Chapter Nine

"Does it matter where they actually go?" Abel asks as he picks up one of the last boxes in the living room. "This is going to storage, right?"

"Yeah, there"s no rhyme or reason as to where I"m putting it or having it stacked. You can do whatever is easiest for you. I just need for it to be in the storage unit." I run a hand through my hair then nervously putting it on my hip as I watch the guys move everything out. They"ve been work horses, not asking for anything as they"ve made quick work of what I had in my apartment.

"This is the last one," Boone says as he walks out of the back bedroom. "Is there anything else in here?"

"Just these." Jasper winces as he picks up one of them, his head nodding toward the last pile against the wall. "Once those are gone, there"s nothing else."

Those words make me sad. I"ve lived in this apartment since I graduated from college, inherited it from a friend of a friend who had gotten married and needed someone to take over her lease. It"s like a full circle that I"m leaving because I"ve gotten married and I"m moving in with my new husband. Slowly, I walk to the back of the apartment and look around, making sure I have everything.

"Do you want us to come help you clean up tomorrow?" Kara asks as she stands in the doorway with Alexis. "We don"t mind."

"If it"s okay with you. We can probably do it in less than an hour."

The entire life I"ve built for myself will be gone in less than a total of six hours. They"ve been loading boxes for around five, and then whatever it will take us to clean. This life I"ve worked hard for. I"ve built it with nights of ramen and meat on sale at the grocery store, not filling up my gas tank, only five and ten dollars here and there. It was thrifting in the bigger towns to the north and south. It was sometimes me praying that the check I wrote wouldn"t bounce, or even knowing it would, but hoping my overdraft protection would cover it. I became an adult here, through all the heartache I still had over what happened with Jasper. Alexis, Kara, and I had nights of charcuterie and wine, or we came through the door at two a.m. after shutting down Monroe"s.

Irun my finger along the wall, right to where the paint is chipped, before I stop and then turn in a circle. The things these walls would say if they could take. They saw me mourn the loss of my relationship with Jasper here. I allowed myself to feel it all within these walls, since I was finally by myself, and could grieve without anyone else seeing. They"ve witnessed my tears, my prayers, the joys of friendship, the happiness of being able to make it through the month before my paycheck was gone. They saw me give up on the job I"d so desperately wanted out of college and make the move to the job at the preschool. I'd thought I'd make an astounding accountant and be the first person in our family to own her own business. Little did I know how cutthroat the world of business accounting is, and when my boss had asked me for favors that had nothing to do with my job title, I'd given it up. Gone were the dreams of being a career woman, instead I wanted to do something that would change the lives of others. Which is how I ended up at the preschool.

This apartment has been here for me when no one else was or could be. It"s the first place I ever paid for by myself, and it"s seen it all. Before I know it, tears are silently running down my cheeks.

"Oh, Daisy, it"s gonna be okay." Kara hugs me tightly. "I know things with you and Jasper are up in the air, and you never thought that you"d be where you are right now. But you"re going to be okay. No matter what happens, we"re here for you. We always have been, and always will be."

"That"s so true," I cry-laugh. "I love y"all."

"We love you, too."

I inhale deeply, trying to get my emotions under control. Whispering to myself. "You"ve got this, Daisy. The hardest part is jumping."

"That"s what I always used to tell you," Jasper says quietly.

I didn"t hear or see him approach. It looks like the girls did, because they"ve gone. Now I"m alone with my husband. God, when is that going to not feel awkward? My husband. I try the words again in my head. Nope. Still awkward. "It is what you used to tell me. Every time I was scared to do anything, you would say the hardest part is jumping. I think I remember you telling me that the first time we had sex."

He chuckles loudly. "I did, and here we are."

Wiping my nose, I clear my throat. "You"re right. Here we are."

Please don"t break my heart, I beg silently.

"We"ll make it through this together." He reaches out, grabbing my fingers in his. "I can"t promise it"s going to be easy, but we"re going to do it together."

I close my eyes, taking a deep breath. Together. All of this, we"re going to do together.

"Alright, y"all, we"re done and ready to go."

* * *

Two hours later, I"m standing in the middle of my new home. There"s only ten boxes. That"s what my life has been condensed into. "I"ll get this out of the living room as soon as I can." I look around, watching as Jasper strolls over to the fridge and reaches in, pulling out a large bottle of water.

"Do you want one?" he asks.

"Yes, please."

He grabs another, and hands it to me. I"m slow opening the bottle, but it gives me time to watch him. He twists the top off then looks like a goddamn super model as he chugs it down. His Adam"s apple moves up and down as he swallows the water, and I"m wondering if he still does the same thing when he"s going down on a woman.

God. It"s hot in here.

He"s the best I ever had, and I"ve compared the three other guys I"ve been with since him to him. Sadly, they"re fucking lacking. I would give a lot to spend another night with him. I guess I"ll get to experience it again, since we do have to have a child in order to fulfill the terms of the will.

"You okay?" He raises an eyebrow. "You look like you"re about to pass out."

This man has absolutely no idea how hot he looks standing there drinking down a bottle of water. "Just tired." I clear my throat. "It"s been a really long day."

"Yeah, I"m gonna go take a shower if that"s okay with you? Then when you"re in the shower, I can figure out dinner. Tomorrow, we can take care of all of this." He gestures to the mess in the living room.

"Okay." I roll my lips together, exhaling slowly. I wasn"t prepared for how this was going to affect me. I don"t think I realized how attached I was to my apartment and my own personal space. "I"ll just be relaxing on the couch over there until you come back."

He nods, and without another word, leaves. When he does, I let my shoulders sag and wonder how in the fuck I"m going to survive this.