Page 101 of Only for the Week
Crawling into his lap, I plant kisses on his cheek and jaw. “I can’t wait to marry you.”
He puts his hand on my nape and kisses my lips. “Dr. Janelle Martin does eat.”
I chuckle. “And does.”
“Hi, sorry!” I yell as I frantically walk into the home Rome and I are touring today.
We’ve been house hunting for the last few weeks. Rome wants us to have a home that’s ours from the very beginning and I want an office I don’t have to share with him. We’ve seen a few places we like, but I was most excited to see this one. Of course, the day has thrown every curveball it could at me. I had to tell Rome I’d meet him here because I couldn’t leave the center when I planned. Then, when I could finally leave, I had to make an unexpected stop.
I enter the spacious living room to find Rome speaking to our realtor, Harry. They turn to me, and Rome opens his arms for me to step into. I hug him and then Harry. “How’s Andie?”
He rolls his eyes, his love for that woman rolling off him in spades. “She’s good. She and Audrey are trying to jump me to get a dog.”
The Martin family has known Harry for a while. He helped both Rome and Jalen find their homes. He’s come over plenty of times just to hang out, and
I’ve gotten to know him pretty well. So, when he says his wife, Andie, and his six-year-old daughter, Audrey, want a dog, I know they’ll get one.
“What kind of dog do they want?”
“I don’t know, some damn ankle biter. It’s not happening.”
“Mhmm. Okay, well, when you get the puppy, let us know so we can come see it.”
He laughs but agrees.
Rome and I take our time looking through the house. Like I thought from looking at the pictures online, it’s perfect. It has the minimalist style Rome prefers, with all the modern touches I’d want. Our current house has a room for Kam and another guest room for anyone else. This house has double the rooms and separate offices for us. It feels like a forever home.
“So, what do you think?” Rome asks.
“I love it. What about you?”
“Me too. I could definitely see us building a family here.”
My neck heats as the pregnancy test sitting at the bottom of my purse flashes in my mind. Checking to ensure Harry isn’t within earshot, I lower my voice. “Glad you think so since we might be doing that sooner than we thought.”
I watch my words register in his mind. Confusion shifts to surprise and then glee. “Are you pregnant?”
“I’m not sure. My period is late, and I haven’t been feeling well lately, but that could just be due to stress. You know my sleep schedule has been off, too.”
Rome’s eyes fly back and forth between my eyes and my stomach. “Should we go get a test?” He goes to grab my hand to walk us out of the house, but I laugh and gently pull away.
“I already have one with me. I thought I’d take it when we get home.” I could’ve done a blood test at work, but I want to experience this with Rome, no matter the result.
“Or we could take it here.” He waves to the master bathroom.
“Here? Isn’t taking a pregnancy test in a house that’s not ours weird?”
“It’s not ours yet, but if you are pregnant, how cool would it be to find out at the home where we’ll raise them?”
My lips fold into a cheesy smile as I turn to the bathroom. Once I pee on the stick, I set a timer on my phone and rejoin Rome. We take another walk around the house, imagining how we would decorate a nursery and what we would need to do to baby-proof the house. We immediately agree on an ocean theme for the nursery, and Rome finds a decorative sea turtle rug on Etsy within seconds.
We’re tossing ideas for a backyard playground when my timer goes off. Our eyes lock briefly before we take off for the master bath.
“Wait, wait, wait,” Rome rasps, grabbing my arm before I can grab the test.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing, I just wanna say I love you. No matter the result.”
