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I clench my fists beneath the table, suddenly angry with Steve. I had no idea that he and his daughter weren’t that close. He’s certainly got the money to support her if he wants to, but the fact that she won’t ask him to do so tells me everything I need to know. He’s not the father she deserves.
“I’m sorry,” I say honestly, she deserves the world. “You should be able to do whatever you want.”
Elle smiles. “Maybe. But life is never that simple, right? We can’t all just have whatever we want, whenever we want it.”
“Maybe not. But I don’t care about other people. I want you to have the world at your feet,” I grumble. Maybe I’m being a little intense considering we just met, but when an idea comes to my head I can’t push it away. My feelings for her are so strong that I know I won’t regret what I’m about to say. I stare deep into her eyes.
“You should come and live with me.”
Her eyes widen. “Wh…what?”
“I mean it. I want to offer you a place in my home. You wouldn’t need to work. You could focus on your writing for as long as you’d like. Having a job would only slow you down, and I don’t need to read your writing to know that you’re incredible. Your writing should be out there in the world. If I can support you and make that happen, then that’s what I’ll do.”
Her mouth gapes in shock. She can barely believe what I’m telling her. But I mean every word of it. We may still be strangers to one another, but we won’t be for long. Things are moving fast, and I want to keep the ball rolling. I don’t want her to go anywhere and I know she wants to be at my side. So why do we have to take it slow? I want to begin my life with her right now.
“I…I don’t know what to say,” Elle says quietly.
“Say yes,” I growl. “I know it sounds like a big deal, moving in with a man you barely know, but you feel it too, don’t you? This connection between us. It’s so strong, so powerful. I have no intention of letting it slip away. If we crash and burn, so be it, but I’m not letting you go without giving us a real shot. And I want you with me. I want to wake up next to you every damn day. I want to be able to touch you whenever I want…” I reach across the table for her hand. She still looks shocked, but she also looks elated. I know she wants this just as much as I do. We don’t have to pretend otherwise when it’s just the two of us. Fuck the rest of the world for making us feel like we can’t do this when we can. They’re just minor obstacles on our journey.
And when we’re together, we don’t need to care about anyone else.
“Let’s do it,” Elle whispers, a smile spreading across her face. “I want to be with you, Will, that’s why I’m saying yes. You don’t need to support me, I’ll pay my way.”
“You can do as you like, but I’m more than happy to support you financially,” I say. “I want to take care of you. I want to protect you from the world. I don’t give a shit about money. Hell, you can run me dry if you wanted to. As long as I’m with you, none of the rest matters.”
Her eyes soften, and tears spring to her eyes. I squeeze her hand, worried I’ve said too much.
“What’s wrong? Don’t cry.”
She sniffs with a smile. “I’m sorry. You haven’t upset me, I swear. It’s just…I never thought I’d be cared for like this. I never expected to meet someone who wanted to give me the world…and this has all moved so quickly…it almost seems too good to be true.”
“It’s not,” I tell her. “You’d better believe that I’d do anything for you, Elle. You’re mine now. What’s mine is yours. I want our lives to blend fully. None of the rest matters, baby. Just you and me.”
I raise my glass again, ready for another toast. “To you and me, forever.”
“You and me,” she whispers, clinking her glass against mine. We drink, our hands still linked across the table. And suddenly, I feel like I know her inside out. One look in her eyes and I’m learning her. One touch between us and this thing between us goes deeper than skin level. It doesn’t matter anymore if she doesn’t tell me everything about her tonight. We have the rest of our lives to learn the little things. Now that she’s mine, we have plenty of time for that because our hearts are what matter and I know hers.
