“I love you,” Jade whispered, tracing patterns on Maddox’s chest. “More than anything.”
Maddox kissed her forehead, her hand stroking down Jade’s back to grip her ass possessively. “I love you too. You’re my everything, forever.”
Jade lifted her head, meeting Maddox’s gaze and seeing the commitment mirrored there. “Forever,” she agreed, sealing it with a soft kiss.
Jade woke to the warmth of Maddox's body curved against her back and an arm draped over her waist. She blinked, disoriented for half a second before remembering last night.
She smiled into the pillow.
Maddox shifted behind her, her lips brushing the back of Jade's neck. "You awake?"
"Mmm. Maybe." Jade rolled over to face her. "What time is it?"
"A little after eight." Maddox's hair stuck up at odd angles, and Jade reached up to smooth it down. "Did you sleep okay?"
"Better than okay." Jade stretched, feeling her muscles pleasantly sore from the hike. Had it only been last weekend? It felt like a week's worth of life had happened between that trailhead and now.
Zeus's nails clicked on the hardwood downstairs, followed by the sound of him lapping water from his bowl.
"He's been patient," Maddox said. "But I should probably take him out before he stages a protest."
"I'll make coffee." Jade sat up, reaching for the t-shirt she'd borrowed from Maddox's drawer—from her drawer now, she supposed. The thought made her grin.
"What?" Maddox asked, pulling on shorts.
"Nothing. Just...this." Jade gestured vaguely at the room. "Us."
Maddox crossed back to the bed and leaned down to kiss her. "Yeah. Us."
Downstairs, Jade started the coffee while Maddox let Zeus out into the backyard. Through the kitchen window, she watched them—Maddox throwing a tennis ball and Zeus bounding after it with tireless enthusiasm, the early light turning everything golden.
Her phone buzzed on the counter. A text from Diana: “Reminder: contract paperwork is ready to sign tomorrow. Looking forward to making this official.”
Jade typed back: “I'll be there. Thank you for this opportunity.”
The reply came quickly. “You earned it. See you then.”
"Coffee ready yet?" Maddox asked, coming back inside with Zeus at her heels.
"Almost." Jade held up her phone. "Diana confirmed Wednesday for the signing."
"That's it, then." Maddox washed her hands at the sink. "Two years."
"Two years," Jade echoed, pouring coffee into both mugs. "Longer, probably. I don't see myself leaving after that."
Maddox accepted her mug and leaned against the counter. "Good. Because I wasn't planning on letting you go."
They drank their coffee in comfortable quietude, Zeus crunching kibble in the corner. Outside, birds called to each other. The house smelled like coffee and laundry detergent and the faint cedar Maddox used in everything.
"So," Maddox said after a while. "Moving logistics. Your lease ends at the end of August?"
"August thirty-first." Jade set down her mug. "Which gives us about six weeks to figure out what stays, what goes, and how to fit two lives into one house."
"Six weeks." Maddox nodded slowly. "That's...manageable."
"You sound nervous."
"Not nervous. Just..." Maddox paused, searching for words. "Making sure you have space. This becomes our place, not just mine with your stuff in it."
