Page 89 of When Morning Comes Around

Austin had left them, telling Dom to call him whenever he’d made his decision. All three properties were available, and ready to move in whenever he wanted.

“Do you have time for a coffee with me before you leave?”

“I do, but should we go and get my minivan first? That way, we can hang out until you have to go into work, and I’ll go straight home to see how Dad’s doing.”

He wanted to kick himself; he’d forgotten about the minivan. He should have let her drive it up here earlier. When they arrived back at Four Mile, he only had half an hour before he’d need to go to work.

They found a table inside the café; it was too cold to sit outside.

“So?” he asked.

She laughed. “I was about to ask you the same thing. Which are you going to take?”

He reached across the table for her hand. “Whichever one you like the best.”

He had to laugh when she crossed her eyes at him. “You can’t say that – you can’tdothat.”

“I can and I will – I just did. So, you might as well save us some time and tell me which you like the best.”

She pressed her lips together, but there was no hiding the smile on her face.

He grinned back at her. “You have a favorite, don’t you?”

She nodded. “I do. But I don’t want to say so, in case it’s not the one that you want.”

He squeezed her hand. “I already told you. I want the one that you want.”

She laughed. “Okay, I’ll say it, but only because I think it’s the one that you want, anyway.”

He hoped that she was right, but what mattered most to him was that she should like it. It wasn’t as though they were choosing their forever home, it was just the place that they’d live – at least, he hoped that she would want to live with him – until he could build on the waterfront, next to Damon and Jo.

He nodded encouragingly. “Put me out of my misery. Which one?”

She looked like an eager little kid as she said, “The first one. That view! And the kitchen – that kitchen is amazing. And then there’s the pool. I always wanted a pool. And the weather will be warming up soon.”

He relaxed as he nodded. “And until it warms up, there’s the spa.”

She nodded rapidly. “Right? Isn’t that awesome, the way it’s built into the pool like that?”

He chuckled. “It is.”

“But seriously, Dom. If you like one of the others better, you should take it. I…”

He met her gaze and held it. “The first one is the one I was hoping you would say. I like it for all the same reasons that you do. The view of the lake is fantastic. My only concern is that it’s so far back.”

“And that’s a problem?”

He shrugged. “It’ll take an extra ten minutes to get to your dad’s house compared to the one by the water.”

She searched his face. “You’re serious about me staying with you?”

He looked directly into her eyes, hoping that she’d understand how serious he was. “I’m asking you to live with me. Maybe not move in all at once, not until you’re ready. We can take it as slowly as you like, but that’s what I want. If you want it, too.”

She squeezed his hand. “I might need to take it slowly. Not just for Dad, but for myself.”

“I get that.”

“But…” His heart hammered as he waited for her to continue. Maybe she was going to give him some reason that he hadn’t thought of – some reason why she didn’t want to.

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