Page 73 of Dirty Play

Gwen

The days after the party went far too quickly, and before we knew it, it was time to head back into the city. After we load up and say our goodbyes—which is the hardest part—we get into Cade’s truck and start the drive. Part of me is looking forward to being back home, back in a routine, but there’s just one problem.

Home is no longer a place.

Home is a person. An amazing six-foot-four goalie with dark brown eyes and a backwards hat, and fuck, I love him. Even better is the fact that he loves me, too. So now, what the hell am I going to do when we get back to the city? Do we go our separate ways? Back to our own places?

We can’t.

I’ve slept next to him every single night since we’ve been here, and every single morning I’ve woken up with his arms wrapped around me. How am I supposed to try and sleep without him now that I've had that?

Dammit.

“Why are you being so quiet?” Cade asks, one hand on the wheel, the other on my thigh.

“I’m sorry,” I murmur, realizing I’ve been zoned out for at least the last fifteen minutes. “I guess it just feels weird going home.”

“What do you mean?” he asks as he reaches over and turns down the radio, the sweet sound of Morgan Wallen playing in the background.

“How can I go home when I don’t know where that even is anymore? The last two weeks I’ve felt more at home than I have in my entire life, and that’s scary. It’s scary because it didn’t matter where we were as long as I was with you.”

My heart is racing, and I feel anxious, all at the thought of going to my empty apartment, alone. What am I? Sixteen? I’m a grown-ass adult.

“What are you saying?” he asks, his grip on my hand tightening.

“I guess I just hate that you’ll be at your place, and I’ll be at mine,” I tell him. “I guess I’m used to sleeping with you.”

The man smirks at me before he starts chuckling. “Aw, Tink. Are you worried you’re going to miss me?”

I just glare, folding my arms. I’m sure I look like a toddler throwing a tantrum but that’s how I feel right now. I don’t want to be away from him.

“I hate you,” I grumble, earning me a throaty laugh.

“No, you don’t, Tink. Which is why, maybe, you don’t go back to your place…” he says, his eyes still on the road. “And… if you do… maybe you don’t go back alone?”

My heart feels like it’s floating, he may not have said the words exactly, but this is the closest to Cade asking me to move in with him that I think I’m going to get, and I’m not even mad about it. I can’t help the shit-eating grin that crosses my face, knowing that this man, this big, beautiful man, loves me.

“Are you asking me to move in with you?” I ask, spelling it out for him, and his cheeks immediately redden. “Cade Williams… are you blushing?”

He glances over, his cheeks still red, but this time, he’s smiling.

“Yes, I’m asking you to move in with me.”

All I can do is smile and nod, immediately excited at the prospect.

“I’ve never lived with anyone besides my family before,” I tell him.

“Me neither, Tink. I guess we can be each other's firsts.”

Driving into the city, with all the traffic and the constant hustle and bustle around us, is almost depressing. We’ve been in this quiet little bubble for the last two weeks, and although it’s been a little tense at times, and we’ve all had to work through things, it’s also given us the time to realize just how much we mean to each other.

I don’t think I’ve ever known love like what Cade shows me. He makes me feel cared for, seen, and strong in a way that I’ve never felt before. Having Cade on my team makes me feel like I can face the world with a smile. As we pull up to my place, I’m grateful for that because I see my parents stepping out of a town car in front of my building.

“What the heck are they doing here?” I grumble.

“Who’re they?” Cade asks as he pulls up behind them.

We had already planned that we both needed to get home tonight. I need to get ready for work tomorrow and Cade has a follow-up appointment first thing in the morning, so until we figure out our plan for living together—we’ll be separated for at least tonight. It sucks, but it’ll make tomorrow easier for us.

---