“Really?” I thought I might cry. “You want to move here with me?”
“I want to be with you, Bay.” Landon brought my hand to his mouth and kissed the knuckles. “I don’t want to spend nights away from you. Not any longer. You’re my match and I want to be matched with you as often as possible.”
I pressed my lips together in a vain attempt to hold back the tears. “Do you want to move in to the guesthouse with me? We’ll have to talk to Mom – you know, get permission – but I don’t think she’ll have a problem with it.”
“She doesn’t have a problem with it,” Landon said. “I already talked to her about it. I told her I wanted to pay rent. We’ve agreed that the first few installments of that rent will be waved because I’m loaning you the rest of the money to buy The Whistler. And I can move in whenever I’m ready.”
“I … you already talked to her?” That explained the heavy look they shared the other day. I knew they were hiding something. “Why didn’t she tell me?”
“Because I wanted to surprise you,” Landon answered. “This whole thing was supposed to end with an elaborate surprise for you … the undercover assignment, I mean. I wanted to surprise you with the promotion … and the raise … and the fact that we could live together. It didn’t work out the way I expected, but I’m still hopeful you’ll want to live with me.”
“Do you honestly think I don’t want that?”
“I think you’ve been through a lot,” Landon replied. “I think that the guesthouse is going to seem crowded for a bit because my lease is up in a few weeks and Thistle won’t be ready to move out for a few weeks after that.”
Thistle. I couldn’t help but wonder. “Does she know, too?”
“No. I thought about talking to her, but I knew she couldn’t keep her mouth shut.”
“I knew,” Aunt Tillie said, drawing my attention to her. She looked smug.
“You did?”
“I heard Winnie talking to Twila and Marnie. Even though I heard only half the story I knew what was going on,” Aunt Tillie explained. “That’s why I wanted you to slow your roll that day at the corn maze. I didn’t want to tell you what he had planned, because I knew it would ruin everything.”
“You knew?” Landon sounded surprised. “If you knew why I was working so hard undercover, why did you curse me?”
“Because you had it coming.” Aunt Tillie wasn’t ruffled by Landon’s tone. “When you’re undercover and you accidentally run into your girlfriend … and you know she’s upset … you have to call her.”
“I’d argue but I’m too tired.” Landon pinched the bridge of his nose. “You still haven’t answered my question. Do you want to live with me?”
“Are you kidding?” I threw my arms around his neck, smiling when I felt his lips brush against my forehead. “I’ve never wanted anything more.”
“Good.” Landon sucked in a steadying breath. “So, I was hoping we could get some breakfast – bacon would be good – and then head back to the guesthouse to spend the day alone. I bought one of those computer programs for interior design – the one you said Thistle and Marcus were using and you were all excited about. I thought we could decorate together.”
“Seriously? That’s like … the perfect day. Can I try anything I want?”
“You can,” Landon confirmed. “Or, more appropriately, we can. We just have to work around one piece of furniture.”
“What piece?”
“The bookshelf I bought for you,” Landon replied. “It’s the one from the barn at the Barnaby place. I bought it the other day. It’s due to be delivered this afternoon.”
I slapped my hands to both sides of his face, giddiness overwhelming me. “How did things go from depressingly apocalyptic to perfect so fast?”
“It’s called faith.”
“It’s called ‘I’m going to puke’ if you guys don’t get out of here,” Aunt Tillie interjected. “Good grief. I can only take so much.”
I ignored her. “You’ve made everything perfect.”
“Life isn’t perfect, sweetie. As long as we’re happy, though, that’s all I care about. There are no happily ever afters, right? There’s only the journey and the ultimate destination … and how you feel along the way. Are you happy?”
“I’ve never been happier.”
“Good.” I smacked a loud kiss against his mouth. “I think this is going to be the best day ever.”
“I think so, too. As long as there’s bacon. We definitely need to add bacon to the mix.”
I was too happy to lose my smile. “Consider it done.”
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About the Author
I want to thank everyone who takes the time to read my novels. I have a particular brand of humor that isn’t for everyone – and I know that.
If you liked the book, please take a few minutes and leave a review. An independent author does it all on their own, and the reviews are helpful. I understand that my characters aren’t for everyone, though. There’s a lot of snark and sarcasm in my world – and I know some people don’t like that.
Special thanks go out to Heidi Bitsoli and Phil VanHulle for correcting the (numerous) errors that creep into a work of fiction.
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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
For more information:
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Books by Amanda M. Lee
An Avery Shaw Mystery
Who, What, Where, When, Die
If it Bleeds, it Leads
Buried Leads
Shot Off The Presses
The Preditorial Page
Misquoted & Demoted
Headlines & Deadlines
Misprints & Mistakes
Bylines & Skylines
Off the Record
Any Witch Way You Can
Every Witch Way But Wicked
Witching You Were Here
Witching on a Star
Something to Witch About
Witch Me Luck
Life’s a Witch
Charms & Witchdemeanors
The Trouble With Witches
A Wicked Witches of the Midwest Short
Careful What You Witch For
Wicked Brew
On a Witch and a Prayer
You Only Witch Once
The Christmas Witch
Bewitched
A Solstice Celebration
Witchdependence Day
Happy Witchgiving
Merry Witchmas
Four-Leaf Clover
Thistle While You Work
A Wicked Witches of the Midwest Fantasy
Witchy Tales
A Witch In Time
An Aisling Grimlock Mystery
Grim Offerings
Grim Discovery
Grim Reunion
Grim Expectations
Grim Holiday
Covenant College
Awakening
Whispering
Conjuring
Waxing & Waning
Graduating
Living Covenant Trilogy
Rising Covenant
Dark Covenant
Eternal Covenant
Dying Covenant Trilogy
Haunted Covenant
A Mystic Caravan Mystery
Freaky Days
Freaky Lies
Freaky Hearts
Murder Most Witchy (Wicked Witches of the Midwest Book 10)