“Christian,” she moans in my ear, and I explode into splintered pieces that all belong to her.
My head falls into the crook of her neck and we’re panting in our bliss. “I really do have an appointment.”
Lana huffs. “That’s okay, I already got what I wanted.”
I groan and tickle her neck with my stubble.
“No! Stop!” Lana laughs, wiggling under my body. “Christian!”
I laugh and pepper kisses everywhere I can reach. “I’ll meet you at the shop for lunch.”
Lana pouts. “Fine.”
I smile. She doesn’t know anything and she doesn’t seem to suspect. This surprise is perfect.
Lana and I left the house together, in separate cars and going to different destinations. She went to her bookstore cafe, the place she dreamed about having, and I came to the house to set up the new furniture I ordered for her dream lake house.
“Shouldn’t you be waiting for Lana,” Rowan grunts, lifting the new L-Shaped couch big enough for a family of ten, “before you furnish a house she knows nothing about.”
Another grunt, but from Julian. “She could hate this fucking couch.”
I roll my eyes and cautiously back into the family room I bought it for, the one that has the fireplace. It makes it homier. “She’s going to love this couch,” I groan, trying to keep a steady grip. “I’m not picking things she hates.”
The three of us set it down slowly and exhale a heavy breath once it’s finally on the floor. “Let me guess,” Julian says, catching his breath with his hands on his hips, “you have her Pinterest board?”
I shrug. “And if I do?”
“Then you know what you’re doing,” Rowan says.
Julian wipes his forehead with the back of his tattooed wrist. “When are we going to start the library?”
“Tomorrow,” I pant. “Some other furniture gets delivered tomorrow.”
“What else?” Rowan asks. He drops himself back onto the couch with a huff.
“Bed frame, shelves, the chaise for the library, my desk, mattress,” I list off, “and the new TV.”
Rowan blows out a whistle. “I can’t believe you bought her a house.”
Exhausted from the long afternoon of moving in heavy furniture, I drop myself on the couch too. Julian follows right after.
“I can’t believe it either,” I mutter. “Does it ever hit you sometimes? Julian, you have a daughter. Rowan, you have the restaurant. Nico has a whole teaching career and Luca’s a whole firefighter, and I have…whatever this is.”
“We’re adults now,” Julian groans. “And I’m a fuckingdad.”
Rowan chuckles. “Yeah, man. And Christian is gonna be engaged soon.”
“You could be too if you just had a proper conversation with Natalia,” Julian grumbles.
Rowan smirks. “I have conversations with her.”
“The ones where she insults you and you smile?”
Rowan smiles. “It’sflirting.”
“It’s not,” Julian and I say together.
“Hello!”
