Page 102 of Becoming Us
“I’m kidding, I’m kidding. The strongest contender I have is close to the beach and has four bedrooms. One for me, a gym, maybe a soundproof space, and a room for Ezra. I’m not going to kick him out.”
He looked like he was thinking it over. “Near the beach?”
“Near the beach. It’s a house too—no elevators, just ocean sounds in the morning and creaky wooden floors.”
“That does sound perfect for you.”
For us,hopefully.
I didn’t say it, but I meant it. I wanted to live in a place where he could picture a future with me. Not now, not yet—but someday. Atty, me, maybe a cat. Ezra rolling his eyes at us from the fridge.
“But back to the main thing.” I tugged at his shirt. “Let me help you with this. If our situations were reversed, you wouldn’t hesitate for a second, would you?”
His expression shifted, growing serious. “It’s too much.”
“I know it is. But these are different circumstances. And if you’re worried about things going sideways between us, we can draft a contract with the same terms. You don’t have to decide right now. We’ll look at the numbers—I’ll show you the returns I’ve made from investments, and why they made sense. My dad used to say if your money isn’t working for you, you’re doing it wrong. I can help you do the same with your savings. We’ll get your credit score on track too.”
He blinked, clearly processing.
“I told you I was good at this stuff,” I said with a soft laugh.
“I can see that.”
“Just think about it. Don’t overthink it, though—your mom deserves to rest a little easier. Grab your laptop, and I’ll show you. We’ll go through it line by line, see what actually makes sense.”
I pushed gently off his shoulders, but he caught me with a quiet, “Hey.”
I turned to face him. “What is it?”
“Thank you.”
I smiled and kissed him. “Anything I can do to help, Atty. We’re a team, right?”
His whole face lit up. “That’s right,” he said, pressing his forehead to mine. “Thanks for the apartment too. It’ll be nice not having to avoid it anymore.”
“No problem. You want to look at the numbers?”
Instead of answering, he leaned in, kissing the side of my neck. “In a little bit. Actually…”
“Yeah?”
“I wanted to jump in the shower.”
“Okay, I’ll?—”
“Jump in with me?”
“Really?” I asked with a small smile.
He nodded against my neck, still pressing soft kisses into my skin.
Then he pulled back, cupping my face in both hands and meeting my gaze. “Really. And in case things escalate…”
A grin tugged at my lips. “Yeah?” God, I loved him so fucking much.
“I just want you. Not avoiding. Not scared. How about you?”
“Not avoiding,” I said, “and not scared either.”
