I knelt in front of him, questioning every move I’d ever made since I’d met him, and beating myself up for all the things I should have said a lot earlier.
Milo smoothed my hair back and tilted his head. “But you’re leaving.”
A nervous chuckle tore out of me. “I’m not. I’m moving into Wendigo Hills. We don’t need to decide anything now, there is no pressure. I’m staying whether you’ll have me or not. But it would be nice if you did. Want me that is.”
“We set boundaries, and I was sticking to them. I didn’t want to be clingy and desperate. But it’s good that you’re staying,” he said calmly and traced his fingertips down my cheek and beard. “Because I love you too.”
Tears sprang to my eyes, and I didn’t even try to keep them from falling freely. “Oh thank fuck.”
He pulled my face to kiss me briefly on the lips, then my nose, both my cheeks, and back to my lips where he stayed, tasting my tears as I did his.
“I thought you had to go. You have a job and a life.”
“Fuck my job.” I took his hands in mine. “You’re my life.”
Milo snorted through tears. “Who’s dramatic now? You don’t mean it.”
“I do.”
“It’s not fair.” He chewed on his bottom lip, his face scrunched in that cute way reminiscent of when he was analyzing mathproblems. “I’m not sacrificing anything for this relationship, and you uproot your entire life.”
“You know who you are and what’s important to you. I started figuring it out for myself when I met you. Now I have a better idea, and it does not involve me moving away from this town or being far from you. Yes, it’s you. But I also like it here and I want a job I won’t feel sick about going to every morning.”
“What will you do?”
“Organizing the bake-off gave Troy and me an opportunity to test some waters. We’ll be opening a company together that would focus on securing sponsorships and loans for small businesses, including the local ones who are struggling. We use our expertise and years of experience but help communities instead. I will have my office in Wendigo Hills, and Troy will work from Chicago.”
“That sounds fantastic. Several family-owned places in the area went bankrupt over the past year, and more are on their way out. But…but you love the city.”
“We can go on trips together sometime. You said it yourself that I was unhappy at work. It made me miserable. The city is a bunch of buildings if it’s not a home. And Milo, you are my home.”
Milo sniffled and wiped his face with his hand. “Will you move in with me? Unless you want your own space.”
This conversation was moving on quickly. And I was ready for it.
“I don’t. I put my condo in Chicago up for sale, and I was planning to get something small here, but if we live at your house, I’ll go forward with the offer I made for the lake cabin.”
Milo’s eyes lit up. “The one we went to?”
“Yup. You liked it, right?”
“I loved it. Fuck, Rowan.” Milo buried his face in his hand and released a sob.
“Then it will be ours. You can decorate it however you want.”
“It was perfect the way it was. And for the rest, I’d rather ask Raina, we both suck at decorating.” He laughed through tears.
“That works.” I put my head on his lap and wrapped my arms around his waist.
“We just repainted our future in one conversation. We have so much to do now.”
“But we’ll do it together. I love you. I will say it all the time now.”
“Good. I want to hear it. I love you too.”
Author’s notes:
I’m not crying. You are.
