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“What is it?” At her question, I look at her.
“Nothing.” I try to shake off the feeling.
“You didn’t let me avoid sharing what was on my mind the other day. I don’t think I should let you, either.”
She’s right. If we are going to make this work, we need to be honest with each other always.
“How can you afford this?”
I can see that my question has caught her off guard. I notice her back go straight.
“Tom.” My jaw gets hard. She takes a step toward me. “I . . . When I divorced him, I went after him in a way that I thought would hurt him most.” She ducks her head, seeming embarrassed by her admission. I see her turn to look at the room again, and guilt eats at me when she continues speaking. “This isn’t something that I got for myself. I got this because of Tom, because of his betrayal.” Her face pales while nausea twists in my stomach. “Can we go?” she whispers, starting toward the door.
I grab hold of her hand, stopping her. “Look at me, baby,” I say softly. She shakes her head. I lift up her chin and see tears pooling in her eyes. “You know I’ll never be able to give you this. I’ll never be able to give you a life where you can afford a house in this area,” I tell her honestly. “I make good money. I’m comfortable, but I don’t make the kind of money where I will ever be able to afford a house like this.”
“I didn’t even want this.” She closes her eyes, and a single tear falls down her cheek. “When I married Tom, all I wanted was a family of my own who would love me unconditionally. I didn’t grow up with much. I never wanted to be rich, I just wanted to be loved.”
“I can give you that,” I say. Her head flies up, her eyes searching mine. “I can give you love and family, in me and Maddi.”
“I . . .”
“I’m not wealthy,” I state.
“I don’t care about money, Lucas.” She rests her hands against my chest. “I really don’t. I never have. Money didn’t dry my tears or ease my pain when Tom stepped out on our marriage. Money didn’t hold me at night, make me feel safe, or give me the love of a child who’s not my own but who I love like she is. You did that.”
Fuck, her words kill me.
“I love you,” I get out through the tightness in my throat.
“I know.” She smiles, leaning deeper into me. “Family is what is important to me. Your love and Maddi’s. I would live in a cardboard box on the side of the road as long as you and Maddi were there with me.”
“Let’s hope that never happens,” I mutter.
She smiles, then tips her head to the side, asking, “Would you?”
“Would I what?”
“Would you live in a cardboard box with me?”
“Yes.” My answer is firm.
“Would you live here with me?” She looks around. “I know it’s not much to look at right now, but I think that with the right touch we can turn this place into a beautiful home for our family, don’t you?”
I know she’s trying to joke in order to make me relax. She knows that I’m the kind of man who pays for dinner—and whatever else comes up. She gets that me moving into a home she paid for would be me putting my pride aside.
“I’d live anywhere with you.”
“Do you think Maddi will like the house?”
“Baby, you know you don’t even have to ask that question. She’d love having an actual room. But more than that, she’d love having a bathroom to herself.”
“So is this a plan?” she asks, relaxing against me.
I pull her even closer with my hands on her hips.
“No.”
She starts to pull away.
“Before we move in here, I need to put a ring on your finger.”
“What?” Her eyes widen.
“You didn’t expect to live in sin with me, did you?”
“You want to get married. To me?”
“I sure as fuck don’t want to marry anyone else. Don’t you want to get married?”
“Yes.” Her bottom lip trembles.
“Then that’s the plan. We get married, then we move in here.”
“I’m going to cry.” Her voice shakes.
“You can’t cry.” I touch my mouth to hers. “You need to be able to see the rest of the house so you can sign the papers, and you won’t be able to do that if you’re crying.”
“Right.” She waves her hand in front of her face, holding her eyes open in an attempt to dry them out.
I laugh, then take her hand and lead her through the rest of our house.
After we leave, we head to my office. She signs the papers for the contractor. When she’s done, I get my wish to feel her heels in my back.
