“I’ve never been here before.”
I hadn’t. Not like this. Not at this stage. Not at this level. Not at this depth.
“Me either. So, let’s hold each other's hand as we drown together.”
I nodded. “Yes.”
A lone tear slipped from my eye. I swiped it from my cheek quickly.
“Yes,” I repeated. “I would love that.”
There was a comforting silence that fell between us.
Josiah’s eyes were pinned on me.
“I’m a mess,” I sighed.
“You’re my mess,” he admitted.
I chuckled, placing a hand on my chest.
“You make things happen in here that leaves me breathless.”
His smile appeared, making those waves crash a little harder into the shore.
“That’s the point of it all.”
I held the hand with the keys up.
“Full access, Range. I’m giving you full access to my world. I haven’t slept in this home since it was built. Too big. Too empty. It wasn’t built for me, alone. I was preparing for someone special. Now that I’ve found her, I want her here. As often as she’d like. Whenever. I want her to know that this is always home. The doors will always open for her. No matter how rocky things are. No matter how many disagreements. No matter how much time has passed. No matter what. Those doors will always open.”
“Heated floors.”
“Hm?”
“The bathrooms. They all need heated floors.”
He sniggered. “Then they’ll have heated floors, baby.”
“Anything else?”
“A room to myself. And, a beauty room. And a closet room.”
He tilted his head and took me by the hand. I left the keys on the comforter and followed along. Barefoot. Naked. And, feeling more confident than I ever had since meeting Josiah. He’d stripped me of everything and replenished it as our bond solidified with time.
The Range that let her tears fall in the shower was not the same Range that crossed the elegant home to get to the right wing. Neither was the Range who entered the single-level, unbelievably spacious closet.
It was larger than the space I’d carved out for my clothes at home. There was also a smaller room attached, reserved forbeauty tools. An antique vanity sat in the middle of the space. Makeup and perfume covered the surface.
“Seriously?” I asked Josiah.
With pursed lips, he nodded. “I hope that’s the right shit.”
I scanned the bottles and tubes.
“It’s perfect.”
“That stuff that goes on your face, I wasn’t sure what shade to get you, but the people at the store matched it.”
