Total pages in book: 97
Estimated words: 92841 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 464(@200wpm)___ 371(@250wpm)___ 309(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 92841 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 464(@200wpm)___ 371(@250wpm)___ 309(@300wpm)
“I love flowers,” I choke out. “And it’s been a long time since anyone gave them to me. They remind me of happiness and all that is good in the world.”
I smile down at the flowers, bringing my nose back to them so I can smell them again. “Thank you,” I whisper, looking back up at him with a smile.
Shane chuckles softly. “I knew it,” he says, cupping the side of my face. “I knew that under all that sour would be so much damn sweet.” He leans in and presses a soft kiss to my lips that has me craving so much more. “If buying you flowers means seeing you light up like this, I’ll buy you flowers every day.”
I snort out a laugh. “Maybe it’s not just the flowers,” I tell him honestly. “Maybe it’s partly you.”
Shane’s smile grows. “I love you, Kinsley, and I was wondering …”
He reaches into his pocket, pulling out a small box, and my heart starts to pound in my chest.
There’s no way he would propose, right?
It’s too soon.
But even as that thought crosses my mind, a small part of me can imagine spending my life with Shane as my husband. He’s sweet and selfless, and the sex is incredible. He’s such a good person, and when I’m around him, the world feels like a better place because he’s in it.
But it’s too soon, I remind myself. We only just started dating …
My thoughts are cut off when Shane opens the box, exposing a key.
“This is the key to my house,” he says softly. “Taylor and I spoke, and we would love for you to move in with us.”
As I stare at the key in his hand, it hits me that if I say yes, I would move from my parents’ pool house into Shane’s house.
Is that the right thing to do?
For some reason, the idea of him proposing felt less intimate. Maybe it’s because engagements take time, whereas moving in together would be right now.
His home would become mine.
Am I ready for that?
“This is all so sweet,” I tell him, looking around at the romantic ambiance he’s created with the candles and flowers.
“Why do I feel like there’s a but coming?” Shane mutters.
“No, not a but.” I step closer to him and put my hands on his chest, so we’re connected. “I want to move in with you. At least, I think I do.”
I shake my head, hating that I kind of suck at all this.
“You’re so damn good,” I tell him, trying to explain myself. “You give and give and give, and you deserve someone who can reciprocate. And I just don’t know if I’m capable of that.
“I want to be. I love you, and in the short time we’ve been together, it’s the happiest I’ve been in a long time.”
“You give me so much,” he says, gliding his knuckles down my cheek. “You might not see it, but I promise that being with you makes me so damn happy. The way you are with my daughter and how every time you walk in, you make it a point to give Becky attention. Your passion for your work … I could watch you tattoo me all day.”
He chuckles. “I love going to bed and waking up to you in my arms. And when you mentioned getting your own place, my first thought was if getting to do that with you every day for the rest of my life is an option, I want you to move in here.”
“I love spending time with you,” I tell him. “I love going to bed and waking up with you. But I don’t know if moving in together is the right move.”
When he frowns, I reach up and run my finger along the seam of his lips, not wanting him to be anything but happy.
“I’m not saying no,” I clarify. “I just need to make sure. A few months ago, I couldn’t even imagine moving out of my parents’ pool house. And then today, I was looking at houses, and … I just need a little bit of time to make sure whatever decision I make is the best one … for everyone.”
Shane nods in understanding.
“Okay,” he says, taking my hand in his and placing the box in it. “But the key is yours. Even if it’s just so you can come and go as you want. I want you here as much as I can have you.”
He grips the back of my neck and captures my mouth with his for a quick yet emotionally charged kiss. “And until then,” he murmurs against my lips, “I’m going to do everything in my power to convince you that moving in is the right choice.”
He glides his hands down to my ass and lifts me into his arms. Then, he carries me to his room, where he does a damn good job of convincing me that the only place I belong is right here, in his bed, with this man.