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Every time he stayed.

She loved him.

Maybe she had for longer than she knew how to admit.

She smiled. “I love you.”

Noah went completely still.

For one terrifying second, Claire wondered if she had broken him.

“Claire.”

Her heart skipped a beat. “What?”

“There is no way you just said ‘I love you’ first.” His expression shifted into something between disbelief and pure happiness. “I was going to do that. I’ve been waiting for weeks.”

Relief rushed through her, followed quickly by laughter. “Sorry.”

“No, you’re not.”

“No, I’m not.”

At the next red light, he reached for her face and kissed her cheek, lingering there for a second before pulling away. “I love you too.”

This time, Claire was the one who went still.

She had known. Of course she had known. But hearing him say it made something settle inside her.

She squeezed his hand. “Good.”

Noah laughed. “That’s all I get?”

“You’re driving. I’m trying not to distract you.”

By early afternoon, Claire and Noah were walking back into Noah’s apartment. “You know what this means, right?” Claire asked Noah as she followed behind him. Biscuit followed closely behind them.

“What?” Noah rolled in the suitcases.

“We need to decorate ou—” She paused. “Your apartment for Christmas.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Our apartment?”

“You know what I meant.”

“You can call it ours.”

“I don’t even live here.”

“You practically do.”

“I do not.”

“Half of your mugs are in my kitchen.”

“Fair. Now where are your Christmas decorations?”

He pointed to a closet. “In there. I don’t have much. You’ll probably want to grab yours too.” He paused. “Unless you plan on decorating your apartment even though you spend all your time in mine.”