Page 105 of Fire in You

“It’s okay.”

“You say that now . . .” Grinning, he walked toward the back of the house, tossing his keys on a foyer table butted up against a wall.

I glanced up, taking in the exposed beams and deciding that the house had a rustic feel to it. Although Brock grew up in the city, the masculine simplicity fit him.

Brock turned the light on in the kitchen, and I got my first look at his remodel project. I was a bit awed. First off, the kitchen was huge. Lik,e it was the size of my kitchen, living room, and then some in my apartment. The counters were gone, but the positioning of the wide double fridge and unused, still-sealed wall ovens gave me an idea of how it would look once it was put back together.

Half the cabinets were off the wall, stacked side by side where a table probably normally would’ve sat. There was a large picture window above the sink.

I placed Rhage’s carrier down and walked over to the window. “Wow,” I said. “The view of the river is amazing.”

“It’s one of the reasons why I bought the house,” he said. “Nearly every room has a view of the river or the woods. Not a lot of land with the property, but it doesn’t feel that way.”

“No.” I moved to the doors leading to the patio. “You can’t even see any neighbors. Just the lights from the houses across the river. It’s beautiful.”

“The kitchen’s not much to look at, though,” he said.

I faced him. “But it’s huge, and once you get it finished, it’s going to be amazing.”

A slight smile appeared on Brock’s face.

“You could have an entire football team in this kitchen and still have room.”

The smile spread. “I don’t know about that.”

Brock set up Rhage’s stuff in the kitchen by the door that led out onto the deck, and I let Rhage out. The cat crept forward, ears flat as he took in his new surroundings. He made it about two feet and then plopped his furry butt down, his tail swishing back and forth.

“Got to say. He does not look impressed.”

I laughed as I rose. “He’s a hard cat to please.”

He shook his head as he turned to the fridge and grabbed me a drink. We lingered in the kitchen for a while, watching Rhage investigate every nook and cranny.

Eventually, Brock took me on the tour, through the dining room that was occupied by a dining set that had yet to be used. There were two living rooms. Well, according to Brock one was a living room and one was a media room, whatever that meant. I saw he had a huge-ass TV in one, and the other just had chairs and plants that could’ve been borrowed from my mom’s sunroom.

There was a study he had set up, and in there were more photos from when he was fighting. They hung on the walls, beside another large TV.

“You still haven’t unpacked completely, have you?” I gestured at the two large boxes in the corner. There had been a few in the living room as well.

He laughed as he led me out of the office. “I keep meaning to do it, but I’ve been focused on that kitchen.” He slid me a long look. “And you.”

A giddy smile tugged at my lips. “I should feel bad for sucking up your time.”

“But you don’t.”

“Nope.”

Brock picked up the bags he’d placed down earlier and led me upstairs. “There’s four bedrooms up here. I have a guest room set up. Nothing too exciting in there. Eventually I’ll do something with the other rooms.”

Following him down the wide hall to open double doors, I had to think this was the kind of house for a large family. And he wanted kids. Not an entire team of them like my uncle had, but he did want babies. I realized that maybe Brock was ready to truly settle down and start a family.

Brock moved ahead, turning on a bedside lamp, and I got my first look at his room. Like the rest of the house, it was a bit bare.

There was a wide dresser with a mirror beside doors that either led into the bathroom or closet. There was another dresser opposite the doors leading out onto the deck, and there were two nightstands. Other than a few wooden boxes on the dresser, the kind that looked like someone would stash fine tobacco in, there weren’t many personal items.

Nothing truly looked lived in.

With anyone else, this might’ve concerned me, but Brock had never been into decorating. His room at my parents’ house and his apartment when he was younger had been the same way.