All This Time

NEW YEARS BONUS #1 (Part 1)

ayo, friends! You asked and I delivered! We're going to have a crossover between All This Time and its spinoff novel, Bitter Brews, set during Levi's gallery opening!

I would advise reading Bitter Brews up to Chapter 23rd ☕ (Part 1) in order to best understand the New Years Bonus and avoid any potential spoilers, but it is not essential.

If you like ATT and BB, I hope you'll consider voting and commenting. It immensely helps me out and helps boost the story's ranking in the Hot List, which means even more readers can find and enjoy my work. I really hate to be a nag about this, but it does make me sad to see that out of so many reads, so few people vote! It makes me think you're not enjoying the story and I really hate to think that!

"Remember when you said you were a citizen of the world?" I teased my boyfriend, Wolfram van der Waals, as I watched him heave his many bags into his apartment. "It stinks we're only going to be back in New York for a week before we have to leave again. But," I added, "I am looking forward to going to South Africa."

As I said the words, I couldn't help but remember our first meeting, when the blond billionaire had bragged about his family's many homes on many different continents. By his scowl, Wolf remembered the comment, too.

I couldn't believe I had only one week. One week in which to squeeze in parent visits, Xander time, Brett time, and, of course, attend Levi's gallery opening. The thought of seeing all three of my best friends again filled me with giddy thrill and I couldn't hold back my grin, even knowing that our time together would be short.

And, I had to admit, I was totally jonesing for news about Levi's new girlfriend.

"You could," Wolf huffed, "help me with these." He dragged the last brown, monogrammed suitcase over the threshold before he let the door slam shut behind us.

I pretended to think about it, tapping a long, French-manicured nail against my chin. "Hmm...let me think about that." I smiled. "No. They're your bags. Haven't you heard of packing everything in a carry-on?" I nodded toward my much smaller roll-along.

His brow creased in deep lines. "Charlotte," he said in a voice that was half chuckle, half scold. I could tell from his tone that we were both remembering the same moment in our past.

"Wolfram," I mimicked. But I couldn't resist taking a step closer and brushing his bangs away from his face. "I could plant seeds in these furrows." I traced the indentation with a tender finger, relishing in the way his eyes closed and his breath grew shallow.

"Agriculture analogies? You sure know how to woo a guy." The corners of his eyes crinkled.

"It's good to be home," I said with a happy sigh, whirling away from him. Facing his apartment, the place I hadn't lived for almost a year, I felt a rush of nostalgia. The kitchen where we'd chopped, baked, and sautéed for our first "couple" dinner.

It had made me laugh in remembered memory while I was abroad. The simmering tension between us as we'd fought tooth and nail—both each other and against our own chemistry—no longer existed, now replaced by a more sustainable passion. One that wouldn't burn and consume us until there was nothing left.

I felt the spark of our flickering passion as Wolf's arms circled around me. Even the last few days spent in the freezing Netherlands had done nothing to cool the flames. I leaned my head against his chest and sighed.

I loved my travels and seeing new cities, but there was something comforting about being in my city. Especially in winter, when the street lights glowed golden in the silver-white of the snow and the world looked magical under the twinkling strings of fairy lights.

"So about this being home," murmured Wolf. "Did you mean that?"

It had just been an expression, but after he made me confront my careless words, I realized they'd been more true than I'd realized. "New York is home," I said, choosing my words.

"I didn't mean that." His warm breath tickled behind my ears. "And you know it."

"But," I said brightly, turning around to face him. "Did you mean it when you said you'd travel with me on my assignments for the next few months?"

Wolf's arms tightened around my waist. "I did agree to become a citizen of the world with you," he agreed, smile not reaching his eyes. "Spending somewhere warm and sunny sounds pretty good right about now."

"The cold isn't that bad," I started to say, but he cut me off with a speedy, "Move in with me, Charlotte."

"What?"

Wolf chuckled. "Come on. Don't tell me you weren't expecting this. I mean, we did—" He waggled his eyebrows at me and I flushed, swatting at his chest.

"I know we...hooked up," I exclaimed, still feeling the burn on my cheeks. "But we never...I mean...we never discussed—"

"So let's discuss it now," he broke in smoothly. "I'll travel anywhere in the world with you, as long as we have our home to come back to." His blue eyes twinkled at me in that knowing, challenging way of his. "What do you say, Charlotte?"

What could I say to that?