“And I promise I won’t let them get into your Christmas bags.” Tootsie unfastened her seat belt and turned around in the seat. “When you’re ready for them, they’ll be right here in the motor home in my closet.”
Joanie stood and rolled her suitcase up to the kitchen area. She could hear her heart beat in her ears, and her hands were shaking. Brett had called that morning to tell her that he’d done all the paperwork and was waiting for her at the hotel.
Luke slowed down, made the turn into the truck parking lot, and got out of his seat. “Let me get the door for you.” He pushed the button to bring out the steps and then carried the suitcase out for her.
“It’s going to be strange without you right across the hall from me and Carmen,” Diana said.
“Don’t make me cry. I feel like this is the end of an era already.” Joanie hugged every one of them.
“Oh, stop it. We’ve still got a few weeks in Sugar Run. Get on out of here and have a good time with your husband.” Tootsie gave her a little shove toward the door.
“Thanks for everything, Luke,” she said as she left the motor home.
He gave her a quick hug. “Thank you for selling your house to me. Now go see your husband—he must be every bit as nervous as you are.”
“I hope not. Two of us this antsy wouldn’t be good.” She smiled up at him and then popped the handle of the suitcase up so she could roll it across the pavement. Luke went back inside, and she heard the engine start up again. When the motor home started to move, she turned and waved until it had made the turn back out onto the street.
As she approached the front doors, they opened automatically, and she headed straight for the elevator to take her to the second floor. She’d taken only a couple of steps when a movement to her right caught her eye, and she glanced that way. Brett stood there in civilian clothes with a big smile on his face. She let go of the suitcase and ran across the room. He wrapped his big, strong arms around her and hugged her for a full minute before he tipped up her chin and kissed her.
“Welcome to the rest of our lives,” he said when the kiss ended.
She pushed away from him far enough so that she could look him up and down several times. “I think this life is going to suit us just fine.”
“Yes, it is, so let’s go get it started.” He took her hand in his and grabbed the handle of the suitcase.
The elevator doors opened the instant he pushed the button. Once inside, he took her in his arms again and strung kisses from her neck to her eyelids. She pressed her whole body against his and wished that neither of them was wearing clothes. Finally, his lips settled on her mouth, and the kisses didn’t stop until the doors opened again. He got a grip on the suitcase handle again and led her to the room.
When the door opened, she gasped, “Oh. My!”
A bouquet of red roses sat arranged on the coffee table beside a matching ice bucket made of the same sparking crystal as the flower vase. From the sweat on the outside, she could tell that a bottle of champagne had already chilled.
She bent to smell the roses. “Brett, you shouldn’t have.”
“Yes, darlin’, I should have,” he whispered as he wrapped his arms around her from behind. “We’ve got a lot to celebrate.”
“Yes, we do.” All the anxiety fled. Brett was home for good, and she had him all to herself for two whole days.
The sun was shining brightly when Luke maneuvered the motor home into the RV park slot they’d reserved. Carmen noticed that dark clouds were rolling in from the southwest. She hoped that didn’t mean storms or, even worse, snow or rain on the girls’ graduation exercises.
Luke got everything hooked up and then got his and Diana’s suitcases from off one of the bunk beds. “We’ll see y’all at the graduation.”
“How are we getting there?” Carmen asked.
“Uber,” Tootsie told her. “The same way these two are going to the hotel across town, right?”
“You got it.” Luke grinned. “If you need anything, just call me. Our car is already here.”
“I might need to talk at midnight,” Carmen teased.
“Taxis run twenty-four, seven.” Diana gave her a brief hug