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Offside Rules

Page 177

by Kenna King

"And when I get back, I want you upstairs."

Her mouth lifts. "Most of my things are still there."

"I mean all of them, Baylor."

She looks up at me.

"You want me to move in?"

"I want to come home to you. Without a kitchen renovation deciding how long you get to stay."

Her fingers curl into my shirt.

"You realize I have a perfectly good kitchen downstairs now and an entire shop downtown."

"Good, because I hear the upstairs neighbor’s an asshole."

She shrugs. "He has his moments. But he’s a great snuggler and he makes the best breakfast."

"You’re lying, the eggs suck. But there’s a better bathtub to make up for it."

She laughs, and I feel it against my chest.

"I’m going to need more than one drawer."

"You can have as many as you want."

"And somewhere for my clothes. You’ve seen how much laundry I have."

"You can have the entire walk-in closet if you want. I’ll live out of my suitcase if that’s what it takes to make sure you never go back downstairs."

She smiles at me, wide enough that I’m starting to wish I’d asked her this weeks ago.

"Then yes. I’ll move in."

"I just have one rule we need to discuss."

"Okay…" Her smile turns suspicious. "Let’s hear it."

"The fully dressed rule has to go. I have every intention of being a distraction to you every chance I get."

Her eyes brighten. "I suppose that can be arranged."

I kiss her before she can add anything else to the list.

The office door opens behind me.

"If you two are planning to stand out here all night, I’m going home," Dad announces. "Marcy’s waiting, and I told her Baylor would be hungry."

"I am," Baylor says, stepping back just enough to look at him.

"Good. Someone in this family appreciates being fed."

"I ate dinner with you an hour ago," I argue.

"And complained about the detour. Look how well that turned out."

Baylor laughs while Dad locks the door.