Page 66 of Ice Contact

“How was your workout? Still feeling okay?” I ask as we drive back home.

“Workout was great! Just the tiniest smidge of a headache, but nothing like the first day after the accident. I just did light weights and some cardio. And before you say anything, no I did not overdo it,” he promises with a smile I can hear in his voice.

“Good. Don’t make me call Mama Kristi and report you for overdoing it.”

“You wouldn’t dare,” he snarls with horror.

“Oh, Iwoulddare. Now that I have her number, we are besties. And she said to let her know if you were doing too much, too fast. She swore she would be on the next flight here to, how did she put it, ‘smack you upside the head.’ I, for one, would pay big money to see that,” I muse with a laugh.

“Oh my God, what have I done to my life?” Hayes says, dropping his face in his hands, equally annoyed as he is smitten.

I open my mouth to tease him more when my phone rings and comes through the speakerphone in the car. It’s my landlord.

Shit. I haven’t decided what to do about that yet either.

“You can answer that if you want,” Hayes says.

A knot twists in my stomach as I try my best to focus on the traffic ahead of us. “Oh, no, it’s fine. It’s just my landlord; I can call him back.”

“Your landlord? Is everything okay with your house?” His worry fills the car. “You can totally answer, Liv.”

He just called me Liv. My heart is literally melting like an ice cream cone inside my chest. I love it when he calls me Olivia, but the fact that he’s calling me Liv as if he’s known me forever makes my pulse race in a whole new way like it found a rhythm it’s never beaten to before.Focus Liv. Your phone is still ringing and Hayes probably thinks your place is on fire.

“My house is fine,” I say as I swallow back a huge lump in my throat. “My…my lease is up, and he wants to know if I am renewing. I have to let him know soon.”

“How soon?” Hayes asks, his voice quiet and inquisitive.

“Next week.”

“I see.”

We are both silent as the call goes to voicemail. I hate that I’m driving and can’t see his facial expression. My heart pounds, my chest aching from the tension.I’m sure he’s freaking out.Spots dance across my vision.Oh shit…nowI’mfreaking out. I don’t know if I can grip the steering wheel any tighter with the sweat coating my palms.Breathe, Olivia, calm your tits and breathe.Just tell him you’re renewing your lease, then it will all be fine.

“Olivia,” Hayes says with a serious tone. “Can you pull the car over?”

“What?” I gasp, “…sure. Are you okay? Do you need to go to the hospital? Is the concussion bad again? Oh God, Hayes, do we need to call 911?”

“Olivia,” he says again very calmly, “I’m fine. Just pull the car over up there in the parking lot.” My shaky hand flips the turn signal, my stomach churning.What is happening?

My gut twisting and my hands shaky, I pull over into a nearby grocery store, putting the car in park. I turn in my seat to face Hayes who has a serious, contemplative look on his face.

“Hayes, listen, I am just going to-”

“No.” He stops me mid-sentence, holding his hand up between us. “I know what is about to come out of your mouth, and the answer is one-hundred percent no.”

Oh God, he doesn’t want me to move in with him.It’s okay. I can handle this. It’s only been a few weeks. It’s irrational to think we’d be moving in together so soon. Who knows what a year will bring. Or shit…maybe he’s decided he can’t do this anymore.I am such a fucking idiot.

“Before you get too deep into your spiral, which I know you are already doing-”damn, this guy can read me like a book,“-the answer is no. You are not going to renew your lease.”

“What?” I breathe, shocked and confused.

“I said, you are not going to renew your lease. Unless you want to, of course. But…I’d much rather you move in with me.”

“You…you want me to move in with you?”

“Olivia, I cannot breathe without you near me. You make me feel alive. You make me laugh. You bring so much joy into my life. You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me. And I happen to have a cool, but travel-heavy job. I want to share every moment with you. I want to have all of our things under the same roof, so you don’t have to go grab stuff all the time.”

My vision blurs, tears welling up, fears melting away. “You do?”

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