Page 92 of An Unexpected Home

“I would hope not since it’s pretty obvious to me that you like women.”

“Hysterical,” he deadpanned.

She stopped moving suddenly. “How is this going to work?”

“What do you mean?” he asked, taking a slow sip of his finally cooled coffee.

“I live here for free and I don’t really have a lot of extra money, so I can’t really afford to pay rent.”

His mug almost slipped from his hand and coffee sloshed over the top when it landed hard on the table. He was going to shout at her that she was insane if she thought that he wanted her to pay rent. But he quickly calmed. “Leah,” he stood and went to her, “I don’t want us to be roommates, I want us to live together as a couple. A couple who shares things. All things. But I don’t want or even need your money. Hell, my house is paid off.”

“Won’t people think –”

“Stop right there,” he told her. “I don’t care what people think and I thought you were starting to get to that point, too?”

“I was,” she sighed. “I am.” She leaned into him, her head resting against his chest. “I would just hate it if people thought bad of you. This is your town.”

“This is your town now too, Leah, and you have to start remembering that no one cares.”

He stroked her back, reassuringly.

Against his chest she mumbled, “So should I be telling the truck to drop my stuff at your house?”

“Our house,” he said, pulling away to look at her, “and yes.”

Chapter 23

Leah had no idea if she was doing the right thing or not by moving in with Brandon. All she knew was that being with him made her feel good. And, it was funny because, before the whole crazy money scheme with her dad and uncle, she had assumed she was happy.

She’d had people who she thought loved her, a job she loved, lived in an awesome city and even dated every once in a while.

But that was a version of happiness that only worked if you didn’t know what true happiness was. Once you got a taste of the real thing, no one would ever mistake that life for happy.

She had just been surviving, until Cedarville.

And now that she was here, she was thriving. And she didn’t ever want to go back.

---