“Woohoo!” Annie threw her hands up. She would have fallen off Bristol’s lap had Bristol not grabbed her thighs. “I knew it.” She cupped Bristol’s face. “Nobody fucks like that without being in love. That’s how I knew.”

Bristol feigned shock. “Ms. Foster. That mouth of yours.”

“Needs to be all over your body. Why are we still here and not back in that giant bed of yours?” Annie asked.

“Good point. Less talk, more kissing.” Bristol grabbed Annie’s hand, turned on the security system in case her mother decided to swing by unannounced again, and led Annie back to her bedroom. Bristol had thought about her life over the past two months. She had gone from being depressed to finding the love of her life. Maybe she’d needed to walk away from the only life she ever knew in order to appreciate Annie and accept the love she offered.

“I really do love you,” Bristol said.

Annie stopped and held Bristol two steps from the bedroom. “I know. I knew before you did. I wouldn’t have been brave enough to come here if I didn’t believe it.”

“What did I ever do to deserve you?” Bristol asked. Her arms were still wrapped around Annie. She was afraid to let her go.

“You gave me a chance, Bristol. A chance at a career, but more importantly, a chance at you.”

Epilogue—One Year Later

“Why does she hate me?” Bristol stood in the kitchen doorway with her arms crossed. Raven was skulking around the island growling and making angry cat noises with every step.

Annie put her arms around Bristol’s waist. “She doesn’t hate you, babe. She hates change.”

“She’s lived here before. This is her home,” Bristol said.

“She’s heavily medicated and was just on a plane for three hours. I’m a little crabby, too.”

Annie smiled at how Bristol was so concerned about Raven’s disposition. They both knew that by the end of the night, Raven would be curled up in bed wrapped in Bristol’s hair. And she knew Bristol wouldn’t move until Raven was done sleeping. It was adorable how close they’d become.

After Annie showed up and confessed her love to Bristol, they were inseparable. Three weeks later, Annie moved in with Bristol. She took a week to pack up her apartment and get her affairs in order. Charley was ecstatic and told her she would still have open-mic nights on Wednesdays. When Annie missed her family, they flew to Denver to be with them. Since it happened frequently, they bought a house in Denver. Splitting their time between California and Colorado seemed like the best option. The only one who struggled was Raven.

“I just want to make sure she’s okay.”