“It’s hard. I’m thrilled they offered full asking price, yet it’s difficult to be happy about selling it, in general. I just have so many memories there of Ryan growing up.”

Val hadn’t wanted to sell the beach house at all, but her asshole ex-husband had forced her hand. According to her divorce settlement, they had to split the cost of all major repairs. She didn’t have the money to fund the major piling replacement that needed to be done, and she also couldn’t get a loan since she didn’t have a steady work history yet. The beach house meant a lot to her, and I’d offered to give her the money or even lend it to her, but she wouldn’t go for it. Which was why…I’d had to buy it under a corporate name and not tell her.

“I know. But if it’s any consolation, I’m sure the new owner will make great memories, too.”

“I guess…”

“I’m sure they’ll fuck all over the house.”

Val cringed. “That’s not exactly making me feel better.”

“Why? The new owner is entitled to make new memories. It shouldn’t taint yours in any way.”

She shrugged. “I guess. It’s just hard to think of someone else inside my house. You know?”

I pulled her close and whispered in her ear. “I know. That’s why I bought the house.”

Valentina’s head pulled back abruptly. “What did you say?”

“I bought the house. For us.”

“What are you talking about? A corporation bought the house.”

“And what’s the name of that corporation?”

“BJ Cummings, Inc.”

I raised a brow. I’d been waiting for her to tell me about the name of the corporation, but she never did. And now I knew why—she’d totally missed the joke.

Her eyes grew wide. “Oh my God. You’re kidding me? BJ Cummings? What the hell?”

I laughed. “There was no way I was letting you get rid of that place, not when I have big plans for it.”

Her brows furrowed. “What plans?”

I pushed a lock of hair behind her ear. “I’m going to give it to my wife as a wedding gift someday. That’s still a few years away...because she’s stubborn and needs to go slow. But that’s my plan.”

Valentina’s face melted. Her eyes filled with tears. “That’s the sweetest thing anyone’s ever done for me. But the fact that you wanted to do it is more than enough, Ford. I can’t let you spend that kind of money on a house next door to the one you own. It makes no sense.”

“My sister really loves my parents’ house. And while I enjoyed being out there this summer, it was only because of you. I don’t want their family home. I want to make my own family with you. Besides, you don’t have any choice but to finish the sale. Money is already in escrow, and we have a binding contract.”

“You’re unbelievable. I want to at least pay you for half of the house, so we own it jointly.”

“BJ Cummings doesn’t accept cash.”

“Oh no?”

I shook my head. “He only takes sex for payment.”

“Is that so?” Her eyes twinkled with mischief, and she wrapped her arms back around my neck. “Well, then, I’d like to make a down payment right now.”

“We have dinner reservations in fifteen minutes.”

She pushed up on her toes and spoke with her lips against mine. “Fuck dinner.”

Now she was talking. I backed her up to the wall and pinned her against it. Hiding what I’d been up to with her house had been weighing on my shoulders. Secrets had no place in a relationship, and getting it off my chest was a huge relief.

It had only been four days since I’d been inside of her, but it felt like a year. I buried my face in her neck and started to suck along the delicate skin leading up to her ear. “God, I missed you.”

She panted. “I missed you, too. No time to undress. I took off my panties before I came downstairs and slipped them into my purse so I could give them to you during dinner.”

I immediately reached under the hem of her dress and slid my hand up between her legs. Sure enough, she was bare. And wet. I groaned. “You’re soaked for me already.”

Val slipped her hands between us and started to unbuckle my pants. There was no sexier sight in the world than my girl shaking in a frenzy to get to my cock. Later, when it hit her that I’d really bought her house and told her she’d be getting it as a wedding present some day, I’d make love to her when doubt started to creep in. But right now? Right now was all about fucking. Fucking my woman who was going to leave me for months to teach in Rome. And her fucking me because a part of her was scared and angry at what I’d done.

I used my hips to keep her pinned to the wall while I helped push down my pants. Val wrapped her legs around my waist. The minute my throbbing cock felt the hot wetness between her open legs, I was done for. I needed to be inside.

I gripped my shaft and guided myself inside her. Our groans blended into an achingly erotic song as I simultaneously pulled her onto me and lifted until I sank balls-deep inside of her. Then, I stilled to take in the feeling. Nothing had ever felt so damn good.

I tried to start slow, easing in and out in a smooth rhythm, but it didn’t last. Before long, I was pounding into her. But she was right there with me, begging for more, telling me to go harder, faster…more.

That word…more…it was everything about how I felt about her. I wanted more—more of her heart, more of her body, just more.

I pulled my head back to look at her, and our gazes caught. Val’s voice shook. “I love you, Ford.”

“I love you more.”

As I came, her body shook, and I mumbled her name over and over.

“Thank you, Ford. And if what we just did is the payment BJ Cummings wants, he’ll be getting plenty of those in the future.”

“BJ plans to collect every one of those payments—but this is a fifty-year mortgage.”

“Fifty years?” Her eyebrows raised. “I don’t even want to do the math on how old I’ll be by then.”

“Good. Because age is just a number to use to count all the years I’m going to love you.”

Epilogue

* * *

Valentina - Almost two years later

Go commando under my dress.

I peeled the sticky note off the coffee pot and smiled from ear to ear. Ford must’ve snuck in during the middle of the night to put this here. Considering the girls and I didn’t go to bed until after one in the morning, he had to have been up pretty late. I laughed to myself—Tom definitely didn’t keep him company next door. He conks out by nine. At least he had Ryan over there.

After a rocky start, my two guys had grown close. Lately, Ryan had even been talking about changing his major to architecture. He’d spent all last summer working with Ford on a building renovation, and it seemed to have given him some direction for his career path.

“Good morning, almost-Mrs. Donovan.” I turned to find my almost-sister-in-law rubbing the sandman from her eyes as she padded into the kitchen.

“You’re up early.” I reached up and took two mugs out of the cabinet over the coffee pot.

“My brother is still a pain in the ass.”

“What did he do now?”

Bella squinted and leaned in to read a sticky note on to the refrigerator. Her face twisted like she’d smelled something bad. “Ugh. Really? It’s too early to read that from my brother. ”

I hadn’t noticed the other one. I quickly snatched it down.

Bend over naked in mirror and send Ford an ass selfie.

I chuckled but then glanced around the room and swiped three other sticky notes. I couldn’t have my future husband’s sister going blind on our wedding day. Which she might have, considering the other to-do tasks included Sneak next door and blow my boyfriend one last time, and Insert butt plug to prepare for wedding night festivities. Though, the last one confused me a little: Get licked by wedding gift.

Bella poured half and half into our coffees and lifted a mug to her lips. “You guys are really gross. You’re going to make me toss my cookies.”

“Did someone say cookies?” Eve wandered into the kitchen.

She had on a T-shirt that barely covered half her round belly and a pair of sweatpants rolled underneath it. She scratched her very pregnant tummy.

I walked over and dipped my head to talk to my future goddaughter. “Good morning, my little princess.”

“Or prince.”

“There’s no way my goddaughter is a boy.”

Eve and Tom had been pretty shocked to discover they were pregnant eight months ago. When they first got together, they’d decided to leave having children up to fate. With Eve almost forty and nothing having happened, she’d pretty much concluded they wouldn’t have a family. So it was a shocker when Eve’s stomach virus had turned out to be that she was two months pregnant.

I myself had thought I might be pregnant last week, but I’d taken a test, and it was negative. The stress of the wedding and moving into Ford’s place must’ve just thrown off my cycle. Like Eve and Tom, Ford and I had agreed to leave adding more members to the family up to fate. Though, I’ll admit, I was a little sad when a minus sign appeared on the stick last week.

“Oh shit. I almost forgot. My brother woke me up for a reason.”

“What?”