Page 31 of Kiss me Forever

I smile as I park next to him then walk to the open front door. I peek inside to see an empty home. What in the world is going on? The home is stunning, large, and seems like it’s been plucked out of a home and garden magazine with old-world charm with modern updates.

“Magnus,” I call out, my voice echoing through the large entryway in the empty home. I glance around. The places is spotless, but clearly not inhabited.

Magnus appears in the hall and waves me inside. He rushes forward, pulls me into his arms, and kisses me like it’s been days since he’s seen me instead of hours. I almost forget everything else as he holds me. When he finally lets me go, I’m a little wobbly on my feet.

“What are we doing here?” I finally ask when I can speak again.

He doesn’t answer me. “What do you think about this place?” he asks, a mischievous glint in his eyes. I’ve come to realize this look means he’s up to something.

I pull back and look around. Maybe he’s looking at investment properties. I give it a critical eye as we begin walking. “It’s stunning,” I tell him. “The rooms are large with high ceilings so you don’t feel closed in. The large windows give a ton of natural light, and the fact that there are no neighbors within viewing distance gives it privacy. I guess it depends on the kitchen and if it has a library if it’s a winner or not.”

He laughs. He then takes my hand and leads me forward into a stunning kitchen that’s every chef’s dream come true. While the original house has to be at least fifty years old, it’s been greatly updated with large open spaces. When he moves down another hall and I find a two-story library, it seals it for me, this house is perfect.

“If you’re looking for investments, this is it. It’s amazing,” I say, not wanting to exit the library. I don’t even need to see the bedrooms at this point.

“I’m not looking for investments, but I did just buy the home,” he tells me.

I gape at him. “Really?” I’m a bit confused. “You already own a gorgeous home.”

“I don’t understand how you can’t see how much I adore you. I can’t stand living an hour apart. I can work from home, and in this place, it will be easy.” He pauses and takes a breath, holding both of my hands as he faces me. “Please move in with me. Let’s jump in with both feet. I’ve never wanted to live with anyone other than my mother and sister before, never even thought of doing that, but I can’t stand the thought of not living with you. I know we should’ve picked out a place together, but I’ve been looking for the past month and this just came on the market, and I jumped. I didn’t want to lose it.”

My heart’s thundering while skipping several beats at the same time. Can a person have a heart attack from being so happy? I might just find out. This isn’t a declaration of love, and it’s not a marriage proposal, but I think either of those would terrify me a little. This somehow doesn’t seem as scary. It feels right . . . it feels significant.

“You don’t think we’re moving too fast?” I say. He seems sure, but living together is a whole different matter entirely.

Magnus pulls me against him, still looking in my eyes. “I really want us to do this, Piper. It scares me far more to live apart from each other. I’ve done nothing but think about this.”

“We really should look at the pros and cons of this before jumping,” I say, trying to keep my feet on the ground. “You’ll have to commute so much longer when going to the city. Country life is a lot less exciting than city life. What if you want to host a party, but it’s too far for people to travel? I don’t know if you’ve thought about all of this.”

He laughs. “I have thought about this. If I feel like hosting an event, we can do it at a hotel in the city. I want our home to be ours. I don’t want it invaded by strangers or acquaintances. I want this to be ours, and ours alone. I want to build a life with you. I have zero fear in doing this. The only thing that scares me is you telling me no.”

His thoughtfulness and surety on this takes away my concerns. It’s scary, but I can’t seem to find any other arguments. We should really discuss this more, but I can’t find any reason to say no. Living with someone is so much different than dating. “What if we fight? Then we have nowhere else to run?”

“Good, I don’t ever want to run from you. If we fight, which could happen, then we’ll sit down and talk it out. There’s nothing we can’t talk about. You should know this by now. We can do this. We can be happy.”

“Every relationship has challenges. I was a bit scared when Livie and I roomed together, but we flowed so well we never did fight. We also gave each other space when we needed it, and that wasn’t easy to do in an apartment. I guess with this house there’s plenty of space.”

He shakes his head. “I don’t need space from you. I want you as my equal, as my partner. I want us to unite together. We’re stronger together than apart. My family adores you, and I can’t go five minutes without you on my mind. We’re made to be together,” he assures me.

“It might be sort of scary for me to be here on my own while you’re traveling for business,” I tell him, but that’s just silly. How could I be scared up here? It’s stunning. Besides, Livie would come stay with me if I ever was frightened. Now I’m just looking for reasons to give him an out.

“I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I haven’t been doing much travel lately. I don’t want to go anywhere without you. Maybe you’ll be able to take more time off soon and come with me. We have a European tour to complete after all.”

He’s knocking down every excuse I throw at him, and he has zero concerns. I look at him, at this man I’ve fallen in love with, and I know this is right, know that this can work. It’s terrifying, but exhilarating at the same time. We can do this.

“I want to live here with you, Magnus,” I finally say, and he beams at me before grabbing me in his arms and doing a spin. I laugh with joy as he circles the room, both of us happier than we’ve ever been before.

“Then I’m not giving you a chance to change your mind,” he tells me. He sets me down then lifts his phone. I stand by in wonder as he makes a call for a moving van. We move to the kitchen where he pulls out a bottle of champaign and a tray of chocolate covered strawberries.

“I was really hoping you’d say yes. I was prepared,” he tells me as he fills our glasses. I reach for a strawberry and take a bite.

“I don’t know if it’s possible for me to tell you no,” I admit.

“Good. Remember that for the next time I ask you a question.” The intensity in his eyes as he says this makes a shudder go through me. From his expression I might have an idea at what he’s hinting at, but it’s too scary to analyze. I stuff another strawberry in my mouth before picking up my champaign flute.

“To us,” he says, holding his in the air.

“To us,” I say, my voice dreamy. That’s what this feels like, a dream that I hope to never wake up from.

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