Epilogue
“You’re taking that with you. It’s hideous.” Hannah tossed the boxy skirt and jacket onto the Kate pile in the middle of the empty bedroom.
“Why do I have to take it? You bought it.” Kate wrinkled her nose and poked at the suit with her foot.
“I would never.” She held a dress suit closer to Kate. The pale blue washed out her coloring, so it went back on the closet rod.
“Well, I didn’t. My best friend runs a department store. I tell her what I want, and it’s delivered to my closet.” Kate gave a wistful grin. “We didn’t think this whole getting married thing through. It never crossed my mind I’d have to give up half of my shoes.”
“And clothes and jewelry and makeup. You’re the perfect roommate. Derek is damned lucky.” Hannah forced herself to swallow, though her throat had gone tight. The last few months had been such a whirlwind, there hadn’t been time to move Kate’s things out and Mason’s in.
“I love you, too, but we can’t get all sentimental. I need more clothes at home, or I’m going to have to go shopping, and no one wants that. Besides, we need to make room for Mason’s stuff in the closet.”
“We spend less time together as sisters than we did as roommates.” With the suits sorted, she moved on to dresses.
Kate leaned against the closet door. “Are you pregnant?”
Her heart jumped. “What? No. Where did that come from?” On their honeymoon, she and Mason had agreed to wait two years or until he had an inspector position, whichever came first. He’d rocked his first exam, and she had no doubt he’d nail the one next month, too.
“You sure? You just gave me every black dress we own.” Kate knelt down and sorted through them before offering one up.
“One?” She slipped it back into the closet.
“I look better in black than you do, and that one doesn’t fit me right.” With a don’t-bother-arguing glance, she started sorting the shoes. “Have you actually fucked in the fuck-me boots?”
“Yes. They’re staying.” Kate went for the sparkly red stilettos. “Those, too.”
“Honey, I am not going barefoot just because you’re hot for your husband.”
“Husband.” The word still gave her a thrill. Kind of like the T-shirt dresses they’d made for a concert back in college. “Why do we still have these?”
“Focus. I need this stuff in boxes so Derek doesn’t think to sort through it when they get back.”
As if on cue, a low hum of voices started up in the living room. They grew louder and sharper until the women were both cringing and wishing they weren’t about done with the closet. There’d been a heated debate about whether Mason’s furniture would fit, and from the sound of things, geometry was winning.
“We should rescue them before they do any damage that requires a doctor or contractor.” Kate made no attempt to move.
“True. We don’t have time for urgent care or drywall. Some of us have to work tomorrow.” She’d made a point to spend a day working in each department to get a feel for what was working and what could be improved. Tomorrow, she’d be unloading a semitrailer and finding a smoother way to process merchandise. Not glamorous, but she’d get to spend the day in jeans.
The McNally crew’s steps and stomps thundered overhead. She and Mason had lived in his apartment and let hers become the collecting ground for wedding central. The sound of the stampede shifted as they brought the last of the furniture from upstairs. Her whole world had brightened and aligned. The chaos of retail during the holidays, romantic beauty of the wedding, adventure of their honeymoon, and the responsibility of her new job had her spinning.
Now it was time to set that circus down and start building a life that was neither his nor hers, but theirs. It seemed so very adult, especially for someone who’d spent too much time trying to figure out her new signature. She’d had to do something on the day-long flight to New Zealand. There were only so many shades of the mile-high club they could get away with.
Derek came in first with the makings of the bed frame. His attention immediately shifted when he saw Kate, and he sat beside her.
“D!” Mike bellowed as he brought in the headboard. “The hardware is in your pockets. Finish this and then go all loverboy on your wife. Work, then play.”
Derek helped Kate to her feet before sizing up his oldest brother. “How do you think your need to control everything has affected your career?”
“D, I swear, if you’re planning on using my life for one of your studies I will—”
“Pivot, pivot,” Tyler, the youngest brother laughed as they maneuvered the mattress into the room.
Mason pushed his hand through his sweat-dampened hair. “I was going to rock-paper-scissors to see who has to go back up for the nightstands, but since Pivot and Junior volunteered, we’re good.”
“Volunteered, volun-told. Same thing in this family.” Tyler placed his hand on Mike’s shoulder and steered him out of the room.
Derek looked up. “Do you actively look for ways to instigate a response in him, or is it spontaneous?”
“It’s a gift,” Mason said.
“It’s annoying as all hell.” Ryan crossed his arms over his chest and shook his head. “My kid is more mature than you clowns, and she can’t even tie her own shoes.”
“Sorry, Dad,” Derek and Mason said in stereo.
Hannah leaned closer to Kate. “I’m suddenly glad I have sisters and not brothers.”
Kate shrugged and pulled her phone from the back pocket of her jeans. “Derek calls it posturing. Five dominant personalities trying to work out the pecking order.”
Tyler and Mike returned with the nightstands, and in no time, they’d arranged the furniture and set the mattress on the bed.
“Hey, guys,” Kate said loud enough for everyone to hear. She took a photo, and then a few more for good measure.
“What was that for?” Tyler squinted, his eyes reacting to the flash.
“There are five hot guys in my bedroom. I need pictures, or it didn’t happen.” Hannah knew exactly where the photo would end up. They both belonged to an online reader group that also dabbled in finding hot guys “in the wild.”
“I think we look enough alike that it might be more disturbing than erotic,” Derek said with a nod. “Send it to Mom. She can share how wonderful we are at church.”
“On that note.” Mason held out his hand to Hannah, and she crossed the room to him and slipped into his embrace. “Thanks for the muscle. I know you have better things to do on your Saturday than hang around here.”
“Dude,” Tyler furrowed his brow. “No beer? No pizza? That’s how this works. We helped you move.”
“You can find both at our folks’ house. Twenty bucks says Dad is asleep under the GTO right now.”
Tyler looked like he wanted to say more, but Derek handed him one of Kate’s boxes. It worked out so they all had something to carry, like party favors. Mason closed the door and turned to face her, a promising gleam in his blue gaze.
“I’m starving.” He stalked closer, never taking his eyes off hers.
“There’s pizza at your folks’,” she said with an I-know-what-you-want smile.
“I was thinking something faster.” He broke away and took his phone from the counter.
Read that wrong. “If you want pizza, we should get Hot Lips.”
“Hot Lips is exactly what I want.” He set his phone back on the counter. “Pizza’s coming. Now it’s your turn.”
“You want me to order my own pizza?”
Electricity arced between them as he neared, hot enough to spark. “I’m going to make you come before the pizza gets here.”
Yes, please. “You sound pretty confident.” A familiar heat bloomed between her legs.
“It’s not a really matter of if, but how many times.” He licked his lips, and she wanted to taste them, too.
“And what if you can’t?” She lifted her chin in challenge, though she didn’t doubt his skill. They’d always been amazing in bed, but those weeks together for their honeymoon had dialed things in.
“Then you can have anything.”
“You sure about that? My anything is pretty satisfying.”
“I know what your anything is. You showed me on Waiheke Island.”
She shrugged. “It’s a neat trick some guy showed me once.”
“Some guy.” He stepped closer, his chest brushing hers.
Wrapping her arms behind his neck, she stood on tiptoe and whispered, “He’s thoughtful and fun and really hot. He loves chocolate, and playing with fire, and me.”
“Yeah, but not in that order.” He took her ass in both hands and squeezed.
“True. He’s really into fire.” She squealed as he gripped her ass and lifted her right off her feet.
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