I laughed. “Ican sand cabinets and paint.Idon’t knock out walls and put them in different places.”
“We’ll hire a contractor for that.”
“You better,”Drewsaid as he bent over and braced his hands on his knees. “BecauseI’mdone helping you move heavy ass shit.Firstit was that goddamn drafting desk, and now it’s the tub from hell.”
“Beer’s in the fridge,”JackandIsaid in tandem.
“And then we’ve gotta move the dresser in,”Jackcalled asDrewheaded to the kitchen.
Drew groaned as he yanked open the fridge door, making the glass bottles clink together.
“Dresser?”Iasked.
“Yeah.”Jackkissed me. “Adresser.”Hishands were warm against my waist. “I’mnot giving you half of mine.Youneed your own.”
“Jack . . .”Isighed. “That’stoo much.”
“Got it at a thrift store, baby.Onlyset me back ten bucks.Itdoesn’t match the rest of the furniture, but it’ll get the job done.”
I loved that he was so intent on not just making space for me, but also on giving me my own.
Jack’s house was a fraction of the size of theOldWhitlockPlace, butIliked that.Thebeach cottage was cozy—perfect for just the two of us.
“Babe,Idon’t mean to sound ungrateful, but we don’t need an addition to the house.”Ismoothed his hands down his chest. “Everythingis just fine as it is.”
WhileDrewrelaxed with his beer in the kitchen,Jackdragged me into the bedroom and shut the door behind us.Heyanked open the blackout curtains and let the daylight flood the room. “Thisshould be your office.”
I laughed. “Whatare you talking about?”
“I’m saying,Ihave my guy working on a new drafting desk, and it belongs right there.”Hepointed to the bay window that looked out over the ocean.”
I gave him an incredulous look. “That’sthe best view in the whole house.Itshould be your bedroom.”
Jack licked his lips as he settled his hands on his hips. “Baby,Ihatethe fact thatourroom faces the sun in the morning.Itmakes it a pain in the ass to sleep whenIget home from work.Besides, someday, we’ll need more bedrooms for when your mom comes to visit.Myfolks are talking about driving out here to meet you.Weneed the space.”
“I don’t want you to do all this because of me.”
Jack shook his head. “I’mnot doing it because of you.I’mdoing it for you, becauseIlove you.”
I chewed on my lip. “Luciasent over the offer for my book.Isaid yes.”
He was stunned, but only for a moment.Jackwrapped his thick arms around me right before he spun me around. “Roar!That’samazing!”Hedropped me down on my feet and kissed me. “I’mso proud of you.”
“I couldn’t have done it without you.”
“I didn’t do a damn thing.Itwas all you.”
I wrapped my arms around his neck. “Iwouldn’thave done it if not for you.”
Jack grabbed my ass and picked me up.Ihooked my ankles behind his back as he turned to sit on the edge of the bed with me in his lap. “Whatdoes this mean for us?What’snext?”
I let out a sharp breath asIcombed my hands through his hair. “It’sa slow process.Monthsof contract negotiations.Tonsof edits.It’sabout to get very boring.”
His fingers slipped beneath my tank top and stroked my hips. “Andthen?”
I smiled. “Andthen it gets exciting.”
“I think it all sounds exciting,” he said softly, his lips whispering against my mouth. “Ican’t wait to watch you kick ass.”
