Page 86 of Mistletoe, Mayhem & Mr. Grump
The photo shows Malcolm on what is admittedly a larger yacht, but he's standing at an angle that suggests he's trying to hide something.
"Is that a rental sticker?" I ask, zooming in.
"'Bob's Boat Rentals,'" Wren reads. "Oh, Malcolm."
"Should we tell him we know?" Giuseppe asks.
"Never," I say firmly. "His yacht insecurity is the gift that keeps on giving."
"Speaking of gifts," Wren says suddenly, then stops herself. "Never mind."
"What?" I ask.
"Nothing. Committee stuff," she says quickly, but she's biting her lip the way she does when she's keeping a secret.
"You're terrible at secrets," I inform her.
"I'm excellent at keeping secrets," she protests.
"You told me about my surprise birthday party within five minutes of planning it," I remind her.
"That was different. I was excited," she defends.
"You're excited now," I observe, studying her face.
"Maybe," she admits, bouncing slightly on her toes.
"Wren..."
"Fine!" she explodes. "I bought the building!"
"What building?" I ask, confused.
"This building! The whole thing! The apartments above, the basement below, all of it!" she says in a rush.
"How?" I ask, stunned.
"The protection fund gave me a loan, and Mr. Jackson co-signed, and Giuseppe promised not to cook in the upstairs kitchen, and?—"
I cut her off with a kiss that makes Teddy applaud and Giuseppe cry into his muffins.
"When?" I manage when we break apart.
"The paperwork was completed yesterday," she says, grinning. "I wanted to surprise you, but I'm terrible at surprises, and?—"
"Move in with me," I interrupt.
"What?" she blinks.
"Move in with me. Upstairs. We'll renovate the apartment and make it bigger by adding the apartment I’ve been staying in. We’ll make it ours," I say, the words tumbling out. "I mean, if you want. We could?—"
Now she's the one cutting me off with a kiss.
"Yes," she says against my lips.
"Really?" I ask.
"To everything. Moving in, renovating. All of it," she confirms.
