“Pull in here,”I instruct, pointing to a lit gravel track, set behind black iron gates.
Drew slows to a full stop and shifts into neutral, brows pulled together in deep thought. “Um, Will, where the hell are we?”
Butterflies swirl in my stomach. I’m never nervous, except when it comes to putting my heart in Drew’s hands and trusting her not to crush it.
Peering through the windshield, I wave at the security camera fixed to a pole beside the left gate. Gradually, the gates begin to open.
“Will …” Drew warns, eyes fixed on the opening gates.
Taking her chin between my thumb and forefinger, I turn her head to look at me. “On a scale of one to ten, how much do you love me?”
She rolls her eyes, and I kiss her.
“That all depends on whatever is hiding behind those gates.”
Brushing my mouth across hers, I revel in the way she whimpers at the slightest touch. “What if I told you that a few hundred yards down that gravel track is a house I just closed on for us?”
She pulls back, jaw popped open, eyes bursting from their sockets. “You’re kidding me!”
Since the car is keyless, I pick up the key chain and dangle the keys in front of her. “Did you not notice something different when my dad handed you these earlier?”
Drew studies them for a beat, and then it clicks. “Wait, what are those two black keys?” She takes them between her fingers. “Are these what I think they are?”
“Why don’t we find out?”
A few minutes later, we pull up outside a white double-fronted lake house set on at least two acres of land. I won’t lie; this place cost me a fucking fortune, but when I drove past it on a random drive one day in October, I knew it was made for us. It’s amazing how fast you can buy a place for the right price and a stack of cash waiting to go.
“I actually have goose bumps.” Drew’s voice is awestruck. Head shaking, she gazes out of the driver’s window.
I hop out of the car and round the hood, opening her door and holding out a hand.
She unclips her belt and kills the engine, stepping out of the car like she’s never seen a big house before. She absolutely has, but is too humble to act nonchalant.
“William, you are so freaking extra.”
I take her by the hips and pull her into my body. “Look at me.”
Blue eyes I’m obsessed with make my pulse race as I cup the nape of her neck with my hand.
“I bought this place because the second I saw it, I couldn’t stop thinking about boat rides across the lake or the tree swing set in the huge backyard. I could see you in the garden room on your laptop, slowly taking over the world while I brought you an endless supply of processed sugar.”
She snorts, and I press my forehead onto hers.
“If you don’t like the house, then I’ll sell it and buy something you do like. I just want—no, I need—to wake up with you every morning in a place we can call our own. Somewhere hidden away, like the café in the forest. Everyone knows that you’re my girl, but that doesn’t give them the right to witness every part of our relationship.”
Excitement flashes in Drew’s eyes, although I detect a hint of uncertainty, and I pray that she isn’t having second thoughts about us.
“I want more than anything to live with you.” Drew interlaces her fingers through my spare hand. “But I just offered Vesper a place to live, and now I’d be moving out.”
Relief washes through me like a cool shower on a hot summer’s day. “Keep your place as an investment property. I’m sure Silas will do a good job entertaining your former roommate. He has her address after all.”
She balks at my knowing grin. “Wait. How did you know about that?”
I wink and bring my mouth to her ear. “I heard everything on the phone earlier today. One thing about me, Baby: I don’t miss a beat when it involves you.”
“Do you think they’re sleeping together? Vesper comes off like she kind of hates him, to be honest.”
I scrunch up my nose, doubtful. “Probably not.”
