I huffed a laugh. “Sincewe are going to be together, we need to figure out the logistics. For example, I don’t live here. My life and my job are in the city.”
Caspian paused, and from the way his eyes searched my face, I could tell he’d already thought this through and was deciding the best way to share his thoughts.
“I’ll move to be with you, if you want. I’d give up everything for you.” He stepped closer, and I wrapped my arms aroundhis waist, enjoying the solid strength of him. “But you said you loved it here, and I know you’d like to be closer to your grandmother. So my vote is that you quit that job you hate and move in with me.”
My mouth fell open. It shouldn’t have caught me off guard, but moving in after knowing each other a week seemed ludicrous. I’d been imagining dating long distance, but the moment the option crossed my mind, I almost laughed out loud. Neither of us would tolerate being hours away from each other—much less days or weeks.
One of us had to move.
Caspian continued. “You’ll be walking distance from your grandmother, right on the beach. You won’t even have to work if you don’t want to, but you can start freelancing again if you want.”
“I still want my own income,” I said, leaning back.
“Of course,” he said quickly. “But that money is just for you. I own the house with my brothers, I’ll take care of all the bills, food, whatever you need.”
“Caspian,” I said. “I can’t let you pay for everything.”
“Yes, you can,” he said, his gray eyes wide and beseeching. “I don’t like to brag, but we’ve been pretty successful. I’ve got plenty of money.”
I tensed, remembering all the times Derek blamed me for the fact we didn’t have enough money for bills after I’d purchased groceries or gas for our car. Caspian ran his hands over my shoulders and down my arms, soothing me.
“I promise,” he said softly.
My mouth opened and closed, unsure of what to say.
“I think I need some time to think. Do you mind if we go check on my gran?”
Caspian nodded—no argument, just acceptance of what I wanted and needed. I knew in my soul he would take care of me. I just had to convince my brain that it was okay to accept it.
Chapter 20
Gran Knows Best
Caspian
Conflicting thoughts flickered behind Juniper’s eyes, and I would have given anything to wash away all of her worries. She nibbled on her bottom lip as we wandered along the edge of the water, taking our time walking back to her grandmother’s cottage.
The house was quiet, but the signs of the reunion lingered. Her family had left the tables set up on the lawn, and paper plates and plastic silverware overflowed from trash bags. Juniper crossed her arms and scowled at the mess.
“I’ll take care of it,” I murmured, pulling out my phone and sending a text message.
She knocked on the door, and a few minutes later, hergrandmother answered.
“Junie, I am so glad to see you. I saw your beau carry you off, but I didn’t expect you’d miss the entire reunion.”
The older woman had changed into a matching pajama set, despite the fact the sun wouldn’t set for at least another hour.
“Gran, can we talk?” Juniper asked sweetly.
“Of course, my dear.”
Her grandmother pushed the door open wider and then shuffled back to the sofa. A huge slice of cake sat on a plate on the coffee table beside a glass of wine and the television remote.
Smiling, I busied myself tidying up the kitchen while my little witch settled on the sofa with her grandmother. I tried to not listen, but it was impossible when my heart was ready to burst from my chest.
“So, where did you disappear to?” her grandmother asked.
Juniper turned a brilliant shade of magenta. “Um, Caspian actually lives nearby and, um, I met his brothers. We had dinner together. It was really nice.”
