That last point was what forced him out of the car and into the house. If he only had a month left with her, then he was damn well going to make the most of the time they had.
She wasn’t where he’d expected to find her, curled up on the living room couch with a book, waiting for him to get home and either pour her a glass of wine or tell her to change into her Little girl pajamas. The mood he was in, he was definitely leaning toward the latter.
But she wasn’t there, and he frowned at the empty couch.
“Sammie?”
“Bedroom!”
What was his babygirl up to? Maybe she’d taken matters into her own hands and she was waiting for him in their bed, wearing one of those sexy little lingerie numbers she sometimes liked to surprise him with.
Feeling more chipper than he had when he’d first gotten home, he made his way to the bedroom.
And froze dead in his tracks at the sight that greeted him.
His Sammie-girl was there, but not waiting for him on the bed like he’d expected. Instead, she was cross-legged on the floor, surrounded by what looked like a dozen empty boxes, two rolls of shipping tape, and a whole package of multicolored permanent markers.
“Umm… what are you doing?”
Twisting around, she grinned up at him. “Packing. Well, right now I’m mostly sorting out what I should just go ahead and get rid of. At first I figured I could get rid of most of my sweaters and stuff, but then I realized I have no idea what part of California we’re moving to. So I’ve been separating things into piles. Definitely keep, maybe keep, definitely give away. There’s alotin the give-away pile. I never realized I had so many clothes I actually really hate.”
Stunned, he could only stare down at her as his brain tried to process what she was telling him. “California. You… You’re coming with me?”
“I am.” Uncertainty flickered across her face. “I mean, if you want me to, of course. I’m gonna feel kinda silly if I bought all this packing stuff and you don’t want me to come.”
“Baby.” Needing a moment, he stopped, running a hand through his hair as he took in the mess around her. “Of course I want you to come with me. But I can’t ask you to do that. Your whole life is here.”
“No, Daddy.” Pushing up to her feet, she looped her arms around his neck, her lips curved up in a knowing smile. “My whole life is wherever you are.”
“Fuck.” Overcome, he wrapped his arms around her, burying his face in her neck, inhaling the sweet scent of her. “I wanted to ask you. I wanted so fucking bad to get on my knees and beg you to come with me. And I know it’s selfish, butfuckI’m so happy right now, babygirl.”
“It isn’t selfish. As Ethan pointed out when he called me this afternoon and told me what a dumbass I was if I let you go, all my reasons for staying were just excuses. I’ve had a good life here, Dylan, but the life I want? It’s with you. Wherever that may be.”
Lifting his head, he stared down at her again. “Ethan called you a dumbass?”
“Yes.”
“That’s it. He’s grounded forever.”
Head thrown back, she laughed, the sound of it filling the room. “That’s what I said. But he’s right. It would have been the worst kind of mistake to let you leave without me.”
“You’re sure? Like, really sure about this? What about your job and the house and?—”
“I already put in my notice at work. And before you get all martyry about it, I’ve been wanting to quit for a while. This just gave me the push I needed. It might take me a minute to find something new out there and to sell the house, but I’ve got enough saved up to cover the mortgage for a few months at least.”
“No, I’ll cover it. We shouldn’t dip into your savings unless we absolutely need to.”
“Dylan, I can’t possibly ask you to do that.”
“You aren’t asking.Daddyis telling you that he’ll take care of it.”
Need flared in her eyes, her pupils darkening as he slid his hands down to grip her ass. “Oh. But it’s too much. I can’t possibly?—”
“Babygirl, trust me. It’s not too much. Not only was I offered a very generous compensation package, they also gave me a hefty sign-on bonus.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Define generous. Wait, never mind, that’s none of my business.”
“Everything about me is your business, Samantha Kay.” And because it was, he told her what his salary was, along with the bonus. Which gave him the distinct pleasure of watching her mouth fall open.
