Total pages in book: 114
Estimated words: 111165 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 556(@200wpm)___ 445(@250wpm)___ 371(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 111165 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 556(@200wpm)___ 445(@250wpm)___ 371(@300wpm)
Like love.
He holds my face with one hand, running his thumb over my lips, gazing at me deeply. “I’m sorry if that was a bit rough.”
I break into a wide grin, still weightless and full of light. “I like it when you’re rough.” I pause and gently nip his thumb between my teeth for a moment. “I like it when you’re wild. I like it when you’re slow and gentle and whispering my name. I like, no I love, everything you give me Laz.”
He smiles softly and kisses me again. “I love you. Even more now than I did five minutes ago. I’ll love you even more five minutes from now. I will love you and love you and love you more and more and more. Until the end of the world.”
My heart swells, swells, pops.
Confetti in my soul.
I blink back tears.
“Promise?” I ask him.
“Promise,” he says. “Now let’s go get Noah. Poor kid is probably traumatized talking to Frank.”
“I don’t know,” I say. “He wants to be a rock star now.”
“Well who bloody doesn’t?” Laz asks with a roll of his eyes. “At least he has the hair for it.”
“Yeah, I told him to take up the drums.”
“I’m sure my mum is going to love that.” He laughs. “First Jane, now Noah.”
He opens the door.
We step out into the light.
EPILOGUE
LAZ
One Year Later
“To Have and to Hold”
“Did you know that the worker bees can make a queen bee by taking any larvae and feeding it exclusively royal jelly,” Marina says.
“Actually, I did know that,” Scooby says smugly. “Did you know that honey is the only food that contains all the substances necessary to sustain life, including water?”
“Yes,” Marina says. “Everyone knows that.”
Naomi puts up her hand and then raises the hand of Steve, the guy she’s currently dating and super into crazy PDA with. “Actually, we didn’t know that. In fact, I never know what the fuck you guys are always going on about.”
“Hey, watch your language in front of the child,” I tell them, covering Noah’s ears.
Noah pulls away from me. “Stop it, you’re embarrassing me.”
“Stop it, you’re embarrassing me,” I mimic him.
“Guys,” Jane says. “Behave.”
“Bee-have you mean,” I say and wag my brows at Marina.
But despite the ever-persistent bee joke that I’m always dropping in her presence, I’m actually nervous as fuck.
Today is a celebration. Noah, me, Jane (who is visiting for a few weeks at my request), her boyfriend Ryan, Naomi, Steve, Scooby and Marina are all gathered on Venice Beach, blankets and towels and coolers spread out in the sand.
We’re here to celebrate Marina’s new book.
That’s right. I’m no longer the only writer in the house. After I mentioned Marina and her beekeeping business to my editor, Abigail, she started Instagram stalking her. Once Marina’s online bee courses started taking off, then she ended up grabbing the attention of another publisher who wanted to capitalize on it.
Naturally, with one book out with me (and another on the way), Abigail wanted to keep the power couple in the family. She outbid the other publisher and Marina’s book: Palm Trees & Honey Bees: A Girl’s Guide to Beekeeping is coming out next week.
It hasn’t been without some challenges. For one, Marina hates the title and insists that the book is meant for everyone and that “girls” don’t beekeep any differently than men. But it’s gimmicky and catching people’s attention and since Marina’s long-term goals are for bees to take over the world, then whatever gets people interested in keeping them and saving them is good enough for her.
Later, we’ll head over to Irvine and have a smaller party over at Marina’s Aunt Margaret’s. Her father has been more or less sober for a year now and has his own apartment right down the street. He even has Pickles with him again.
I say, “more or less,” sober because even after three months at the treatment center and four months living in a group home with other recovering addicts, Mr. Owens still had a slip up and fell off the wagon. We all know it happens. Luckily it wasn’t anything big, just a few beers when he shouldn’t have, and ever since then he’s been doing brilliant.
Which makes Marina happy, and honestly, that’s all that matters.
But I’m about to see if things could somehow get even better.
Because things can always get better.
You see, the whole book celebration on the beach was my idea. It was my idea to fly Jane out here. It was my idea to bring Noah. I would have brought my mother too but ever since she left Daryl and is applying to adopt Noah, she’s been working around the clock at her new job.
There’s a reason we’re all gathered here together and it’s not just to celebrate the book.
It’s to, hopefully (fuck, hopefully) celebrate something else.
I clear my throat and poke Marina in the shoulder.