Page 48 of Coming Home

“Honey, there’s no doubt I want you, but I’ll be happy just holding you too. Whatever you want, as long as you're in my arms.”

There’s no way I can deny him, nor do I want to. Instead, I walk ahead of him toward the bedroom, pulling his hand along the way. “I like the way you think, Huddy Blaze.”

Chapter25

Hudson

I’m on my way home, and I can’t stop smiling. It’s crazy to think it’s been a week since the Casey father and son were arrested, and the difference in Ellie has been astounding. She has been so happy and carefree. She’s still working in the mornings at the office and in the afternoons at the house. My house is coming along perfectly. She has all the downstairs done and one of the bedrooms upstairs complete.

I barely get parked in the driveway and I’m out of my truck and walking into the house. Coming home to Ellie is everything.

“Honey, I’m home. I would have been here sooner, but I had a meeting with Beau.”

She’s spent every night in my bed, and it’s been great. Sometimes, I still have trouble falling asleep, but Ellie takes my mind off it.

I toss my keys into the cup, and kick my loafers off, and slide them into the bin. Ellie and I went shopping after Ford convinced me I couldn’t wear jeans, T-shirts, and boots to the office every day. I make my way into the kitchen and living room. It’s only when I see a packed suitcase that I come to a stop.

My heart starts to race, and my head starts to pound. With my hands in fists as my sides, I holler again, “Ellie, I’m home.”

She comes to a stop at the top of the stairs. The smile I’ve come accustomed to is nowhere near as big as it has been this week. “Hey, Huddy, I didn’t expect you home for a few hours.”

I nod, pointing at the suitcase. “What is this?”

She comes down the steps with a small bag in her hand. “That is my suitcase.”

I nod. “Yeah, I remember helping you carry it from your car. What I’m asking is why is it here?”

She stops and is looking everywhere but at me. “Right, well, my landlord called, and the renovations have been completed and everything has been cleaned up. He said it’s ready for me to move back in.”

I don’t even hesitate. She’s crazy if she thinks I’m letting her leave me. I grab the suitcase and roll it to my bedroom. She’s kept all her stuff in the bedroom upstairs this week, and I didn’t care at the time. As long as she’s been in my bed, I didn’t care where she left her clothes. But now that she’s packed, we might as well move her into our bedroom officially.

She follows behind me. “Huddy, what are you doing?”

I pick the suitcase up and put it on the bed. I open the zipper and pop it open before grabbing some clothes out of the top. “Unpacking.”

“I just packed all that.”

“Yeah, well, you’re not leaving.”

She watches me as I stuff her things into a drawer. She moves beside me and puts her hand on my arm. “Stop, Huddy. Talk to me.”

“What do you want to talk about? If it has anything to do with you leaving me, then I’m not talking about it.”

She crosses her arms over her chest. “I can’t just live here forever.”

Her words are like a sucker punch right in the gut. My voice cracks with emotion. “Why can’t you?”

She stutters the words out. “Why can’t I? Well, I guess there are a bunch of reasons. This was supposed to be temporary. You have a home and a life, and I’m sure you’re tired of me interfering with that.”

“You’re not interfering with anything. You are my home… you are my life.”

Speechless, her mouth falls open. “What?”

She looks so unsure. I drop the shirts in the drawer. It’s so full I can’t shut it, but I turn away and hold on to her. “Ellie, I should have told you this before now. I want you to stay here with me. I want you to sleep in that bed with me every night.”

She opens her mouth, but I stop her. “Wait, let me finish. I’ve fucked up. I should have told you all this, and I didn’t. I thought I was giving you time, hoping that you were adjusting to life here with me, but I should have told you. You know how you keep asking me about the bedroom upstairs, the one you haven’t designed yet?”

She nods her head. “Yeah…”

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