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His hands encircled her waist. “I just don’t want you to feel pressured to give up your own space.”
She cocked an eyebrow at him. “Okay, now it’s starting to feel like you’re the one having doubts. Are you trying to wriggle out of this? It’s okay if you are—you just have to say so.”
“Nope. No doubts whatsoever.” His blue eyes shone with as much certainty as she’d ever seen in them. “I’m unbelievably excited about moving in with you. I just want to make sure you’re happy.”
“I can’t remember ever being happier,” she replied as she rose up on her toes to kiss him.
He returned her kiss much harder and deeper, the passion flaring easily and quickly between them as he pushed his hips into hers.
Before things could get too hot and heavy, Brooke dragged herself away from the kiss and tugged Dylan toward the back door. “Let’s look out back. I want to see these shared laundry facilities.”
A small, plain patch of grass filled the space between the duplex and the small garage that hosted a washer and dryer. They weren’t as new as the appliances in the kitchen, but they were perfectly serviceable, and sharing with only one other household would be a step up for both of them from their current circumstances.
“I really like this place,” Dylan said, pulling Brooke into his arms as they stood on the driveway overlooking the backyard.
She grinned at the eagerness in his expression, which reminded her of a child begging his mom for a new toy. “It’s the first place we’ve looked at,” she reminded him.
“I know, but…” His nose nuzzled against hers. “It feels like us. I can picture us living here.”
Winding her hands around his neck, she gazed past him at the house. “It’s expensive though.” She didn’t even know what the rent was, but she could guess. This much space? In this area? It must be unimaginably expensive.
Brooke had another year left of her PhD program. She wasn’t in a position to contribute much to their household expenses and wouldn’t be for a while. She was on target to defend her dissertation next spring, but everything after that was a big question mark. Hopefully, she’d be able to find a job here, but there was always a chance she wouldn’t. They’d talked about it a little, about the possibility she might need to leave Los Angeles.Theymight need to leave. Dylan had said he’d go with her, wherever she ended up. He’d find a way to make it work, he’d said, and she believed him.
She didn’t worry about the future as much as she used to. Whatever happened, she knew Dylan would be there with her. They’d figure it out.
“Not that much more expensive than my current place,” he pointed out. Which was also unimaginably expensive as far as Brooke was concerned. His lips brushed her temple as his hands stroked up her back. “And I told you, you don’t have to worry about that.”
Dylan’s clothing line was really starting to take off. Their pieces were already available at three prominent Los Angeles boutiques, and they were in negotiations with two more in Manhattan. Justin Theroux and Rami Malek had both worn their designs, and Rami’s stylist had hosted an exclusive dinner on the rooftop of a trendy West Hollywood hotel to fete the label, which would be debuting its first full-fledged collection this season.
All of this was extremely weird for Brooke. She wasn’t used to being someone who had occasion to use the word “fete” in normal conversation, much less went to parties where Rami Malek was in attendance. But she was learning to fake it.
“It’s even walking distance to our favorite bookstore,” Dylan pointed out.
Brooke wasn’t sure she’d classify two miles as “walking distance,” but perhaps she could work her way up to a hike over to The Ripped Bodice. It was easy to picture herself taking walks with Dylan in this neighborhood, the two of them strolling hand in hand down the sidewalk in the evenings, saying hello to their neighbors as they passed.
“Maybe I’ll take up gardening,” she mused, shielding her eyes from the sun as she turned to survey the small yard. “We could put some containers along there, and maybe some patio furniture.”
Dylan’s arms wrapped around her from behind. “We could start a kitchen garden. Grow herbs and some vegetables maybe.”
“We could compost.”
“I could get a barbecue grill.” He nuzzled her cheek, his breath raising goose bumps on her arms. “Imagine us, living in our very own house.”
“Half a house.” She could imagine it so easily. The two of them coming home to each other at the end of every day.
There were a few more places they’d planned to look at today, but she had a feeling they’d end up taking this one. Dylan was right. It did feel like them.
“Can we get it?” The question was a murmur in her ear. “Please?”
Brooke spun in his arms and smacked a kiss on his mouth. “Yes. If it’s the one you want. Whatever makes you happy makes me happy.”
She didn’t really care where they lived. All that mattered was that they were together.
As long as she was with Dylan, she was home.
