This wasn’t like me at all. I planned things out, carefully weighed the risks and rewards. I didn’t rush headlong into things. Except that character trait of mine didn’t seem to apply to Addison. I’d barely thought through a single step of our relationship, from the moment she’d run into me at work to me asking her about having an exclusive sexual relationship. All that had mattered to me was that I didn’t lose her.

Talking with Jax had made two things perfectly clear to me. One, it was time to go back to Boston. Maybe not forever, but for a while. Long enough to get to know my brother again. The second thing I’d discovered was that I couldn’t continue with Addison the way things were going now. We’d never been only about sex, and I needed to make sure she saw that, because I was going to do something rash.

I was going to ask her to come to Boston with me.

I tugged on my suit jacket and wondered if I should have worn a tie. I didn’t own many of them and generally reserved wearing them for occasions like presentations or fundraisers. The jacket I wore only on formal occasions when it was too chilly for just a dress shirt. Tonight, felt like one of those nights clothes-wise, but I’d never been this nervous before any other social event.

Probably because my entire future had never been dependent on one person’s answer to a question before.

With one hand, I held up the flowers I’d bought, and then I knocked with the other. When the door opened, however, Dorly stood there, scowling, her arms crossed.

“If you hurt Addison, I will cut off your balls and give them to her as earrings.”

I blinked. “Wow. That’s an oddly specific threat.”

She shrugged. “I believe in fair warnings.”

She stepped aside, and I walked past her. Codie was here too, perched on the arm of a loveseat. She didn’t look any more pleased to see me than Dorly did.

“What Dorly said, about the earrings,” Codie glared at me, “after she’s done, I’ll cut off your dick and feed it to a pig.”

Despite the fact their threats were enough to make me want to back away with my hands over my crotch, I appreciated the fact that they cared enough about Addison to promise bodily harm if I hurt her.

“Both duly, noted.” I said.

“Addison, your date’s here!” Dorly called without taking her eyes off me.

“You’re early,” Addison said as she rushed out of what I assumed was her bedroom. She pushed curls back from her flushed face. “I need a couple minutes to get this mess under control.”

I smiled at her. “Please don’t. I like your hair wild.”

Her cheeks grew redder, but her eyes sparkled. “Are those for me?”

I held out the flowers, and when her fingers brushed against mine, a little jolt of electricity moved up my arm. “I remembered you saying you liked sunflowers.”

“They’re my favorite,” she said as she cradled the flowers in her arms for a moment. “Dorly, would you mind putting these in water for me?”

Dorly took the bouquet, throwing me one final dirty look before heading to the kitchenette.

“Shall we?” I asked, holding out my hand.

When Addison’s fingers laced between mine, I knew I had to convince her to come with me. I needed her as much as I needed my brothers. She was what would keep me sane when things with them got difficult – and I knew they would.

“You look amazing,” I said as we stepped into the elevator.

She wore a simple pencil skirt and a fitted sweater, both in the same deep green that made her eyes stand out, but she couldn’t have been more beautiful if she’d been in a designer gown.

“You’re not so bad yourself,” she replied with a smile.

I leaned down and gave her a soft kiss, my fingers brushing her cheek. “I missed you.”

She looked surprised but pleased. “Me too.” She laughed. “You’re taking all the good lines.”

We stepped into the lobby, hand-in-hand, then headed outside and down the sidewalk to where I’d parked. Once we were settled and I pulled away from the curb, she reached over and took my hand again.

“I was surprised you asked me to dinner,” she said, her free fingers tracing patterns on the back of my hand. “You don’t have to, you know.”

“Don’t have to what?”

“Take me to dinner. Don’t get me wrong,” she added quickly, “I’m happy to be here with you. I just don’t want you to feel like I expect it. We were clear that this thing with us isn’t a romantic relationship. You can ask me over for sex without all of this.”

I glanced over at her, wondering if I should take the opening. “I wanted to spend time with you.”

I could hear Jax in the back of my head telling me to man up.

She squeezed my hand. “I’d like that too.”

When I’d done my research on romantic restaurants in Atlanta, Nikolai’s Roof was near the top of the list, and I’d liked the look of the place. When Addison and I were seated at a small table near the windows, I knew I’d made the right choice. The view would’ve been great during the day, but at night, the city glowed.

“Atlanta is much more beautiful than I’d expected,” Addison said after I placed a wine order.

Shit. Maybe this hadn’t been the best place to go. I didn’t want her falling in love with the city and not wanting to leave. I should have made a list of all the reasons why Boston was better than Atlanta. She was logical like me. She’d have appreciated that.

I didn’t know how to do this.

“Are you okay?” She reached across the table and took my hand.

I nodded. I needed to find something to talk about. Anything.

“I called my brother this afternoon,” I blurted out.

Dammit. That was going to lead straight to my question, but not in the way I’d wanted. This wasn’t going the way I’d envisioned it at all.

“Which one?”

“Jax.”

“That’s great!” She shifted in her seat, her knees brushing against mine under the table. “How did it go?”

“Really well,” I said. “Being engaged seems to agree with him.”

“I’m happy for you.” She squeezed my hand again, and something in her expression made me wonder if she wanted to say something more.

The waiter came back with our Merlot, and the conversation paused while he poured us each a glass. After thanking him, I took a healthy drink. It wasn’t as intoxicating as hard liquor, but it was enough to relax me a bit.

“What did the two of you talk about?” Addison asked as she sipped her wine.

And here it went.

“He told me about Syll, and how being with her changed him.” I reached for her hand this time, holding her fingers so that I could run my thumb over her knuckles.

“Love can do that, I suppose.” Her gaze slid away from mine, and her smile seemed forced.

I took a deep breath. “I know it can,” I agreed. “Because it’s done that for me.”

Her eyes snapped back to mine, wide and hopeful. “Cai?”

“When I asked you about us having a physical relationship, I was taking the easy way out.” My fingers tightened around hers. “I’ve known I was in love with you from the moment you and Pansy came back from the field and you told me you’d been exposed. I didn’t want to admit it, of course, but now, I can see it. The thought of losing you…” I shook my head. I couldn’t think about it. “I should have told you then how I felt, especially after I realized that masked woman at the club was you. I’d been thinking about her – about you – constantly, and I should have seen it for what it was.”

“Cai,” she interrupted, her smile back to being genuine. “I think you’re babbling.”

A laugh burst out of me. She was right. I was babbling.

I needed to stop dancing around this and just say it.

I got up and walked around to where she was sitting, crouching down so that we were closer to eye level. I took both of her hands in mine.

“I love you, Addison. And maybe it’s not fair to tell you this way, but I don’t want to lose you. I’m moving back to Boston to be closer to my brother, and I want you to come with me.”

Her mouth fell open, and she stared at me.

“I’ll understand if you say no, but I had to tell you before I put in my transfer request to the Boston office.”

“You love me,” she said quietly.

“I do.”

“And you’re moving back to Boston.”

My heart gave a painful twist. “I am.”

“But you want me to move back there too so we can be together.”

I reached up and tucked a stray curl behind her ear. “Yes.”

She gave me a long, searching look. “I thought you didn’t do romantic relationships.”

“So did I.” I leaned forward and brushed my lips across hers. “But I think the truth was, I was really just waiting for you.”

Her face lit up, and I knew what I’d said had addressed whatever doubts she’d been mulling over.

“If I can get my internship transferred to Boston, I’ll go with you,” she said.

“And if you can’t?”

“I guess we’ll have to try the long-distance thing.”

Fuck that. I’d call in every favor owed to me if that’s what it took. I’d worked my ass off my whole life, never settling for anything less than the best, and I’d be damned if I didn’t do the same to ensure that Addison was by my side.