Page 147 of Crazy In Love
“We’re not having a little asshole,” I said. “Nor are we having a baby, and for the record, it actually does scare the hell out of me. I am not ready to have children. I just started this new design job, and I like that we’re taking our time.”
It had been a constant discussion these last few months, since Bridger tended to go from zero to one hundred very quickly. Now that he’d told me that he loved me, and shared his fears, he was all in.
He wanted me to move in with him.
He’d asked me to let him know when he could propose because he was apparently ready for all of it.
“I hate taking our time,” he grumped.
I sat forward and placed one hand on each side of his face. “What if we get a dog?”
“Eww… a dog? They slobber and they’re hairy. I think a baby would be so much better. They’re way cuter. Look at Beefcake and Melody. You can’t compare them to a dog.”
I laughed hysterically because this man was so ridiculous sometimes. And I couldn’t get enough of him. “I’m not the one who compared them to a dog. And Beefcake and Melody are not babies. And yes, they’re perfect, and I want cute little humans with you someday, but I don’t think we need to rush it.”
“Fine. I’ll wait. But I don’t want anything with four legs. Two is the max that I can tolerate,” he said, his voice laced with humor.
“Good to know,” I said, running my fingers through his hair. “I actually do have a little present for you.”
“I thought you hated gifts?”
“No. I hate extravagant gifts in lieu of telling someone how you feel. So if you owe them an apology, you can’t buy them a fancy toilet instead of saying ‘I’m sorry.’ And if you try to move them across the country without asking if they want to, you can’t fill their home with pretty flowers instead of saying that you’re scared of being in love.” I shrugged.
“There’s a life lesson in here for me, isn’t there?”
“Always.” I grinned as I climbed off his lap and walked to my purse. I grabbed the little velvet pouch and carried it back over to him. “But a gift just for the sake of gifting is always welcome. This one is just because I love you.”
“I can’t wait to see what a good gift for telling someone you love them is,” he said as he opened the pouch. He pulled out the two key chains inside, one black and the other pink. And then he read the words written on the front: “Proud member of the mile-high club.” He roared out a laugh and didn’t stop for a good fifteen seconds.
Bridger’s laugh was my favorite sound in the world. It was a full-bodied, genuine, real laugh, and he made you work for it, which made it all the better.
“There’s one for each of us,” he said.
“Well, that’s the second half of the gift. You can decide that. This is my way of telling you that, yes, I’m ready to live together, if that’s still what you want.”
His eyes widened. “It’s what I fucking want, angel. I want you with me all the time.”
“Iamwith you all the time when we aren’t working. You’re fairly needy, for a guy who didn’t even do relationships before me,” I said, trying to cover my smile. I loved giving him a hard time.
“Oh yeah? That’s because I can’t get enough of you, and I’m not afraid to say it. So yes, move in with me today.” And then he narrowed his gaze, as if he’d caught himself, and he put his hand up to stop me from saying anything, his face growing somber. “Or did you want us to live in your tiny home?”
“My home is not a tiny home,” I said over my laughter. “It’s just not a McMansion like yours. But obviously you just renovated your home and it’s spectacular, so we can live here. We can rent my place out.”
“Thank God. The showerhead in your bathroom is going to give me permanent spinal damage. It’s far too low. And I don’t need some Peeping Tom renting your guesthouse, snooping on us. Hell, I’ve already had to deal with this asshole writing ‘The Taylor Tea.’”
“Well, seeing as this person tried to out me for buying a pregnancy test, I feel like it might be Cami,” I said. “Or maybe it’s Josh Black. He’s not happy at all that we’re dating.”
“Have you tried just asking your parents who it is?” he finally asked as he tugged me back down on his lap.
“Of course I have. They said it’s a journalistic privacy thing, and they won’t out the person until they want to be outed.”
“I think it could be your mom,” he said, tracing his fingertips along the line of my jaw.
“You know, I wouldn’t put it past her. But she’s been a little better lately. Ever since I stood up to her, she’s been oddly nicer. Maybe I should have made demands years ago.” I chuckled.
“I’m proud of you for calling her out. For calling me out. For finding your voice and using it.” He studied me. “I love you, angel. Now let’s go pack your things.”
“I’m not moving in today. I still have to pack.” I let out a fit of giggles when he flipped me on my back and hovered above me.
