Page 115 of Laws of Love
Aiva studied his face when he sat up, and he assumed she was trying to see if he’d only asked in the moment. He hadn’t.
“Okay,” she agreed after a beat. He caressed her cheek before slowly pulling out and going into the en suite.
After cleaning them both up and they both got dressed, he unlocked the door and turned off the light, then climbed into bed beside her. He pulled her to his chest, holding her close. He didn’t care where they stayed. Whether it was his place, hers, or they got a new one, they could work out the logistics later. All he cared about was that he’d soon have both loves of his life under the same roof with him.
He hadn’t expected to find such happiness after his divorce, but he’d always be grateful to whatever entity caused him to choose her firm over the next.
Epilogue
Seven months later
“Daddy! Nommy! I’m here!”
Aiva stepped out of the kitchen, where she was unpacking a box of dishes, and found Yasmine and Mia standing in the foyer. She’d been unpacking boxes all afternoon and lost track of time if Yasmine was already home from school.
“It looks so different with all the furniture,” Yasmine stated, walking into the living room.
When Knox had asked her to move in with him all those months ago, Aiva wanted them to start fresh in a place that was both of theirs. She didn’t want either of them moving into the other’s space and still feeling like a visitor. They’d gone house hunting and finally found one that Aiva and Yasmine both fell in love with. Both had kept their respective places as rentals instead of selling them.
This was the first time Yasmine had seen it furnished. She’d stayed with Mia for the past few days while they moved everything. None of them thought it would be a good idea for her to be present while they did, since they were doing so in the middle of the week. They didn’t want to disrupt her schedule when she needed to be bright-eyed and bushy-tailed for school each morning.
“I see you went with earth tones in the living room,” Mia stated. “It’s nice. Better than that black leather set Knox wanted to go with.”
Aiva laughed because she agreed it wasn’t the right set for the living room, but they’d still gotten it for the basement. Since Knox’s condo would be a short-term rental, they’d left most of the furniture there, taking only his personal things and sentimental pieces. Of which there weren’t a lot. They’d asked Yasmine if she wanted to move her bedroom furniture, but she’d asked if she could pick out a new one.
Aiva brought the bedroom furniture from her house to fill two of the four guest bedrooms, allowed her sisters to take some items, and donated the rest. They furnished the remainder of the house from scratch. It had only taken a day for them to move their belongings and another two to get everything that was delivered put together and where they wanted it to go.
Knox thought it would be easier for them to hire someone to do it, but Aiva helpfully pointed out that he had three friends and she had a starting line of siblings that could assist them. All of which did help except for the younger four since they had school.
“Nommy, can I see my room?”
It hadn’t taken long for Nomo to morph into Nommy. A month, maybe two tops, and Aiva could be honest and say she’d shed a tear when it had because it was so casual. As if the child hadn’t even thought about it as she’d asked Aiva to pass her some syrup one morning at breakfast.
“Sure, sweetie.”
She and Mia followed Yasmine up the stairs and to the room she’d chosen when they’d toured the house a couple of months ago. The little girl squealed excitedly when she pushed the door open, hugging Aiva tightly before skipping around the room and taking everything in.
She’d told them exactly how she wanted her room decorated and picked out everything herself. All Aiva had done was arrange the furniture in a way that made the most sense.
“It’s perfect,” Yasmine said, going to the bookshelves in a little nook. There was one on both sides of an overstuffed children’s recliner. She had enough books to fill one shelf, but they’d split them between the two so one wouldn’t be empty. “I can sleep here tonight, right?”
Aiva nodded. “Your dad needs to change the showerhead in your bathroom later, but everything is all set.”
“Where is Knox?” Mia asked.
“He’s in the basement. He was setting things up when I left him a couple of hours ago. Wolfe and Coen were here earlier, helping him assemble and arrange some of the game tables, so he’s been down there almost all day. I should probably check on him. Oh, and they’ll come by this weekend to pick up the piano.”
“Sunday, right?” Mia asked, and Aiva nodded. She’d held off on selling the house until she found something else she wanted, and hadn’t yet.
Yasmine stayed in her room while she and Mia went to the basement. Knox was behind the bar when they got down there, putting away the liquor bottles.
“Bartender, a whiskey neat, and make it snappy,” Mia ordered, sitting on a stool.
“One, I don’t pay you to try to boss me around, and two, you don’t like whiskey.”
“You don’t pay me at all, and even if you did, I’d still try to boss you around for free,” Mia replied.
“Key word, try,” Knox countered.
