It had been a hectic week, and by Sunday evening, I was exhausted. I’d cleaned my apartment, done several loads of laundry, driven over to Chase’s and made dinner, and gotten Izzy off to bed. Chase offered to do the dishes and insisted I take a long, hot bubble bath. He even set out candles, poured me a glass of wine, and brought me my iPod so I could listen to music.

A girl could get used to being treated like this.

I’d been soaking for a good long while when he knocked on the door and poked his head in and to ask if I needed anything.

I slid up into a sitting position. “No, just you. Want to join me?”

“I thought you were relaxing.”

“If I get any more relaxed, I may slide down the drain.”

“Well, I wouldn’t want that to happen.” He stepped out of the room for a moment and returned with another glass and the bottle of wine.

I made room for him, but it was a tight squeeze.

“We need a bigger bathtub,” he pointed out as I settled in between his legs.

I leaned back against him, one knee drawn up and the other leg hooked over the side of the tub. “Not much you can do about that, is there? But wouldn’t that be great? Imagine all the wicked things we could do in a nice big bathtub.”

“Well, now that you mention it, I was meaning to talk to you about that.”

“Getting a bigger bathtub? That would be kind of crazy, since you rent.”

“I know, which is why I’m thinking of buying a place.”

My heart might have skidded to a stop. “You’re moving?”

“If you come with me.”

“Where?”

“Here—well, somewhere around here. Things are great between us, and I still want you to live with me.” He pointed to the collection of hair products around the tub, the panties drying on the shower rod, and all my makeup piled on the counter, not to mention the basket of Izzy’s tub toys sitting in the corner. “You’ve got half your stuff here and the other half on the other side of town. I want you under my roof. I want you to know I’m taking care of you and Izzy. I want to make your life easier. I want you to feel safe and protected. I want to trip on Izzy’s toys when I come home from w—”

I gave him a gentle shove. “You say that now, but step on one Barbie shoe barefoot and you’ll be singing a different tune.”

“I’m serious, Rain.” He leaned as far forward as he could, given the tight quarters, and wrapped me in his arms. “I love you. I’ve been afraid to say it because I don’t want to freak you out, but I’ve loved you for—”

I twisted toward him and pressed my fingers against his lips, feeling the magnitude of what he was telling me.

“Stop. Listen to me. First, I don’t need someone to take care of me and Izzy. I’ve been taking care of the two of us, more or less, since she was born. That’s important to me.” He started to speak again, but I pressed harder. “Second, we’ve only been together for six weeks. And third, I’m pretty sure I love you too.”

I took my fingers away, but kept them close to his mouth in case I needed them again. “But it’s still too soon to live together. I don’t want to fuck this up. I like the way things are. We’re together every night as it is. Why jeopardize things between us?”

“Exactly—we’re together every night. How would we be jeopardizing anything?”

I loved him. I didn’t care who thought it was crazy or too soon, and I could see someday making a commitment to him, much bigger than just living together. But being independent was a big deal for me, and I wasn’t sure I was ready to give that up. My heart was still pretty bruised, and I didn’t think I could survive if he changed his mind about us later. So for now, even if it meant disappointing him, I had to protect what was mine.

Disappointed, he flung himself back against the wall. Water splashed out over the sides and onto the floor. “Fine. But I’m still going to look for a house. And you’re coming with me. If nothing else, we’ll have a bigger fucking bathtub.”

I pressed my lips together to try and hide my smile.

“I could totally get behind a bigger bathtub.”