AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I got it,” Patrick says as he jogs back up the stairs.
He and Brennan are here helping us move Hartley. We’ve already made one trip and then stopped for lunch. We should be able to get everything in this trip since most of her furniture will be staying in the apartment.
Brennan grabs the back door of Patrick’s car and Hartley slides the box in. I stack mine on top of hers and then step aside for Patrick to set the box of Hartley’s cooking books in next.
“I think that was it,” Patrick says as he closes the back of his car and dusts off his hands.
“I’ll go double-check,” Hartley says and I follow her up the stairs.
“Are you sad to be moving out of this place?” I ask her as she double-checks that all of the cabinets in the kitchen are empty.
“Not really. I mean, I’ll miss the commute in the morning,” she teases as she moves onto the bedroom.
“Can’t beat the commute. You want to call this thing off? I’m sure Patrick would be happy to put everything back.”
Hartley laughs, peeking in her now empty closet.
“Nah, I think you’ll be able to make up for my longer commute in other ways.”
“I’d be happy to,” I tell her as she wraps her arms around my waist.
“This is your last chance, you know.”
“My last chance to do what?”
“To get rid of me. To change your mind. Are you sure that you want me to move in with you?”
“I’m positive,” I answer her immediately. “I love you, sweets. I never want to spend a night apart from you.”
“Good, because I feel the same way.”
“Say it,” I demand.
“Only if you say it first.”
“I love you, sweets.”
“I love you too.”
Those three little words have gotten easier and easier to say over the last few months and now they come so naturally. Hearing her say them back always gives me the same rush of pleasure.
Hartley rises up on her tiptoes, smacking a kiss on my lips before she turns and heads out to the kitchen. Brent, the property manager, told her to just leave her set of keys on the kitchen counter for him to grab later. We already scrubbed this place clean when we packed up everything. Hartley had joked that she never thought we were going to clean up all of the flour and sugar from the kitchen, and I’m sure that there are still some traces around here somewhere.
I make sure the door is locked before I close it and follow Hartley down the stairs and help her into my truck. I wave to Patrick and he pulls out into traffic behind us, following us back to my place.
We spend a few more hours unloading the boxes and helping her unpack before we’re finally done.
“Pizza?” I ask and Brennan seems to be the only one disappointed by that.
I know that he would rather cook and Hartley sees it too.
“Now that we live so close to each other, you can come over for dinner whenever you want. We can cook every night if that’s what you want,” she promises him and he perks up.
I order the pizza and we spend that night crowded in the living room watching some kids show that Brennan loves and finishing off two whole pizzas. Patrick and Brennan leave soon after but I have a feeling that Brennan will be back here tomorrow night to take Hartley up on her cooking offer.
“Ready for bed?” Hartley asks as she clears away the plates and loads the dishwasher.
I don’t answer her, just scoop her up in my arms and carry her down the hallway. Hartley wraps her arms around my neck, grinning as we head into our bedroom.
