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He hummed, the corners of his eyes crinkling with happiness. “I’m glad to hear that. Your decision might change later down the line, but it’s nice to hear the odds of you staying are at least somewhat favorable.”
Then he smiled a hair wider, that mischievous spark coming through. “Of course, I’ll be doing my best to convince you to stay as well.”
I figured he would, and I didn’t mind one bit.
Nudging his side, I chuckled. “It probably won’t take much on your part. Just you being you is already making me lean toward staying.” Standing up, before we could get distracted onto another topic, I tugged our joined hands toward the door.
“Come on, we’ll never get there at this rate.”
He followed easily, a tad quieter than before. I didn’t blame him; neither of us had thought about the whole ‘moving’ thing when we’d started the relationship.
While I wasn’t ready to give him a definite answer, I wasn’t lying about leaning toward staying. As long as things kept up how they were, it really wouldn’t be much of a competition.
Chapter 12
We pulled up outside his house again, but this time, instead of leading us around to the shooting range, he took my hand and headed up the steps.
The inside was about what I’d expect from him. It was clean, only a few books sat on the coffee table nearby. The living room was spacious, with a gaming system hooked up under the television with bookshelves on either side of it.
I could just see the kitchen on our immediate left and a hallway leading to what I assumed was his room on the other side. As if to prove that right, he started leading us down that way.
“I can give you the full tour tomorrow, but for now, I’m exhausted.” He hesitated outside of a door, eyes flicking between it and the living room. “I should have asked before, but are you comfortable sharing the bed with me?”
Before he could worry himself about it, I nodded. “I’m fine with that.”
I preferred it, if I were being honest. It’d been what felt like forever since I’d gone to sleep with someone wrapped around me, and now that I knew everything I had with Harvey was a lie, it cheapened the memories I had of back then.
I’d been with him for years. How did I never realize the awful person he was under it all? I’d slept with him, even daydreamed about having a family with him.
So why did I never notice?
Had there been signs I’d overlooked, not wanting to see them?
My heart twisted, unease slithering through my veins. Before it could root deeper, Oliver tugged me back to the present by pressing a kiss into my hair.
“Are you alright? You look thousands of miles away.”
I forced a smile, and then let it fall. There was no point in faking anything with him; I wouldn’t like it if he did that with me, so I’d give him the courtesy of not doing it in the first place.
Instead, I leaned against him and shrugged. “It sounds stupid, but I was thinking about Harvey and how I never noticed who he really was. I’d been with him for years, and not once had I even had an inkling of this mess. He had a sharp temper sometimes, but…”
There’d been no signs that I remembered that he was some kind of monster and having it thrust into my face, even months later, was a blow.
Oliver opened the door and pulled us in. He sat on the bed, pulling me closer until I was between his thighs. Once I was looking at him, he shook his head with a frown. “I know where that train of thought is going, and I’m telling you not to entertain it. Those kinds of people are masters at manipulation, and they know how to show exactly what they want other people to see. He didn’t want you to know about who he really was, so he hid it.”
He squeezed my hands as if that could make me believe him. “It’s not your fault that you didn’t see it. It’s his for doing this to someone like you who didn’t deserve it.”
The tight knot in my chest eased a hair, and I let him tug me closer. Once I was perched on his lap, legs over one side, he wrapped me into a hug and tucked me under his chin. The feeling of safety came racing back and I sighed, cuddling up into his throat.
I may not have been able to see the real Harvey, but every instinct in my body screamed thatthiswas the real Oliver.
Since the minute I met him, he hadn’t been able to hide anything about himself. There were no masks or hidden agendas. This was Oliver and I deeply appreciated that level of transparency.
What I saw was what he was and I definitely approved.
I let the hug continue for a few minutes then reluctantly pulled back with a sigh. “I should get changed so we can go to sleep. You have work tomorrow.”
Not that going to sleep next to him was some kind of hardship but the idea of leaving this minute was less than enthusing. Oliver hummed, not making any move to leave either.
