CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

BRYAN

He relaxed his hand at the wheel and glanced over at his beautiful girl. Sitting next to him, she was dressed in a floral print sundress that consisted of tiny straps at her shoulders, was fitted at the chest, and flared out at the waist, landing just above her knees. Just like that, he had to look away, his eyes tempted to keep looking down at the sexy-as-sin peep-toe shoes she was wearing, but he needed to get them to their destination safely.

“Do you think I’m dressed okay?” His eyebrows went up, but he didn’t look at her.

“You look great, baby.”

“I know you told me that, but, Bryan, he’s going to have, you know…”

“No, I don’t know.“

“Grace said people from the movie are going to be there.”

“And?”

“And they’re all… I don’t know, fancy and name brand.”

“That’s them.” He shrugged, trying not to laugh. “Plus, Marc said it’s a casual BBQ. Cast, crew, and production company getting together before they all dive in and start shooting next week.”

“I know, but why do we have to go?”

“Because I’m an official investor of the production company,” he shared, stealing a peek at her, unable to stop the sound of his own laughter at seeing her face.

“You are?”

“I am.”

“Wow… that’s…”

“Cool?”

“Risky,” she answered, and he laughed louder. God, he loved how she kept him on his toes. “Why are you laughing? It’s true. It’s not like that’s a sound investment.”

“Baby, there is no such thing as sound investments.”

“Whatever,” she mumbled and looked out the window. He felt her eyes when her head turned toward him as he drove. “Where are we going?”

“What do you mean?”

“This is the detour we made the first time we went to Marc’s place to see your family.” He grinned remembering the fun time they’d had in the parking lot of an almost empty park. “Bryan,” she warned, and he turned.

“What?”

“We are not doing that again.”

“Maybe.” He winked.

“No. I’m serious. Please, I’m nervous enough about this.”

“Why? It’s just my family, babe. I’m pretty sure they all love you more than they love me by now.”

“That’s not true… well, maybe Garrett and Nicola,” she teased, and he simply shook his head. “If you’re good, maybe we can make a stop on the way home?” she offered saucily, reminding him of one of the many reasons he loved her.

Right before reaching their park, he made a right turn, taking them up a hill and then making a second right. They found themselves in a residential neighborhood. He could feel her unspoken questions as she looked out.

Knowing exactly where he was going, he took in the sight and appreciated it even more today than the first time he had driven through it.

The neighborhood was nice. Nowhere as fancy as where he used to live with his brothers, but it was nothing to snub your nose at. Tall trees with thick trunks lined both sides of the street. Lawns were neatly mowed, showing the pride of the people who lived there. The homes varied from two-story homes to sprawling one stories, all of them with attached garages and paved driveways. Each house was different in its own way with a good amount of space in between.

Knowing her as well as he did, he knew her mind was running wild with what they must look like on the inside, and he was dying to show her exactly where they were going.

“Where are we going?” she asked, her voice soft as she took in the houses.

“I saw something around here that I wanted you to see.”

“What was it?” she asked, but he wasn’t going to let her ruin his surprise.

“Can you imagine what this hood looks like during Christmas time?” he asked her, trying to change the subject and not give away the excitement and nerves he felt.

“It probably glows,” she said wistfully, and his heart went into overdrive as he inched closer to their destination, parking across the way of what he wanted her to see.

VALERIE

Bryan pulled his car over, and I looked at the house next to us. It was a blue two-story house.

“Where are we?” I asked again, mystified at what he was up to.

“Stay there,” he ordered, and before I could even respond, he slipped out of the driver’s side and rounded the car, opening my door. When he extended his hand to me, I took it and slipped out, immediately smoothing down the skirt of my dress, and looked at him questioningly. I watched him swallow hard and suddenly realized that he looked nervous. Or maybe he looked sick? Was he in pain?

“Baby, are you okay?“

“I need you to do me a favor.” He licked his lips, and I raised an eyebrow.

“Okay,” I worded slowly, unable to read his face.

“I need you to trust me,” he uttered. I blinked, suddenly a little worried.

“Bryan—“

“No arguments,” he cut me off. What was I going to say to that?

“I need you to close your eyes and let me lead you,” he kept going. “I have a surprise, but I need you to keep your eyes closed.” And what could I answer to that? Nothing. So I closed my eyes and kept them closed

“You okay?” I heard his deep voice ask and smiled.

“Yeah,” I muttered, enjoying the way my hearing seemed to automatically heighten. The sound of birds chirping clear and the wind rustling in the trees was more than peaceful. It was beautiful.

“Hold my hand,” he ordered, placing the side of my body against his, his right hand around my back and at my hip, while my left hand was in his.

We walked in silence. Taking maybe twenty, thirty steps before he stopped us and turned me to face him. The breeze picked up the scent of his cologne, making me want a kiss.

“What are we doing?” I asked, excitement prickling and winning over the confusion of what Bryan had up his sleeve.

“I want to know something.”

“Okay.”

“Would you want to live anywhere other than the beach?”

“Yes,” I automatically answered, thinking about the beauty of the suburban street.

“I love you,” he sighed, and I felt him right in front of me. His warm, minty breath fell softly against my lips, making them tingle for a long second before his lips touched mine and he kissed me. Soft and sweet. He pulled away all too quickly in my opinion. His hands moved from my waist. “Open your eyes, beautiful,” he whispered.

Blinking once and then twice, my eyes focused upwards to the masculine face in front of me and my hands cupped his face.

“What’s going on?” I asked again, and he swallowed hard.

“You know I love you.”

“I think you’ve mentioned that… once or twice.” I giggled as his hands cupped my face.

“I want us to live together.”

“I’m pretty sure we already do, handsome.”

“I want us to have our own place,” he announced, and my smile faltered slightly.

“Bryan…” I sighed trying to find the words to explain that I couldn’t leave Vaughn high and dry. There was no way Vaughn could handle the expense of living alone. Especially now that he was clean and about to get out of the rehab center Bryan had helped him get into. “Vaughn…” I started to say, but one of his hands moved a finger to my lips, instantly quieting me down.

“Thinks we should move, too,” he told me. The news took me by surprise. “He wants to rent the place out, Val. He’d make more than enough off it to pay the mortgage and an apartment while he gets back on his feet when he gets out. Plus, with the job he has lined up, the commute from the beach house to work is too much.”

“That makes sense.”

“I know. I suggested it,” he surprised me.

“What?” I frowned. “Why would you do that?”

“Baby…”

“He’s my friend, Bryan—“

“I know. I know, babe, and I know he is going to be in your life. I’m not saying shit about that. But I have to be honest, I like our living situation and I don’t wanna change that and have to share you. And honestly, I’m too old for the whole roommate thing.”

“So, what? You want to buy a house so that I can be your roommate? How is that okay?”

“I don’t want you to be my roommate,” he answered with a huff. I stilled. He doesn’t want to be roommates. What does that mean? Did I miss something?

Looking past him, I looked at the house in front of me for the first time, and my heart flip-flopped in my chest. Quickly, my eyes popped back at him and I watched him run his fingers through his hair. “I’m not doing a great job of this. Come here.” His hand took mine, and we walked toward the house that had a for-sale sign in the front lawn, over it a SOLD sticker.

“Bryan, what are you doing? This place is sold. I’m pretty sure we could get arrested for breaking and entering,” I pointed out as we reached the threshold and he looked down at me.

“I’m a cop.”

“I know,” I huffed. My patience was running out.

“Who’s going to arrest a cop?” he joked, winking at me, and I was done with this whole game he had going on.

“Bryan!”

“I know it’s sold, Blondie.“ One hand cupped the side of my jaw, the other came up between us. Between his fingers, he held a silver key. My breathing suddenly stopped. “I know it’s sold, because it’s ours. It will be once you sign the final papers.”

“What?” I asked, not hiding the shock in my voice.

“Paid in full. No mortgage. Pretty much move-in ready if you don’t mind roughing it for a couple of days as we paint and make the place our own.” My brain tried to process everything he said.

“What?”

“I love you, Blondie. I didn’t mean I didn’t want you as a roommate. I want you as my roommate, my partner, for as long as you’ll have me.”

Stunned silent, I looked at him. Blinking once. Twice. His words seeped into my bones, and I looked away from him to the beautiful house in front of me and then back at him. Then I broke into laughter.

BRYAN

Bryan watched her face express every emotion she felt. First confusion then surprise melted into joy and happiness. What he didn’t expect was for her to shriek, a girly sound he had never heard from her but enjoyed, right before she threw herself into his arms, He held on to her tightly.

“You’re crazy!” she laughed, and he chuckled along with her.

“About you.”

“Are you serious right now?”

“I wouldn’t joke about this!”

“Oh, my God…” She pulled away. Her chest heaved up and down, giving him a glimpse of her creamy cleavage, but his eyes went back to hers and he saw it. The moment she started to think too much. “But, wait…”

“What?” He knew where this was going, but this wasn’t the time to be a smartass.

“You can’t pay it all—“ she started to say just like he knew she would, and he kissed her.

He smiled as his lips took hers, realizing that this was their first kiss at the threshold of their house. A house they would make their home if he had anything to say about it.

“We can talk about the details later.” He pulled away, softly urging her to follow him, excited to take her into the house. “Come on, I want you to see the place,” he told her before unlocking the door. Before taking a step inside, he looked at her, catching an expression he’d never seen nor understood.

“What is it?” he asked, and she shook her head.

“I just…I want to ask something, but I don’t want it to sound like I’m being…difficult.”

“You? Difficult?” His brows pointed upward in jest, and she sighed.

“Bry—“

“What is it? Ask me anything.”

“Why?”

“Why what?” He pretended to be obtuse.

“Why a house? I mean, it’s beautiful, Bryan, don’t get me wrong. But we’re new. If we move in together, we could do an apart—“ He shook his head, and she stopped talking.

With a sigh, he held both her hands in his. “We both had different childhoods, right?”

“Night and day different,” she muttered, and he stroked her hair.

“As different as our lives were, we both wanted the same thing. A home. Roots to something. So, when I talked to Vaughn and I saw this place, Val, I knew it was perfect for us.”

“Why?” she asked carefully, and he grinned. She was a fucking handful, but she was his handful, and damn it, he wouldn’t have it any other way.

“If you got your sweet ass in here, you would see why.” He chuckled, and her cheeks pinkened.

“Bryan—“

“Babe,” he groaned, leaning his head back to look at the sky.

“Handsome, look at me.” He did as she ordered, raising an eyebrow, and watched silently as she closed the small amount of space between them, stood on the tips of her toes, and kissed him. “Thank you,” she softly whispered against his lips.

Pulling away, he took them through the house. Pointing out the projects they could take on, mentioning if she didn’t want to do them, it would be no big deal hiring someone. When he took her through the bedrooms, she gasped at the sight of the master and the en-suite that had been recently remodeled.

Then he took her to the kitchen, where her soft gasps and soft smiles told him more than enough.

“It’s beautiful.”

“It’s finished enough we can move in and not have to take on big projects that would make living here uncomfortable.”

“Yeah.” Her eyes took in the white cabinets.

“But it has enough projects that, I don’t know, would be kind of fun to work side by side on. Don’t you think?”

“It’s perfect.”

“And check this out.” He took her hand and led them through the double French doors that led to the backyard.

“Wow,” she sighed as he stood behind her, his hands around her waist, smiling so big it almost hurt his face. The outdoor space was beautiful. Green grass in the back; concrete had been laid out, so that they could entertain, surrounded by beautiful trees and greenery.

“Ruby can go in there, and we could still park our cars in the garage.” He pointed at the extra, small garage in the back, where her restored car could go. “It has its own exit to the back of the street. Great green space. The BBQ island over there still works, but—“

“But we could retouch it down the road. Maybe add an island to it,” she cut him off, wonder in her voice. “And a brick pizza oven!”

“I like that, and we could hang a couple hammocks,” he muttered into her ear, and she laughed.

Turning in his arms, she cupped his face in her hands. “I can’t believe you did this!”

“I would do anything for you.” He cleared his throat. This was the perfect moment. The perfect spot to do what he had been dying to do since before he got stabbed. “Val—“

“Hello!” a deep voice bellowed from the front door.

Fucking Garrett and his bad timing.

“Your family?” she whispered, her eyes bright and happy. He nodded and sighed.

“The BBQ is next week,” he confessed. “It was a ploy to get you here. I thought I would bring you here and they could come after, kind of like our own get-together.” Her eyes sparkled like jade stones. “It sounded like a good idea at the time, but now all I want is to be alone with you,” he mumbled, wishing he would have been able to ask her. She broke his thoughts when she kissed him again, laughing against his lips. His girl thought he was cute.

“I love you,” she spoke. “Yes. I’ll move in. As long as we figure out the details.”

“We will.” His heart thundered in his chest. He hadn’t been able to ask her the other part, but she was moving in. They were going to live together. He’d ask her his other question a little later. But he would do it today. That fucking box was burning a goddamn hole in pockets already!

“We will figure it all out,” he promised, taking in the beautiful smile she had on her face.

“Okay, then.” She nodded, beaming brightly at him. “Come on, we have guests to say hi to!”