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She nods. “When you’re home, I’ll spend all my nights with you.”
From the corner of my eye, I notice the time. “Shit. We really have to go.” I smooth her hair away from her face and place a kiss on the tip of her nose. This detour took up much needed time, but it was worth it. We needed this moment of honesty with ourselves to face the uncertainty of the next few weeks. It solidified our connection and the relationship we established.
I keep hold of her hand for the rest of the drive. The secrecy we have to maintain no longer worries me because I know what’s in her heart and she knows what’s in mine. When we pull up to the house, it feels more like home than it has over the past year. She changed me, and she changed this place too.
“I’m sorry about the mess,” I tell her once we’re inside, staring at the debris left behind by the contractors. Everything seems to be coated in a layer of dust.
“Don’t worry about,” she says with a confident tone as she pulls her hair back. “Gimme two shakes of a lamb’s tail to get it cleaned up.”
There are often moments when I forget Hadley is from the South, but other times, like now, her accent is thick, and she spouts some sort of Southern idiom that makes me laugh.
“I think it might take you longer than that, but I’ll try to be quick.”
She presses a hand to my arm and looks up at me with big, green eyes. “Don’t worry about me, Theo. I’ve got this.” As if to emphasize her point, she makes a sweeping motion with her arm. “You take care of the things you need to and let me worry about this mess.”
My hands reach out, snagging her around the waist, and draw her toward me. I dip my head, pressing my forehead to hers. “Thank you,” I say with a sigh.
She slides her arms up and around my neck, tilting her face up to brush her lips against mine. “I don’t have much experience with relationships, but I imagine this is what we’re supposed to do. Support each other? You need me to clean up so you can focus on keeping your family safe. There is no need to thank me for being your partner.”
Partner. The word almost sounds foreign but in an instant, I recognize Hadley as more than a lover. She stepped into this house as a temporary solution to a problem. She took over and gave me the space I needed to focus on my job. She’s been my partner from the very beginning, and I didn’t realize it until now.
My hold on her tightens and I back her up against the wall, fitting myself against her body. “Tonight,” I state with a hint of warning.
She smirks. “What about tonight?”
I release her, my hands falling away before I step back. A grin spreads across my face. “Use your imagination. Whatever you can dream up, I plan on doing.”
