Page 97 of Worth the Fall

"My apartment," I say, already heading for the elevator. "Apparently, my movers are there, and I completely forgot!"

Linda raises an eyebrow, her lips twitching. "You? Forget something? Impossible."

"Ha, ha," I call over my shoulder as the elevator doors close.

The entire cab ride to my apartment, I’m mentally kicking myself. How did I forget? I had a detailed spreadsheet for this exact scenario—color-coded and everything!

When I finally burst through the door of my building, I expect chaos. Movers hauling boxes in every direction, Miguel frantically trying to explain my packing system, maybe even a neighbor complaining about the commotion.

But instead, I find Miguel standing in the middle of my nearly empty living room, calm as ever, chatting with one of the movers.

"You’re here," I breathe, clutching the doorframe for support.

He turns at the sound of my voice, a slow smile spreading across his face. "Of course I’m here. You told me when you scheduled this that it was my job to handle it. Did you forget?"

I stare at him, my pulse still racing from my mad dash across the city. "Maybe."

He chuckles, crossing the room to pull me into his arms. "You’ve been juggling a lot, Mia. It’s okay to forget things sometimes."

"I don’t forget things," I grumble against his chest, though the tension in my shoulders is already melting away.

"You do when you’re stressed," he murmurs, his lips brushing the top of my head. "Which is why I’ve decided you need a spa day. Or maybe just some extra Miguel love to relax."

I laugh, leaning back to look up at him. "Extra Miguel love?"

"Mm-hmm," he says, his hands sliding to my waist. "Highly effective. Five stars on Yelp."

I snort, shaking my head. "You’re ridiculous."

"And you love it," he says, dipping his head to kiss me softly.

He’s right, of course. I do love it—love him, love this steady, unshakable support he gives me no matter how chaotic my life gets.

The kiss deepens for a moment, and I feel his hands tighten slightly on my hips. The world falls away, just for a second, until a throat clears behind us.

"Sorry to interrupt," one of the movers says, looking amused. "But we are almost done with the bedroom, did you want us to do the bathroom next?”

Miguel chuckles, pulling back but keeping his arm around me. "See? I’ve got it under control," he whispers before turning back to the movers.

An hour later, the movers are finishing up, and my apartment feels eerily empty. I look around, trying to shake off the pang of nostalgia.

Miguel wraps an arm around my shoulders, pressing a kiss to my temple. "You okay?"

"Yeah," I say, leaning into him. "It just feels… weird. Leaving this place."

"It’s not leaving," he says gently. "It’s moving forward. And you’re moving in with me, which is exactly where you belong."

I smile, my chest warming. "I really do, don’t I?"

He grins. "Obviously."

After one last look around, I grab my bag. "I need to get back to work," I say reluctantly.

Miguel sighs dramatically. "Fine. Go be a corporate badass. But tonight, you’re all mine."

"You promise?" I tease, standing on tiptoe to kiss him one last time.

"Always," he says, his voice soft but full of conviction.

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