He presses a wet kiss to my mouth. “Good point. Want me to get started packing you up?”
“Sure.”
“Any drawers that I shouldn’t open? Any closets off-limits?”
How considerate.I stand on my tiptoes and kiss him. “There are a bunch of vibrators in the drawer by my bed. Everything else is basic stuff.”
He heads toward my room, mumbling, “Won’t need those anymore.”
Audrey: Gianna!
Gianna: What? I’m not going to pretend to be someone I’m not. And I’m curious.
Me: 100/10. But I could’ve told you that before now.
Gianna: I KNEW IT. Good for you.
“Are you emotionally attached to this pillow?” Hartley shouts. “It’s flat as hell.”
“Do you have good pillows?”
He pokes his head around the corner. “Only on my bed.”
“Throw that pillow away,” I say, grinning at him.
“You don’t have to tell me twice. But how do you only have one pillow?”
“If you throw that one away, I technically have zero pillows.”
“Smart-ass.”
I peek down the hall as he moves easily through my bedroom and wait for a ribbon of anxiety to swirl through me. But it doesn’t come. Seeing him amid my things, in my apartment, feels natural.
I just hope that sharing space with him in his house will come as easily.I snort.I’m sureI’llcome easily anywhere with him.
We haven’t discussed what will happen when we return to the ranch. When we left, we had it all figured out. Or I thought so, at least. But the thought of going back under the rules we set for ourselves seems ridiculous. Nothing has really changed, yet it feels like everything has changed.
Hartley moves across the doorway, and I watch him carefully place my lingerie into a box. A smile ghosts my lips as I watch him with a full heart.That’s my husband.
Astrid: How long are you staying in Kentucky?
Me: We’re packing up my stuff now. I’m not sure if we’re going to a hotel tonight or going back to Sugar Creek.
Audrey: Let me know if you need anything. I’m just down the road.
Astrid: And I’ll be down the driveway in another month or so.
Gianna: I HATE ALL OF YOU HAVING FUN WITHOUT ME.
Astrid: Have you made any headway with Drake?
Gianna: Yeah. He’s mostly on board. But we can’t find anything we love, and he’s all frugal and responsible and won’t just buy something on a whim.
Me:
I stand in the sunlight, letting the morning rays warm my skin. My mom used to do this, and I remember thinking it was strange.
“It’s just the sun, Mama. Why do you close your eyes like you love it?”
