I rolled my eyes at the full naming, making them grin at me.
“Seriously, though, why do you have so many names?”
“My parents wanted me to sound distinguished and like I belonged beside the royal family or something, I don’t really know. It was stupid then, and it’s just as ridiculous now.”
They laughed and captured my mouth in a long, tender kiss that had me melting into them.
When they broke away, they asked, “Soooooo… how many boxes do you think we’ll need for this room? My bedroom aloneis going to need a billion because I have so many clothes. But maybe we can start taking things up slowly or something. Or we can just get everyone to come help, then buy them all pizza or something like that? What do you think?”
“What in the hell are you talking about?”
They snorted, rolled their eyes with a smirk, and booped me on the nose. “I’m moving in with you, you idiot.”
“You are?”
“Yes!” They threw their arms around me and kissed me hard and quick. “That okay?”
I nodded vigorously. Was this really happening right now? I’d been dying to move Oak into my condo since the moment I realized they were my viramore. “Yes. Please.”
Oak laughed lightly with a big smile on their face. “Will my hoard fit with yours, or will we need to make a separate room?”
My heart squeezed and almost burned with how joyous I felt. I never in a million years thought anyone would want to combine hoards with me. That was… more intimate than anything else I’d ever done. “We’ll make it fit.”
They snorted. “I don’t have a ton of stuff, but if I can collect this much in, like, two and a half years, I can’t imagine how much crap you have. You’re a million years old.”
I shook my head, trying not to laugh at them. “I’m notthatold.”
“Do you hear yourself when we watch ParaHist? ‘Cause that shit isn’t something a person younger than a billion would say.”
“Oh, so now I’m a billion?”
“Yep.”
With a chuckle, I huffed. “I don’t have that much in my hoard.”
They laughed disbelievingly. “Uh-huh, whatever you say, old man.”
I shook my head and couldn’t help my laughter as I pulled them back into my arms. “I am absolutely positive we can fit our hoards together and make some room to collect things together.”
“Yeah?”
I nodded. “Definitely.”
They leaned in and brushed a soft kiss across my lips. “I love you, Roman.”
My heart burst into flame. “I love you too, babydoll. I love you too.”
I covered their mouth with mine and decided we wouldn’t be leaving their hoard room for a very long time.
Epilogue
Oakley
ONE YEAR LATER
“You’re squishing me,” I murmured, patting Rome’s bare shoulder.
He let out a groan, gently pulled himself out of me, and rolled over, landing beside me. “Sorry, babydoll. You killed me.”
