“Do you?” she asked, licking my nipple. “You love me not just for my body?”
“Not just for your body,” I gasped. “Even though that’s all I can think about right now.”
Theo chuckled. “What else do you love about me?”
“You want an itemized list? I thought you didn’t like compliments.” She pinched my nipple and I was lost for a second.
“I like hearing anything you say.”
I looked down at her and pushed her curls back from her forehead. “I love your hands, and the way you use them to make things. I love the way you adore Mia and now Oliver. I love the way you don’t take bullshit from people who treat you like crap. I love the way you pretend to be mean, but it’s just a cover for the sweetest, most caring person I’ve ever met. I love how incredibly hot you are,” I said, and she laughed.
“So it really does come back to my body,” she said.
I shook my head. “No. There’s so much to love about you Theo and I intend to show you each and every day.”
I kissed her and then she kept her promise of making me come twice. We ate cold chicken strips and tater tots and didn’t care.
Chapter Seventeen
“I’m going to have a party when my parents come up,” I announced to Theo a week later. We’d just come back from a visit with her brother and his family. Little Oliver had already grown since he was born, and it was astonishing.
“Okay,” Theo said slowly. “Do you need my help?”
“I mean, probably, but I just wanted to tell you in case you didn’t want to go,” I said.
Theo stared at me in confusion. “Why wouldn’t I want to go?”
“Because you hate parties?” I asked.
“Not when you’re throwing them,” she said, as if it was that simple. She kissed me and smiled. “I wouldn’t hate any party you threw.”
Oh. I’d been a little stressed about telling her about this, but I guess I’d been worrying for nothing.
“You can still be a little grumpy about it,” I said. “For old time’s sake.”
Theo snorted. “Do you need me to stand in a corner and glare?”
“Yes, that would be perfect.”
Theo laughed.
Deciding that I wanted to be fancy, I ended up sending out invitations to my housewarming to everyone. Theo said she thought it was cute.
The response I got was enthusiastic and all of the Castleton Crew was coming, so my parents were going to get to meet all of my new friends and the people in this town that had welcomed me. I also invited Sarah, and she said she’d come with her husband and kids. Clint, Kim, Mia and Oliver were also coming, and Piper and McKenna were bringing Preston so it would be a kid-friendly party.
Since the cottage was too small to have everyone eat inside, we were going to set up tables in the yard and Theo was bringing her grill over, and others had volunteered to bring dishes over. Esme, of course, agreed to bartend, and Linley and Amanda had desserts covered.
A few days before the party, my parents arrived, and it was like we’d been apart for a thousand years, and not just a few months.
Mom sobbed on my shoulder and hugged me so tight I couldn’t breathe.
“Mom, it’s okay,” I said, pulling back. She gazed at my face, as if she needed to reassure herself that I was real.
“I missed you so much,” she said, hugging me again. It took her a while to let me go and let me hug Dad.
“Where’s Theo?” she asked when she’d stopped crying.
“She had to finish some things up at work, but she’ll be here in a few hours,” I said. I wanted Theo to have her time at work to prep herself for meeting my parents. They could be a lot, especially for someone like Theo who only really relaxed around people she cared about.
Mom pouted but linked her arm with mine and demanded that I show her around my house.
There was just a tiny thread of anxiety that ran through me as I showed her around the cottage. This had been her mother’s house, and even though she’d never seen it when Memma had been alive, I still wanted her to be proud of what I’d done with the place. Be proud of how I’d honored Memma.
“Oh, Kendra,” Mom said when I showed her the gallery wall. She started to cry again and hugged me close.
“It’s beautiful,” she said. “It’s perfect.”
She had to look at every picture and exclaim about them. Dad complimented the framing job for his watercolors.
“Thanks,” I said.
They also didn’t have enough good words about the furniture.
“I hope she charges for these,” Mom said, running her hand along the armrest of the rocker.
“Believe me, she does,” I said.
I took them into the guest room, which had a simple bed and not much else. Theo was going to make some bookshelves at some point, but I needed the ones for the bookstore first. She’d also talked about making me a desk for any work I might want to do at home.