Page 50 of Flirt

What I did know was I was not hanging around for any explanation on what Ghost heard.

“Got to run, ladies. Sawyer’s probably wondering what’s keeping me. See you later,” I said and was out the door before anyone had a chance to respond.

If any doubt remained in the recess of my mind that I’d let Max off too easy, they would have diminished the second I entered my house. The sound of Max’s deep laughter and Sawyer’s little girl giggles would have healed the deepest pain.

We opted for lunch in town, so we went to the diner and enjoyed our food despite the side glances we garnered as we ate.

After lunch, we hit the grocery store, then went back to my house and settled in. Max might have been caught off guard that morning with Sawyer. But as I watched them together, there was no possible way of missing that my daughter indeed adored him, and if the way he talked to and carried on with her, the feeling was mutual.

By the time dinner was over and Max and Sawyer were cleaning up the kitchen. I went to my room, pulled out the sealed envelope that I had buried in a drawer, and slipped it into my purse. I wanted to be prepared when the time came to share it with Max.

Chapter Twenty

Flirt

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Iopened the frontdoor for Gabriella and me, then closed it after we stepped into my house. I led her into the living room and reached up, grabbing ahold of her coat, and helped her out of it. I was nervous for the first time ever. I was ready for the next step and wanted it done.

“We’re only here for the plates and cups. I don’t need to remove my jacket,” she said and was frowning at me when she turned around as I placed her jacket over the arm of the chair with mine.

I leaned in and kissed the crease between her brows the frown was making. “True, but I want to talk to you about something first, and I didn’t want to wait until later, nor did I want an audience.”

“Okay,” she replied, still frowning at me.

“Stop, or you are going to have a permanent wrinkle,” I said and lifted my hand and used a finger to smooth the spot between her brows that I just kissed.

I looked into her eyes, seeing confusion, and it irritated me for not waiting to plan this better. Instead, when the realization hit after I watched her and Sawyer around the people who meant the most to me, I acted on impulse when the idea struck. The more I stood there and watched, the more I was done waiting. I wanted them with me every day.

I dropped the hand I had lifted to her face, only to then grab both her hands with mine. “I want you and Sawyer to move in with me.”

Gabriella stopped frowning, and I waited for her response. However, she said nothing. Instead, she pulled her hands from mine, went to the chair and lifted our jackets to reach her purse, which she had left at the house before we had gone to Speed’s home. I watched as she opened it and reached inside. When she turned back to me, she held a white envelope out toward me.

“What is this?” I asked as I accepted it, focused more on the envelope than the fact she hadn’t responded to my statement of them moving in.

“It’s something I need you to read before I answer you because you may change your mind,” she said, and before I replied, she added, “Please,” then she walked to the couch and sat down.

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