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A few years later...
It was the end of an era.
Rose stood on the sidewalk and looked at the semi-detached Victorian that had been her home. The house was the reason she’d met Amy, who came to stand beside her now. There was a baby in her arms, and Hudson was affixed to her leg.
“I remember the day I moved in,” Amy said. “I was so excited to start my new life in Toronto. I never imagined I’d end up getting married to the hot guy next door who was cutting the grass shirtless that day.”
Rose chuckled. She and Cal were moving to their new home today, and Amy had sold the house she’d inherited.
So much had happened since Cal had first become Rose’s roommate.
Charlotte and Mike had gotten married—in Toronto, not Ashton Corners, and a professionally baked cake had been served at the reception. They had a daughter, now eighteen months old, who showed, as Charlotte lovingly put it, a disturbing fondness for pineapple in all forms, particularly on pizza. Her favorite toy, much to Mike’s distress, was a stuffed spider.
Nicole and David had gotten married at City Hall, and they also had a toddler. They’d bought a small house near the building where they used to live in neighboring units.
Sierra and Jake were engaged, and they’d been happily living together ever since Sierra had moved out of the house in the Annex. Sierra’s ex-boyfriend, Colton Sanders, was in prison, although his sentence was almost over.
“Hey,” Sierra said, walking over to Amy and Rose. “The moving truck isn’t here yet?”
“Nope. Any minute,” Rose said.
Cal walked out of the house with two large bags of plushies, and she smiled. The plushies and plants—all of which were healthy—would be going to the new house in his car, rather than the moving truck.
After putting the bags in the back seat, Cal came to stand behind Rose and pulled her into his arms. She squeezed his hands and relaxed against him.
Their new house had three bedrooms: one for each of them and one guest room. She still wasn’t the greatest at sharing a bed, but that was okay. Relationships weren’t always what you imagined they’d be. They were weird and wonderful and amazing.
Every day, he told her how much he loved her.
Every day, he made her feel special.
Yes, Cal Dempsey, with those big arms that were wrapped snugly around her, was one of the best things that had ever happened to her, no doubt about it. Discovering that Penguin Pip was owned by a pretty cool female scientist a few years older than Rose? Also good, but not quite as wonderful.
Rose and Cal had been married for almost a year now. Their simple wedding last spring had been planned to cause her as little stress as possible, and she’d loved every minute of it. The food? Delicious. Cal in a tux? Mmm. She’d worn a lacy white dress that had made her look stunning, and it had rendered him speechless.
Although her mental health hadn’t been perfect in the past few years, she’d felt supported through all of it, and she’d improved her coping skills.
“Truck!” Hudson said, pointing. “It’s here!”
“You ready?” Cal whispered, his breath and his beard tickling Rose’s ear.
“Yep. Let’s do this.”
She tried to walk, but he held her firm in his arms. He turned her around and pressed a kiss to her mouth.
“Sorry,” he said. “I couldn’t help it.”
“You’re not sorry,” she said.
He grinned. “No, I’m not. Just like I’m not sorry I decided to live here. With you.”
He released her, but she stood on her toes to kiss him again. She was very much in love with her husband and always would be.
That night, when she entered her new bedroom, she found Fred the Alpaca and Shelly the Turtle on her pillow, next to a brand-new cactus plushie.
Cal was the sweetest roommate ever, no doubt about it.
* * * * *
Thank you for reading Her Unexpected Roommate! This is the last book in the Cider Bar Sisters series. I hope you enjoyed spending time with Amy, Charlotte, Nicole, Sierra, Rose, and Julie. If you’d like to read Peter and Valerie’s story, check out Man vs. Durian, part of the Baldwin Village series.
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