I look up and catch the soft expression on his face. His lids droop over his eyes, but the sadness that used to linger there is gone. Instead, there’s just the warmth that I recognize as distinctly Stone.
I swear, I’ll never get over how beautiful he is.
It’s not just the sharp cheekbones and dark eyes and golden skin. Stone’s beauty shines from deep inside of him, a place that the world tried to snuff out. It’s strong and gentle at the same time, tender enough to be real and resilient enough to survive through all the crap that’s been thrown at him.
I take his hand with a squeeze. “Drag me wherever you want, babe.”
Billie groans as she rolls her eyes. “Okay, okay. Get out of here before you make me sick.”
We laugh and say our goodbyes. I hop into the truck, expecting just a short ride back to the apartment we share, but Stone turns down a side street.
“You making a stop?” I ask as I fiddle with the radio.
“Yeah, just quick. There’s this place down the road from the shop that I want to show you.”
“A place?” I ask. I glance out the window and see we’re turning down another side street.
“Yeah,” Stone says evenly. “You know those building with two flats? Like a condo on the first floor and another on the second floor? They got the big backyards and everything.”
“Like the one Billie lives in?” I ask as we pull up to a brick building.
“Exactly like that,” he says as he flips the truck into park. “This is hers, actually.”
I look at the building. There’s a stone porch with a wide window to the side and a stone balcony above it. Big old trees grow on either side, casting shadows over the yard.
“I remember,” I say, confused. “She had us to that barbecue at the start of the summer. By why are we stopping here? Billie’s back at the bar.”
Stone pulls his keys out. “The downstairs unit is for sale. Kind of thought we might buy it.”
I blink, staring at the building. “Buy it? What are you talking about?” We’re both making good money, but we barely have any savings. I shake my head quickly. “Buy it?” I repeat, my voice jumping.
Stone shrugs softly. “If you want. Come on, check it out.”
He hops out of the truck. I’m stunned, and it takes me a second to force my brain to work, but then I hurry after him.
“I love living with you,” I say quickly. “But we can’t afford this. Can we?”
Stone fishes a key out of his pocket and unlocks the door. “Billie says she’ll co-sign. She doesn’t want some random assholes moving in downstairs.” He turns, and I see there’s a smile on his face, curving his cheeks up. “She says she wants family living with her.”
That’s when it hits me.
Stone and I are going to buy a condo.
“Holy shit,” I gasp. “Stone, can we really do this?”
He scratches the back of his head. “Well, we both want a dog, and since our apartment doesn’t allow pets…”
I laugh loudly and throw my arms over his shoulders. “Stone, this is so totally like you.”
“What do you mean?”
“You found a way for us to buy a condo, and you’re acting like it’s no big deal! Like we’re just doing it to get a dog!”
He shrugs. “Well, I really want a dog. And there’s that studio in the back. I thought we could renovate it, and you could use it for your art. Billie says—”
I slam my lips against his, and we stumble backward into the condo. There’s a big open room with wide windows to greet us. I want to look around and inspect every inch of it, but more than that, I want to inspect every inch of my boyfriend’s body.
“You’re amazing,” I say, still kissing him. “You’re perfect.”
