Page 80 of Camden

I kissed her palm. “I’m in love with you. That changes everything. But I get what you’re saying. I’ll go, but I’m not going to be happy about it.”

“I love you, too. But you’re going to love spending time with the guys.”

“Maybe.”

“See. Now finish packing so that we can have a movie night before you leave.” She patted my face twice. Moving the covers, she motioned for me to stand so that she could as well. She slipped her feet into the slippers I bought her and wrapped her arms around my waist. Her head fit perfectly beneath my chin.

“Are you sure you’re up for it?”

She nodded. Her unruly hair tickled my nose. “Yeah. Having you hold me sounds like the perfect remedy to whatever this is.”

* * *

Inhaling deeply,I kicked my feet up on the stone fire pit that was covered in bottle caps. It was getting close to dark, and we’d spent the entire day laughing, drinking, and fishing. I glanced around the wooded area surrounding us.

It truly was peaceful out here. More peaceful than I could’ve hoped for when I bought it. The fresh air and sound of the river running calmed everything in me.

“One day, I’m going to live out here,” I said. Though it had always been the plan, I’d been thinking about it more and more. Stephanie loved it here as much as me. Every minute we spent here made it that much more clear I had made the right choice in purchasing it.

Mason tipped his beer in my direction. “You should. That way, I can spend every weekend in the summer out here with our kids.”

“Nix would love to spend time out here,” Asher agreed, looking around. He focused on the water. “Although we might need to strap a life jacket to her at all times.”

“I don’t have any kids,” I said.

Mason chuckled. “Not yet.”

“Yeah. Not yet.” I said, not bothering to hide the longing in my voice. Of course, all three assholes picked up on it. I swear they each sat up straighter and gawked at me. Not that Mason and Asher’s surprise surprised me. I was the last person they would’ve expected to settle down and want a family.

It’s her.With Stephanie, everything was different.

“Are you thinking about it?” Mason asked before taking a pull of his beer. One elbow rested on his knee as he leaned toward me.

I tapped a finger on the beer bottle in my hand. “I would love to have kids with Stephanie. I just don’t know if she would be ready this soon. I’m still working on having her move in with me.”

“She’s living with you,” Grayson said.

“Temporarily.” Distaste dripped from the word.

Mason shook his head. “If you truly believe that, you’re an idiot.”

Asher and Grayson both chuckled, nodding in agreement. I looked at each of them before turning back toward Mason.

My forehead scrunched in confusion. “What do you know?” I asked him.

“Nothing. Just that she’s been a permanent fixture at your place since you started dating.”

“And she’s signed over her lease to me,” Grayson added.

My head whipped in his direction. He sat directly across the firepit. “What?”

“She didn’t tell you?” He asked. I shook my head slowly, and he chuckled. “She would keep this a secret. Last week. Her lease was up, so she didn’t renew. Convinced the apartment building just to lease it out to me instead.”

“Where’s all of her stuff?” Asher asked as my head spun with what this could mean for us. My chest expanded with hope.

“No idea. Storage unit?” Grayson suggested.

“Why wouldn’t she have said anything?” I wondered out loud, more to myself than anyone else.

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