Page 76 of Three Rules I'd Never Break

“Perfect. I’m going to need a lot of chocolate to make it through the insurance process.”

* * *

That evening,Eli and I snuggled on the sofa after dinner. Sherlock was sprawled across our laps.

Eli had been quieter than normal, but I waited until he wanted to talk about it.

“The investigator said it looks like some rags that had been used to stain the cabinets were the likely cause of the fire. The clean-up alone will take a while. They’ll need to have the foundation inspected to see if it needs to be torn out. Then the builders would start over from scratch.” I hoped they would need to put down a new foundation.

“Rebuilding will be faster if they use the same foundation, but it can be hard to get the smell of smoke out of the concrete. And that was a pretty hot fire.” He brushed his thumb back and forth across my fingers.

“I’ll let the experts sort it out.”

He tilted his head back and sucked in a deep breath. After huffing it out, he rubbed his jaw. “I have an idea, and before you shut the whole thing down, hear me out, okay?”

“I’m listening.”

“Even with insurance rebuilding is going to be costly.” He pinched his lips together. “And paying for an apartment will only pull money away from what you could have spent on the new house.”

“I’ll figure it out. You don’t have to—”

He leaned closer. “You promised to hear me out. I know I don’t have to do anything.” After pressing a kiss to my cheek, he flashed a smile, probably hoping it would convince me of what he was about to suggest. “The rent on this trailer is cheap. Joji probably spends more feeding me than I give her in rent.”

“I’m not going to—” I bit my tongue. “Continue.”

“Thank you. So, my suggestion is that you live here, and I’ll move back home. Just until the house is done.”

“Eli, it could take months. I can’t ask you to do that.”

He cupped my face. “You didn’t ask. I offered, and I’m hoping you’ll say yes. I talked to my parents about it today and to Joji. They are all fine with the idea.”

“But you have reasons for not living there.”

“And now I have reasons for living there. It’ll make it so much easier for my mom to do my laundry.” His green eyes pleaded with me. “Please.”

“Okay.”

Eli pointed at Sherlock. “He’s going to love the new arrangement.”

“You can come over here any time you need a break.”

That wonderful grin spread across his face. “I’ll be over here a lot, but not because I need a break.”

“Because of Boingo?”

Eli rolled his eyes. “Yep. Exactly. I’ll come to visit a goat.”

I tugged on his shirt, pulling him closer to my lips. “I hope you make a little time for this.” Brushing my lips on his always set off the flutters.

Sherlock jumped off as Eli laid me down on the couch. I loved that I could enjoy kissing him without worrying how far he’d take things.

Hovering over me, he teased his lips on my skin. “Thisis my favorite word.”

Chapter 27

Eli walked into the store, tapping out his knock as he did. “Hey, beautiful. How was business today?”

I took the time to appreciate this man who called me beautiful as he strolled up to the counter. Not only was he gorgeous; he was mine. There had been no mention of marriage, but forever seemed intertwined with many of our conversations.

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