Dishing Up Love

I use both my hands to make a shield over the potato, shaking my head. “While it’s adorable that my big, strong, handsome man has pink salt—”

“It’s Himalayan,” he grumps.

“—this is perfect the way it is. The salt from the bacon is just enough. I needed something a little bland to settle my tum-tum. I think adding anything else would send it into the ‘too flavorful’ category,” I finish.

He sniffs out a short chuckle. “Yes, let’s settle that ‘tum-tum.’ Because I have plans for it later.”

I screw up my face. “Do I take that as you wanting to rearrange my guts with your dick, or are you cooking something special for me?”

He barks out a laugh. “Both.” He smacks a kiss to my lips before circling the island once more to clean up the little mess he made while making my potato.

Chapter 22

Curtis

I DON’T THINK I’ve ever witnessed pure joy with my own two eyes until I got to watch the moment Erin spotted Emmy coming around the corner at baggage claim at the airport. Even their ear-drum-bursting squeal as they collided in the exact same spot I caught Erin before she nearly collapsed earlier today couldn’t lessen the delight I felt inside my chest getting to see the love of my life so completely happy. It’s the same reaction I had hoped for when she spotted me when I picked her up, and I’m one hundred percent positive it would’ve been had she not felt so awful.

I swear I lost at least four years off my life when I saw her knees give out, and thank God for my long legs and the adrenaline rush that shot through my veins, because I was able to catch her just before she hit the floor. If that’s her normal reaction to flying, we’re going to have to figure out a regimen of motion sickness meds and breathing techniques or something. Because I will never go another month without seeing her again. Hell, it’ll be a miracle if I allow a week between visits. Especially now. Now that she’s admitted not only to herself but out loud to me as well that she loves me.

After giving Dean a bro hug, pulling each other in and slapping each other on the back, we stand back with stupid grins on our faces as we watch the girls roll around on the floor, refusing to end their hug and laughter. Neither of us gives a shit as people look at our group weirdly, and I give someone a goofy face and a peace sign when I see them whip out their phone for either a video or photo. I’m sure my woman won’t mind that someone caught this moment on camera. In fact…

I take out my own cell, and turn on the video recorder, using the button near the bottom of the screen to take some snapshots while it’s still filming. When the girls finally sprawl on their backs, trying to catch their breaths as they look at each other, they let out a fit of giggles once more.

I feel honored to get to witness such a wholesome moment, two of the closest friends reconnecting after months apart. It makes me want to speed up the process of Erin and me living together even more. I see Dean and Emmy several times a month because of our work at the same network, which means Erin could see her favorite girl way more often than she does now. I just don’t know how she’d feel about giving up her practice in New Orleans, since there’s no way she could take off as much as she’d need to in order to make all that happen.

And if she expresses she doesn’t want to leave her job, then what?

That’s easy. I’ll do whatever it takes to be with her, not just officially, but physically. It would be a shitload of travelling on my part, but I would make my home base in NOLA in a heartbeat for her. I’d do anything for her.

When Dean and I are finally able to pull the girls up from the floor and grab their luggage from the conveyer belt, we all pile into my truck, the two women choosing to sit in the back seat together. The only thing that keeps me from huffing over my girl not sitting next to me is the fact that she’s in the seat behind me, so every time I glance into the rearview mirror, all I see is her gorgeous smile. She catches my stare every few miles and sticks out her tongue, her little nose wrinkling the way I remember it doing the first night we spent together, reminding me exactly what made me fall in love with her.

We’ve almost made it home, and I’m deep in conversation with Dean about the next location their going to be filming No Trespassing, when from the back seat I hear, “You okay, Rin?” and my eyes immediately dart to the rearview mirror. Erin’s face has gone pale like it had when I picked her up today, and I’ve already turned my blinker on before she can ask me to pull over.