Total pages in book: 22
Estimated words: 20725 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 104(@200wpm)___ 83(@250wpm)___ 69(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 20725 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 104(@200wpm)___ 83(@250wpm)___ 69(@300wpm)
The position of mayor was term-limited, but I had no doubt that Bethenny would always be someone this town looked to for guidance. And if she eventually wanted to run for higher office, I would completely support her. But I would also keep her from working too hard. Especially at Christmas.
Epilogue
Bethenny
I had grown accustomed to cuddling into Lincoln in the morning over the past five months, but there was something special about doing it for the first time while on vacation. I’d left all my responsibilities behind in Winter Falls, with Hayden holding down the fort for the next week while my husband and I enjoyed our honeymoon.
Lincoln hadn’t been happy about waiting so long to get married, but he’d given in once I explained how important the ceremony was to me. I had wanted all the bells and whistles, and that was exactly what I got—the picture-perfect May wedding in my little mountain town.
My lips curved into a satisfied grin as I lifted my hand and stared down at the platinum band nestled under the diamond solitaire Lincoln had given me when he proposed after he finished moving all of his stuff into my house. We’d been together for less than a month, but that hadn’t made me think twice about accepting his ring.
“I can hear those wheels turning from over here,” he murmured, his arms tightening around me as he nestled his chin into the crook of my neck. “No business on our honeymoon, little one. Unless you want to get punished for breaking the rule.”
I was tempted to pretend as though town business had been on my mind because Lincoln’s punishments always ended with me coming super hard. But we were at the beach, so there were a million ways for me to tempt him into spanking me later. And I wanted to share my happiness with him. “I was too busy admiring my rings to think about work.”
I felt his lips curve into a smile against my neck. “I did good, huh?”
“You did amazing.” I rolled over, my smile slipping from my face as my stomach turned. “Ugh.”
His brown eyes filled with concern as his hands lifted to cup my cheeks. “Are you okay?”
My mouth got that sweaty feeling before you were going to throw up. Instead of answering, I slapped my hand over my mouth and shook my head. Then I climbed off the mattress and raced into the bathroom. I got to my knees in front of the toilet just in the nick of time. My stomach clenched, and I vomited into the porcelain bowl. Over and over again, with tears streaking down my cheeks while Lincoln crouched behind me and swept my hair away from my face.
When there wasn’t anything left inside me and I had dry heaved several times, I weakly lifted my head to look at Lincoln. “I don’t feel so good.”
“I figured that out for myself, baby.” He picked me up and set me on the counter next to the sink. After turning on the faucet, he poured me a glass of water. “Swish.”
I took a sip and swirled the water around my mouth before leaning over to spit into the sink. “Blech.”
“Do it again.”
I followed his command and heaved a small sigh when a lot of the bad taste left my mouth the second time around. My relief increased when my toothbrush, the bristles covered in paste, entered my line of vision. I moaned in pleasure as the minty flavor hit my tastebuds, but the sound turned into a whimper when I started gagging again. Dropping the toothbrush into the sink, I scrambled off the counter to throw up again.
This time, we waited a few minutes after I was done puking before I tried brushing my teeth again. I whimpered in relief when my stomach didn’t rebel and was careful not to tempt fate by sticking the brush too far into my mouth. It took everything I had in me to do the simple task, and I was trembling when I was done. “I’ve got you, little one.”
Lincoln cradled me in his arms and padded back into the bedroom, gently laying me on the mattress. I curled into the pillow he’d used, drawing his scent deep into my lungs. “I know Florida is known for its seafood, but I should’ve gone with the steak for dinner last night.”
Lincoln ran his fingers through my hair. “We split our dishes, remember? If this was food poisoning, then I’d be sick, too.”
“Huh.” I turned my head to glare at him with the one eye that was visible. “So not fair. You look like you feel great.”
He patted his washboard abs. “I hate to break it to you, baby, but that’s because I’m not even a little bit nauseous.”
“Do you think I caught something, and you just don’t have it yet?” My nose scrunched at the thought of being sick during our trip. This was my first vacation in almost a year and my honeymoon. If I was going to spend it in bed, I wanted to be doing something a lot more fun than trying not to puke.