!
The Brides of Christmas Series:
Book 1 - The Mistletoe Wedding
Book 3 - Her Sister’s Forbidden Ex
More Books by Izabella Brooks
The Overnight Daddy
Best Friend Brother’s Baby
The Irishman's Pretend Wife
The Green Card Wife ((Lending Love: Book 1)
Child of His Revenge
The Seven Year Secret
Billionaire’s Tainted Reputation
The Billionaire's Shocking Daughter
His Troubled Heart
The Paper Marriage (Contracted Ever After Book 1)
Wife for a Year ( Contracted Ever After Book 2)
The Love Surprise (( Contracted Ever After Book 3)
About the Author
A former financial adviser in Atlanta, Georgia, Izabella Brooks turned her back on the world of finance to pursue her true passion: romance!
Relocating to the more rural Pinehurst, Georgia, Izabella loves her new life with her handsome fiancé and doesn't miss her old career one bit. Through her writing, she's able to let her imagination run wild, and her creative ideas are quickly crafted into fun, unique stories that are often ripped from situations she's encountered in real life.
Izabella's currently planning her wedding, but that hasn't slowed her writing down any! She devotes eight hours a day to her keyboard, where her quick fingers work to keep up with her even quicker mind.
Join BWWM United newsletter to be informed on Izabella Brooks and other BWWM writers discounts, new releases, and more!
http://bwwmunited.com/newsletter
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