Page 50 of About to Fall

"Okay, well, you can start staying at my house if you want. I have that gate and more security than you have at your apartment."

My stomach flipped when he mentioned his house. "I can't wait till you get home," I said. "I went over to your house yesterday."

"What'd you do?"

"I went behind the cleaning lady and made sure everything was ready for you. And I put a few things in the fridge. Some ice cream, drinks, and chips and dips and stuff."

"Are we having a party, Claire?"

"Just a little one. Only family—Isaac, Ryan, and JD."

"When?"

"Tomorrow evening. Are you okay with it? It's not set in stone. They were just asking about coming over since you've been out of town."

"Yeah, tell them to come over and eat," Micah said. "Can you see about getting some kind of food for everybody, and I'll pay for it—maybe a tray of something."

"They're not expecting anything."

"I know, but I want to."

"Okay. Thank you. What time are you coming home?"

"Noon."

"Do you need a ride from the airport?"

"No, I'll be home by noon, actually. Our flight lands at eleven, but we have debriefing when we land. We're going out for a few days next month to do a little promo. Then we're done with Spiderman."

"I'm proud of you," I said.

"Thank you. I miss you, though. I can't wait to get home."

"Are you sure you're okay with Isaac and them coming over? I can tell them we'll do it another night."

"No, I'm good with seeing them tomorrow. It's fine."

"Okay, I'll be at your house at noon to meet you."

"Or before," he said. "As soon as eleven-thirty."

"Great. And I'll tell the family to come over at six-thirty," I said. "That will give us time to catch up and take a nap before they come over. I'll get some work done in the morning, and I'll meet you at your house after."

"I can't wait," he said.

"Me neither," I agreed.

Chapter 18

I felt like a kid all morning.

I felt free and happy and void of worry.

It was a gorgeous summer day, and Micah's backyard looked like a tropical oasis. I might as well have been in Heaven as I busied myself with cleaning and preparing, waiting for him to come home. I had scheduled hot food to be delivered from a restaurant at dinner time.

I had set the house up for guests to come over later, but I had reserved the living room for a cozy afternoon of doing nothing but lazing around with Micah. I thought we might swim for a while and then curl up on the couch together until it was time for everyone to come over.

I had everything arranged for a peaceful afternoon of doing nothing. Micah had an oversized couch, and I added extra blankets and pillows to make it even more inviting. I even chose a perfect playlist to have going in the background.