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“One, two, three, lift.” I stand with a grunt, the sofa bed that weighs a fucking ton in my hands. Ethan’s on the other end, straining as we shift it to the other corner of the room, the way the girls asked us to.
We set it down, turning to check with them. Mikayla’s nose is wrinkled. Rachel’s lips are pursed.
“Actually, maybe it’s better where it was.” Mikayla crosses her arms, gazing around their new apartment living room.
“Are you fucking kidding me?” Ethan raises his eyebrows at her.
She stares at him for a beat, and then her lips start to twitch. “Actually, yes, I am.”
Rachel laughs, pointing at Ethan. “We got you.”
He shakes his head, sharing a dry look with me before stalking out of the room and slapping Mikayla’s butt on the way past her.
She yelps but doesn’t give chase.
The guy has been a grumpy ass all day, but it’s only because he’s sad Mick’s leaving. Yes, she’s just down the road, but he’s still hating it. The guy likes having his woman in his bed every night, and he’s gonna miss her.
I get it.
We’ve been working like Trojans this morning, helping the girls rearrange their new apartment and lugging up the few new pieces of furniture they bought. The place was mostly furnished, but they wanted to add a bookcase, and they fell in love with this coffee table when they were out shopping, so the one that was already here is going into storage. The girls have spent the morning putting the bookcase together while Ethan and I have hauled the rest of their shit up to the third floor.
There’s a bunch of boxes to unpack. Rachel arranged for her old boss in Fontana to stop by Theo’s place and grab what was left of her things. Thankfully, Rachel didn’t have much there. She was half expecting to find out Theo had burned it all, but it was waiting in four boxes when her boss arrived, and she couriered them over to Colorado.
Only a few of the items were damaged. Her eyes welled up when she discovered her personally signed copies of her favorite romance novels had been ripped up and graffitied with permanent marker. Cartoon dicks and hairy balls were littered through the pages along with insults like “bitch” and “slut” in capital letters.
I took a photo of the covers and will contact the authors this week. There’s no way that asshole is making my girl cry again. We’re still waiting to hear what’s gonna happen with the guy. Rachel’s pressed charges, and we have the video evidence to prove it, but he’s a first-time offender (sort of—there’s no proof of his first attack on Rachel), and his uncle’s an amazing lawyer with contacts for other amazing lawyers around the country, so Theo will be well represented. He’ll probably get a slap on the wrist, which makes me livid, but at least we’ve secured a restraining order.
Once all the legal stuff is over, he’d better not even think about stepping foot in Nolan again.
I follow Ethan back downstairs and head for Hockey House. We’ve only got Mikayla’s and Rachel’s bags left, so we walk down the street to collect them, chatting about the new apartment.
The girls are gonna turn that place into a home, and it won’t take much. It has a cozy feel already. I can see why they like it. The kitchen is amazing. Considering the size of the apartment, it’s quite big, and it’s all new and shiny. It was just redone last year, and the look on Rachel’s face as she unpacked the new utensils and cutlery she’d bought was a thing of beauty. She’s gonna love baking in there.
By the time we return, the bookcase is secured against the wall. Mick’s packing up the tools while Rachel is loading up the shelves. She has a pretty decent collection of books. She obviously loves buying ones with pretty covers and spines. The look on her face as she arranges them like a rainbow is adorable.
“Looks cool.” I point at it.
“Thanks.” She beams.
Once again, I’m struck by her beauty. By the fact that she’s my girl.
I love her so fucking much.
“Babe, would you quit sulking? You’re killing my happy buzz.” Mikayla tucks herself against Ethan.
He flops his arm over her shoulders, gazing around the apartment. “I’m gonna miss you, okay?”
“I’m just down the road, and I’m not planning on sleeping here every night. I’m kinda hoping we can take turns.” She gazes up at him, nudging him with her hip until he turns to look down at her. “Would you just smile, please? I’m not leaving you.”
His lips twitch with a barely there grin.
“Why don’t you sleep at Hockey House tonight, then?” I suggest. “It’ll give Ray and me a chance to christen every room.”
My girlfriend gasps, whipping around to bulge her eyes at me. “You did not just say that.”
Ethan’s already laughing, lifting Mick off her feet and carrying her toward the door. “Have fun, you two. It’ll be our turn next weekend.”
“Ethan!” Mikayla complains, but it’s all for show. The look on her face is electric as she dives for his mouth.
