“Do you need any help finishing it?”
He shook his head. “It’s done.”
“Mind if I go change out of my work clothes then?”
He smiled. “Hurry back down?”
I grinned. “Of course.”
I made a quick detour to the couch to scratch between Russy’s ears, then headed upstairs. I changed into sweatpants and a long-sleeve T-shirt, then returned to where Randy waited in the kitchen.
Bowls of soup were on the table, as was a can of my favorite soda.
“How was your day?” I asked as I took a seat. “You had that meeting about a wedding today, right?”
He nodded and sighed.
“That bad?”
He scrubbed a hand down his face. “It’ll be good work and will get me a healthy payout, but… I almost turned it down because the planner is a nightmare.”
“Let the venting begin!” I declared.
He laughed and gave me a smile. Then he summarized the meeting highlights: from how Simon and Ollie had warned him about the client, to the decision to gift a customized charcuterie board.
He seemed about to continue to something else, then paused and asked me about how my day went.
We finished eating as I told him about my day, then I washed the dishes as he put the leftovers away.
It was the sort of soft domesticity I couldn’t wait to share with him every night.
“Aaron says that he’ll still host a playoff watch party if the roads are clear on Sunday,” I said as we moved from the kitchen toward the couch. “Do we wanna go?”
He hummed. “Maybe. I really don’t want to cook something for it, though.”
“I can cook, or we can pick up something from the store.”
“What would you make? We’re going to be snowed in tomorrow, so it would have to be whatever we have on hand.”
I glanced over to the counter, where the egg basket wasn’t as full as in the summer, but had more than enough for my needs. “Deviled eggs, probably. They’re easy, make a bunch, and I’m pretty sure you have everything.”
He nodded. “Ok. I guess it’ll depend on the weather then. I don’t want to have to plow a bunch of times.”
I smiled as I pulled him into my arms. “Fair enough.”
We spent a moment sharing soft kisses, then we sat.
“What do you want to do tonight?” I asked. “Watch a movie? Play that game Jessie bought you for Christmas?”
“Actually…” he sat forward and clasped his hands between his knees.
I blinked and scooted closer on the couch to run my hand up and down his back. “Hey. What’s wrong?”
He shook his head. “Nothing’s wrong. Just… nervous.”
“Hmm?”
He took a deep breath. “Yes…”
