“Never,” he promises then leans down to kiss me again. After a minute or two, he pulls away with a crooked smile on his face. “Ready for round two?’

I shake my head, but laugh, feeling more happy and content than I have in a long time.

“Always,” I reply and wholeheartedly mean it.

Epilogue

Clara

Three weeks later…

“Oh, my God! Oh, my God! Oh, My God!” I run around the living room like a madwoman because there’s a damn mouse scurrying around on the floor.

“Clara, what on earth are you doing?” my mother asks from the recliner.

I squeal like a wimp as I hop onto the coffee table. I have flour on the front of my shirt and cake batter on my hands. Up until a few moments ago, Nelli had been giving me a tutorial on cake baking. Jax’s birthday is in less than a month and I need to be prepared to bake the best cake ever.

I’d been doing well, mixing and sifting, while Nelli took a bathroom break. But all of a sudden I was no longer alone in the kitchen.

“There’s a mouse…” I search the floor for the little rodent. “Where’d it go?”

My mother gives a noncommittal shrug, and then turns back to the television screen. “He’s probably in one of the cupboards again.”

My gaze whips in her direction. “What do you mean again?”

“I mean, I saw him in there the other day, chewing on a box of crackers.”

My gag reflex kicks in and vomit burns at the back of my throat. “Did you throw the box away?”

She shakes her head as she pops a piece of chocolate into her mouth. “Nope.”

“Dammit.” I mentally psych myself up then jump down from the table and sprint over to the kitchen area. The counters are covered with eggshells, flour, and butter. I pull open all the drawers and open the cupboards, searching for a sign of the mouse. Sure enough, a few boxes of crackers and cereal have been chewed on.

I cringe as I throw each box away into the trash, then I wash my hands and grab my purse from my bedroom. By the time I head back out to the living room, Nelli is back in the kitchen.

“What happened to the cake?” she wonders as she takes in the mess on the counter and stove.

“I ran into a bit of a problem.” I drape the handle of my purse over the table. “And now I have to run to the store to get mousetraps.”

“We have mice now?” Nelli sits down on the sofa and collects the remote from the armrest as she crosses her legs.

“I guess we have for a while.” I give a pressing look at my mother.

My mother shrugs. “It’s just a little mouse, Clara. Nothing like a rooster.” She smiles at me.

If I didn’t know any better, I’d swear she’s enjoying my discomfort.

My fingers fold around the doorknob and I crack the door open with my focus still on my mom. “Mice aren’t just little; they’re gross and disgusting.”

“You have mice?”

I jump at the sound of Jax’s voice.

“Jesus, you scared me.” I press my hand to my racing chest.

“Yeah, I can see that.” His brown hair is styled, his grey shirt is just tight enough to show off his solid build, and he’s sporting his classic amused grin I’ve grown to love over the weeks. His grin broadens when he notes the flour on my shirt. “Were you practicing for my birthday?”

“Maybe…” My gaze deliberately scrolls up and down his body before landing on his eyes. I knew he was going to come over this evening to meet my family, which I’ve been fretting over for weeks. Now that he’s here, I’m starting to panic. “What are you doing here? I thought you weren’t moving in until later tonight?”

“I got things packed up quicker than I planned.” He leans to the side and peers over my shoulder into the living room. “So, you have a mouse?”

“Yeah, it’s running around the house.” I glance back at my mother who’s watching television and then at Nelli who’s watching me.

“Are you going to introduce us to your special gentleman friend?” Nelli asks as she unwraps a chocolate bar, staring at us like we’re live entertainment. “The one I’m guessing the cake’s for.”

I shoot her a warning look then turn back to Jax who looks extremely amused.

“Look, she thinks I’m a gentleman,” he teases with a lopsided grin.

“Yeah, well I’m sure her opinion would change if I told her about all the very ungentleman things you do to me when we’re out late.”

“Don’t pretend you don’t like it.” His voice drops to a husky whisper. “Besides, I promised you I’d show you those positions, didn’t I?”

We exchange a look of desire and my skin erupts with heat. I zip my lips together, unable to deny how much I love being with him.

“Do you want me to see if I can catch it?” he offers. “That is kind of in my job title as boyfriend, right? The guy who gets rid of all the scary things.”

“I guess so.” I glance back and forth between him and my mother. “Are you sure you’re ready to come in… to all of this?”

“Absolutely.” He brushes his fingertip across my bottom lip. “Relax. This is a good thing.”

I give an unsteady nod. “I know it is.”

He moves toward me and drops a kiss on my mouth. “I love you,” he whispers in my ear. “So relax.”