Total pages in book: 82
Estimated words: 79509 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 398(@200wpm)___ 318(@250wpm)___ 265(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79509 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 398(@200wpm)___ 318(@250wpm)___ 265(@300wpm)
“That’s why I think it’s best to wait until after the holidays. Everyone is off and busy…”
“I mean…maybe you shouldn’t put the apartment on hold.”
“If I don’t, someone will take it.”
He turned to me, his eyes intense. “Maybe you should let someone take it.”
The meaning of his words was pretty clear, but I didn’t want to be wrong. My heart raced; my palms grew clammy. “Are you…asking me to move in with you?”
He stared for a long time, like he was searching for the right words to respond. “No. But…I don’t want you to leave either.”
That wasn’t the answer I wanted to hear.
“There’s no rush. Let’s just see what happens.”
“Deacon, nice apartments don’t pop up often. I need to seize the opportunity while it’s available. It’s absolutely fine if you aren’t ready to live together. No hard feelings at all. But I do need to make my own arrangements.”
He stared at the table for a while. “I don’t want you to leave. Can we just…leave things the way they are for a while?”
I tried to be patient with him, to take into account his inability to adapt to modern situations. He wasn’t just trying to be shady, to send mixed signals. He was just struggling to understand what he wanted. “So, you like living with me?”
“I love it,” he said immediately.
“Then…why don’t I just live here, then?”
He didn’t answer for a long time. “Let’s just see where it goes.”
I found it odd he refused to commit, to formally ask me to move in, like he didn’t want to make it permanent. But I decided to concede, to take the risk and be patient with him. “Alright.” It would be cruel for him to let me live there for a couple months then change his mind once I was inconvenient for him. I believed Deacon wasn’t that kind of man, that he just needed time to get there on his own. It took him forever to realize he wanted to be with me, and he said he wanted forever, so I let it go.
His demeanor completely changed once the conversation was over. “You should get that raise anyway. Because you deserve it.”
Derek joined us at the table and ate without complaint.
That was when I dug into my food.
Deacon watched his son for a while, a hint of pride in his eyes, like he was happy to have him there, that the three of us were eating dinner together like a family.
I never imagined ending up with a man with a son. The single father thing had never appealed to me. But now I was living with the hottest bachelor in this city, a man with the biggest heart in the world, and his son was one of the best things about our relationship. I couldn’t believe this was real, that this was my life. I couldn’t believe I’d found this level of happiness just because he’d decided to live in this building.
I never wanted this feeling to end…and I prayed it wouldn’t.
We went to Deacon’s mother’s for Christmas Eve so Derek could open all his presents from her and Tucker. He got more presents than any child needed, and Margo spoiled him rotten. There were snickerdoodle cookies, hot cider, and Christmas snacks on the table. But the night was mostly for Derek—who had a great time.
When we went home, Derek was dead tired from all the excitement. Deacon made him walk from the car to the residence because he had to carry the bags of toys, and Derek swayed down the hallway, barely keeping his eyes open.
When we made it inside, Derek immediately went to his bedroom.
Deacon carried everything and set it on the floor by his bed before getting him changed and tucked in for the night. He didn’t make Derek brush his teeth, probably because he wanted him to stay tired. He kissed him goodnight, and then we returned to the living room.
“Should we get the presents?” I asked.
“Yeah. He might wake up early.”
We grabbed the presents from under Deacon’s bed and placed them under the tree, gifts I’d wrapped and marked from Santa. We also had a plate of cookies and milk to put out.
Deacon surveyed the tree, seeing all the gifts for Derek. “He’s a lucky kid…”
“Yeah. And it looks like Santa brought you something too.” I tapped one of the gifts with my shoe.
“What a coincidence. Santa brought you something too.” He grabbed the gift under the tree and handed it to me. It was wrapped in deep red wrapping paper with a gorgeous bow.
I hadn’t had it wrapped for him, and I was shocked he could throw this together himself. “He did?” I shook it slightly, like a child trying to figure out what was inside.
“Yeah. You should open it.”
“Right now?” I asked playfully.
“Yes.” He sat on the couch in front of the tree, the ornaments sparkling, the lights reflecting in his eyes. He was still in his coat because he hadn’t removed it, and his shoulders looked so broad and sexy.