“What’s wrong?” he asks me as I approach, his eyes on mine.
Everything in me wants to tell him, but I just can’t do it. I can’t tell him my parents are fucking with me by going out of their way to cut my fucking electricity. The lump in my throat gets so big it’s hard to swallow. “Nothing, really. Just got a call from the electrical department.”
“Yeah?” His jaw gets tight. “And?”
“They can come fix it tomorrow.”
“Good.” He opens the door for me. I get in and watch him walk around the truck and get into his seat. “We need to talk when we get home.” I’m curious, but he doesn’t say anything else before we get to his house.
When he opens his front door, the cold air hits me right away. The door isn’t even closed before he’s pushing my back against it. His hand grips the side of my neck before he kisses the ever-loving shit out of me.
“Want to shower with me?” he asks. I nod my head, and he leads me through the house to the bathroom. He starts the shower as he peels his shirt over his head. “So, I was thinking today . . .”
“Yeah?” I watch him lean down and untie his boots.
“I was wondering if you would be willing to . . .” I wait for him to say the rest. “. . . move in with me?”
“Um, what?”
“We’re dating already.”
“Hasn’t it been just four days since we’ve been official?” I hold up my hand with four fingers. “Not months, not years . . . days.”
“Right, but we sort of have been living with each other for the past two weeks.”
“Um, where?” I laugh. “When was I there?” I point to myself.
He laughs. “We stayed with each other at my other house, near my parents.”
“Right, for three days. Today is four.”
“But before we went there, we were together for two weeks. Anyway, it’s just a number.”
“It’s not a big number. And I have my own house.”
“So rent it out,” he tells me like it’s nothing. “Or if you want, I can move in there. But with the baby coming . . . all I’m saying is think about it. I don’t want to go to bed without you knowing you aren’t going to be coming home to me.” He shakes his head. “Actually, it’s nonnegotiable. We aren’t sleeping without the other person. So if you won’t move in here, I’ll move in with you. My bed is bigger, though, and you do like to sleep like a starfish.”
“I do not sleep like a starfish,” I defend myself. “How could I sleep like a starfish when you cocoon over me all the time?”
He smiles as if I didn’t just insult him. “I want you close,” he retorts softly.
“Theo, can you imagine what people are going to say?”
“I don’t give a fuck what they say. I know the truth and you know the truth, and that’s all that matters.”
“It’s not as easy as that.” I shake my head.
He comes to me, standing in front of me. “It is if you make it that easy.” He kisses me and pulls my shirt over my head. “All I want is for you to think about it.” He bends to kiss the side of my neck. “Now let’s take a shower because we need to fuck, nap, and then go for dinner.” I can’t help but burst out laughing. Something I have to admit I’ve been doing a lot more of since he’s come into my life. Things might be crashing around me, but he makes me feel like he’s got a protective shield surrounding me. Still, I know more than anyone, a shield can only be up for so long before someone knocks it down.
The next day, I’m in the middle of my shift, sitting on the couch as we wait for the next call out, when my phone rings.
“Hey,” I say to Finley, getting up and walking down the steps to talk to her privately, “it’s about time you called me back.”
“I’m so sorry. I’ve been—” She trails off. “I’m here. What’s up? What’s going on?”
“Do you think it’s too fast to move in with Theo?” I ask her, fast-forwarding through all of the rest. “Like, it’s not a good idea, right?”
“Why not?”
