Page 261 of Josephine and Clay

I turn around.

Clay is standing in the doorway watching me. Looking far more nervous than a man who'd just bought a house ought to.

The realization nearly undoes me. He bought a house. And he's worried I won't like it.

"You hate it."

I laugh through my tears. "What?"

"You hate it."

"Clay."

His shoulders slump. "Okay, maybe hate is strong."

I walk straight toward him.

His eyes widen.

Then I throw my arms around his neck.

The impact nearly knocks the breath from him.

"Oh."

"Exactly."

His arms tighten around me immediately.

I bury my face against his shoulder. "Are you serious right now?"

A laugh rumbles through his chest. "I'll take that as a good sign."

I pull back enough to look at him. "You bought us a house."

The words still feel unreal.

His expression softens. "I wanted us to have something that belonged to us."

The emotion hits all over again.

For so long I'd been fighting to build stability on my own.

Now this man keeps showing up and building it beside me. One piece at a time. "I used the inheritance." His thumb brushes beneath my eye. "Mom and Dad wanted it used to build a future." My throat tightens. "And this feels like the future I want."

The tears spill over completely, which would be embarrassing if pregnancy hadn't turned crying into a full-time hobby.

"Hey." His hands cup my face. "What's wrong?"

I laugh through another tear. "Nothing bad."

"That seems unlikely."

"I just..." My voice wobbles. "I'm happy."

"Good." His forehead rests against mine. “Because I'm pretty sure I've never been this happy either."

"I have one more surprise."