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I cringe at the name as I follow her inside. “Not sure I love that one.”

“But you like Mr. Grumpy Pants?”

“Love it.”

“And Mr. Scowly Face?”

“Might be my favorite.”

“Hmmm…” She eyes me up and down. “What about Mr. BDE?”

“Teegan.” I put my hands up slowly. “Put the coffees down, before anyone gets hurt.”

“What?” she squeals as she sets them down on the coffee table in the living room.

“Now run.”

She shrieks as she dashes up the stairs. I take them two at a time with a big grin on my face. She’s just the right amount of chaos for me. I don’t need everything in order. I don’t need to work late.

I need fun in my life. I need her like I need air. But like an idiot, I just didn’t realize how good it was for me.

It only takes a second to reach her in the hallway, and I snag her in my arms. She wrestles to get out and in the tangle we stumble into her loft.

I’m surrounded by her paintings. And many of them are of me.

“Oh shit!” She covers her hands with her face. “This is so embarrassing. Oh my God. Let’s leave.” Freeing her eyes, she grabs onto my forearm and attempts to drag me from the room.

“Nope. Not gonna happen, sprite.” My eyes scan the room, taking in her creativity. “You’re so fucking talented, Teegan.”

“You’re just saying that.”

“Look at me.” I point to one particularly colorful painting. I don’t know what the technique is called, but my face and chest are all painted in vibrant blocks of color.

She snorts. “It’s easy to paint something beautiful.”

And I think that’s when my heart lets her all the way in, and it surprises me that there was more room for her to fill. Anyone can say three little words, but now I can feel them. And I can see how she sees me. It’s a whole lot of seeing and feeling, but I’m a bit in awe at the moment.

“You’re incredible, Teegan.” I wrap my arms around her and lift her feet off the ground. “I’m lucky to have you. I hope we grow old together.”

She snuggles into my neck, mumbling, “Me too.”

And we do grow old together. And happier. We fall more and more in love and somehow, in all the chaos of this life, we build a life and live our dream together.

Epilogue

Nash

“Just remember to say it nicely, Nash,” Colter’s only half teasing me.

“You mean I can’t just tell them to get it the fuck done or they’ll lose our account.”

“You could.” He laughs and I can practically hear him shrugging over the phone as I walk down the aisle of the hardware store.

“They never have what I need here. Maybe we need to open up our own supply store.” I’m grumbling now. I just need what I need when I need it. That’s part of why I had to get out of Lit Creek for a couple of years. But honestly, I missed the small town vibes too much, so now I’m back working full time—and not remotely—with my brothers. It’s good to be back, but I do miss some things in the big city. Calgary has a lot of entertainment I enjoyed, like watching the Calgary Courage hockey team play live.

Just then, the most delightful, joy-filled laugh breaks me out of my grumbling, and I look around to find the source of the sound.

There she is. Her head is thrown back, full of life. But then she dips her head and covers her laugh and her mouth with her hand. I can hear her mumbling something into the phone. It sounds like she’s telling her friend to stop or she’ll pee her pants.

My lip kicks up into a smile. “I gotta go, Colter.”

And it’s like he can read my mind. “Just remember you’re back in Lit Creek, Nash. Everyone knows everyone.”

Ya. And I’m pretty sure I know this woman. I just haven’t seen her in a few years. And if memory serves correctly, she’s several years younger than me, so I don’t know her well.

But damn, she’s beautiful. She’s practically glowing. She’s dressed in soft colors and a swishy skirt. Definitely not the high-powered, overly ambitious women I tend to go for. I’m usually with someone who can match my energy. I’m the eldest of six brothers and have always kept them in line. I need a woman who can match that.

Then again. That hasn’t worked out so well considering I’m single.

I hear the trail of a giggle—a giggle for Pete’s sake—and can’t help but be drawn to that sound. There’s something mesmerizing about it.

I’m just going to say hi.

That’s it.

***