Page 78 of Bull Riders Don't Swoon

“A little of both, but I was definitely too thick.” Or, more accurately, self-absorbed. If I had paid more attention, I would’ve noticed there was more to the extra touches from Griff.

“Doesn’t matter now. We’re, ah…we’re moving in together.” Griff beams when Diamond slaps his hand to his chest with a happy gasp. “It’s fast, but we have history. Jamie is my person, so why wait, you know?”

“Absolutely right. Hey, if you have a housewarming party, I’d love to bring you some baked goods. Maybe blueberry?”

Laughing, I stand and stretch. “I’ll never decline that. And of course we’ll let you know. We never talked about a party, but perhaps we should.”

“We’re on our way right now to see the place.” Griff stands to join me, and I press a quick kiss to his cheek.

Diamond pushes off his seat. “That’s my cue to get back to work, then. Enjoy the night and make sure you give me notice to bake something!”

He struts back to the main counter, and we both watch after him. Griff reaches for my hand and slides our fingers together.

“I like him, don’t you?” Griff says as we walk past the coffee-making bar with a wave and exit the building.

“I do. He’s fun and apparently a spy on Hunter.”

“And those legs…” Griff bites his knuckle in jest, and I open the truck door for him. “Never pegged you for a leg guy.”

He kisses my cheek before sliding into his seat. “I’m more a Jamieson kind of guy.”

“Well…that works out well for me, doesn’t it?”

The drive to our new place is only ten minutes.

My late grandmother’s older home, our home now, sits at the end of a cul-de-sac in an older residential area of Kissing Ridge. I’ve always loved it and have fond memories here as a kid. From the backyard water balloon fights during summer vacation to the Easter egg hunts around the house that my grandmother loved to organize; nothing but happiness lives here for me. My memories sometimes make my heart hurt for Griff, since he never had the same happy childhood I did.

That’s been nagging at me a lot the last few weeks. It’s not something I can change, but it compels me to provide him with more. To give him the experiences I’ve taken for granted. Even a damn Easter egg hunt, because the simple joy of finding hidden plastic eggs would mean everything to Griff.

“This is our new place.”

Griff leaps out of the truck before I even kill the engine. He smiles at the tidy little row of flowers lining the walkway to the front door and the paved but bumpy asphalt driveway. He stands on the lawn gazing at the house. The shutters need replacing or repainting, but the light beige siding is newer, along with the rain gutters. Something I didn’t think was important a few years ago when Dad had it done, but now I do.

It’s a modest home. Nothing fancy or overly large. Average in every way.

“It’s perfect, Jamie.”

Griff’s smile is blinding as he rushes to the back of the house. The yard is smaller, but there’s a single raised vegetable bed and a tiny shed for storage. It definitely needs a spruce up. The back door opens onto a small deck barely big enough for the BBQ. But Griff doesn’t see the deficiencies I do.

“We can go in, right? The tenants left?”

“Yeah, babe. That’s what I brought you here for. Come on.”

After fishing the keys from my pocket, we return to the front door, and I lead us into the empty house. Griff kicks off his shoes in an excited rush. “Give me the tour, Jamie. Show me everything.”

He’s breathless with excitement that spreads to me, and I’m smiling back, but my emotions are rocking like a ship in stormy waters.

“Okay, it’s not a huge house, so it won’t take that long. This is our living room.” It takes up the entire front of the house, and if we wanted, half could be the dining room. Griff runs his fingers along the edge of the mantle of the gas fireplace.

“We can hang stockings from the mantle at Christmas.” His voice wavers, but that smile never fades.

“Yeah, we can.”

We walk into the kitchen, which is big enough for a table for us, but I’d like to make a kitchen island instead. The door to the back deck is in the corner and another door leads to the pantry. Griff opens and closes cupboards and runs his fingers along the countertop.

“I want to upgrade the cupboards and put in an island for us to eat at and use for extra counter space. Instead of a kitchen table.”

We’ve discussed some of the renovation ideas I have, but not all of them. Griff doesn’t want to have much input because his name isn’t on the mortgage. I respect his feelings about that, but I also want him to make this his home. It’sourhome no matter whose name is on the piece of paper.

---