Clint smirked. “Probably.”
Nodding, I muttered. “I wish I could move Nova into my place like you did with Ivy.”
“Already?”
Frowning at his shocked tone, I pointed out, “You moved Ivy into your place after a few hours.”
“Yeah, but we weren’t dating yet. I was helping her.”
“You’re so full of crap,” I said and chuckled. “Rowdy was recently saying how you were so over the top in love with Ivy that you’d started a chain reaction within the club.”
Clint rubbed at his trimmed beard. “Makes sense. I’m a leader. Setting trends is what I do.”
“Hilarious,” I said and rolled my eyes. “But in all seriousness, how soon do you think I can ask Nova to move in with me?”
“How many dates have you been on?”
“Two. The first one was at her place with the girls.”
“Based on my experience, you should be able to suggest moving in together next week.”
Even grinning at his bullshit, I sighed. “I don’t think Nova wants to move her girls.”
“So what is her plan?”
“I don’t know. I’m being patient.”
“That’s smart. Skylar and Lyric have been through a lot of changes. I’m not sure Skylar can keep going to her school if she moves into your place.”
“Nova could still use Lula’s address and then drive the girls to school. But the condos are no place for kids.”
“The lofts can be festive around the holidays. Of course, in the summer, the place becomes a frat house.”
Clint fell into silence, and I didn’t force a conversation. Our minds were on the future.
“Ivy and I plan to stay at the condos for a while. Eventually, we’ll want a house in Sleepy Eye. You could build a house there now.”
“But that’s long-term. How am I supposed to live separate from Nova until then?”
Clint grinned at my whiny tone. I shook my head, knowing how I sounded. Though I was laid-back about a lot of shit, Nova would never be one of them.
“She came over to my place tonight,” I explained. “Having her in my space felt right, and I hated dropping her off. If her girls weren’t sleeping in her bed while Exile and Lula are on their mini honeymoon, I would have asked to sleep over.”
“Well, Lula and Exile are back tomorrow. Maybe you can let them settle back in and then start sleeping over. You could also have the girls stay at the condo during the weekends.”
“Nova seemed wary about that.”
“Of course. You two barely know each other, and single moms know to be wary of new men in their lives. But that’s temporary.”
Shaking out my arms, I exhaled roughly. “I should be more patient. I’ve wanted Nova for months. I don’t know why I can’t settle down until I see her tomorrow.”
“I felt the same way once I met Ivy. People encouraged me to have Ivy stay at the Sorority House, but I was attached to her immediately. There was no sense behind it.”
“Well, I’m happy to hear my needy bullshit is normal.”
“It’ll be okay,” Clint said as his blue eyes studied me. “Nova’s wariness will fade until she’ll be ready to blend your families.”
Clint had a gift for saying obvious shit while also making his words feel wise and comforting. When I faced jail, he told me to focus on what I would do once I got out. Simple things like that sounded better from him than when I told them to myself.
