“Not putting you down. Not yet anyway. I need to carry my bride across the threshold.”
Providence narrows her eyes, and her eyebrows draw together. “I’m not a bride.”
“Yet,” I admit. “You said yes when I asked you, and you’re wearing my ring. We just need to set a date. Either way, this is the first time we’re stepping into our home together. I say it counts.”
“I think I need to run a cognitive test on you, love. You’ve clearly lost a few marbles.”
I smirk and push open the door with my knee. Carrying Providence into our home for the first time is everything I’d hoped for and more. Her gasp of surprise fills me with satisfaction. The team didn’t disappoint.
“Welcome home, baby. It’s time to start our new chapter.”
“Wow. I don’t… Holy shit, Tony. Our furniture…everything from your house is here…” Tears fill her eyes. She blinks a fewtimes like she can’t believe what she’s seeing. “How did this even happen? Nothing was packed. We weren’t nearly ready to move since we hadn’t bought a house yet.” Her voice is soft, her drawl more pronounced, and I can’t tell if she’s in shock or perturbed.
I tuck my arm around her waist after making sure she’s steady after I put her down inside the foyer. “The team volunteered. Mike took point, treated it like a mission and they handled it all for us. They had help—the Red Falcon and Black Eagle teams and all your girlfriends pitched in. I wanted it to be perfect for you.”
She’s quiet, or maybe I’m just rambling. Isn’t she as happy about this as I am? I know it’s a surprise, but still. When we looked at this house, she gushed over it, saying how it was the home of her dreams.
“Everything is here, but we can change anything you want. I just want you to be happy. We’ll probably be melting our credit cards to get it perfect.”
Mike sent me photos after the guys set everything up, but they didn’t do it justice. Even half-empty, the reality is so much better.
No one has ever lived here, even though the house is over a year old. It even still smells new. The maple hardwood floors gleam under the diffused lighting. The cream walls create warmth rather than starkness. Gretchen would probably bite my head off for not using its fancy color name like Pearls and Lace or some shit. Why? That’s what I want to know—it’s freaking off-white. Isn’t that good enough?
Neither of us had a foyer in our places, so it’s just a big open space, leading off to the extra bedrooms, the master bedroom suite, and the great room-kitchen combination. Upstairs is a bonus room that we’ll use as our combined office.
It’s a lot of space to fill, but that’s part of the fun, right? Our chance to furnish this place together. From the foyer, we cansee into the great room. Our furniture barely fills the great room since this house is so much bigger than either of ours. I love the open floor-plan—it helped us fall in love with this place. No more tripping over each other in my small house. Plus, now we’ll have the bonus room on the second floor as our combined office.
“Wow. You really outdid yourself, Knox.” Her words are soft—breathless.
That’s when I notice her tapping her index finger against her thigh—a sure sign she’s stressed. I’ve learned all of her tells over the last year. She needs to get out of her spiraling thoughts.
Trying to break through her panic, I offer, “Sweetheart, why don’t you wander around while I grab our bags?”
“I can help.” Providence tilts her face up to meet my gaze. Her expression pinched, and her pulse beats rapidly in her neck.
Fighting the urge to take her in my arms and tell her it will be all right, I take a step back, giving her what I know she needs—space.
“No need, there’s only the two bags. I’ve got it. If you’re hungry, there’s food in the fridge.”
I’d been so focused on the surprise. On showing her how much her happiness means to me. Except I didn’t consider how much she hates being surprised. I figured she’d be okay, but seeing her reaction, I’m not sure. Stunned? Definitely. Hopefully, after the initial shock wears off, she’ll be as happy as I am about our new home.
The glassiness of her eyes tugs at my heartstrings. I can’t just walk away. Pulling her against me, she tenses, then relaxes into my embrace. Pressing my lips to her forehead, I whisper, “I love you, Providence. You’re my world. I hoped this would make you happy, but if it’s not what you want, we’ll redecorate, or sell. Whatever it takes, I’ll fix it. I promise.”
“I love you too, Tony. I’m just dumbfounded. Caught somewhere between wanting to tan your hide for going behindmy back and buying this place and jumping for joy that we’re going to live here. Give me a cotton-picking minute for it to sink in. Okay?”
Her words say one thing, but the deep sigh and tightness in her jaw say the opposite.
As I head out to get our luggage, I catch myself sliding my hand through my hair, and a heaviness settles in the pit of my stomach. Not at all what I expected to feel today. Instead of carrying her into our room and worshipping every part of her body, I’m second-guessing everything. My earlier contentment evaporated—dissipating like the bubbles in flat soda.
I’m used to making split-second assessments, holding the lives of my team in the palms of my hands with each decision. But for the first time in years, I worry I’ve made the wrong choice. Time will tell if it’s going to bite me in the ass.
CHAPTER 2
PROVIDENCE
The click of Tony closing the door pulls me out of my reverie.What the actual fuck was he thinking?This isn’t like buying a new chair or even a new car. And having me sign without knowing? It feels like betrayal—like assuming consent I’ve never given him. That my friends went along with this confuses the absolute fuck out of me. One of my mother’s expressions comes to me—madder than a wet hen. Yup, that works. But also not.
The excitement slipping from Tony’s expression made my stomach twist with guilt. He meant this as a wonderful surprise, and he pulled it off in spades. I hate surprises, have for as long as I can recall, not even sure why.
