Chapter 21

“That’s the last of it.” I drop the box on the floor of the large room next to the piles of boxes.

The last four months have been the best I’ve had. Brodie didn’t spend long in Drew’s house. The sale of his place went through smoothly, and he bought an old barn house just outside of the town. It’s habitable, although it needs some renovation and modernisation, but he’s looking forward to doing that. I saw the house in London and couldn’t believe how cool it was and that he did most of the work himself.

Today is moving-in day, and we’ve got all hands on deck helping. Drew, Carl, and Merlin are here, and Merrick is somewhere around with Brodie. Drew walks in with a bottle of water, which he offers to me.

“What do you think?” I unscrew the cap and drink about half of it. “It’s got a lot of potential, don’t you think?”

“I do. Add the two large buildings, and he’s got a decent piece of land. Do you know what he plans to do with those?”

I couldn’t get my head around the stupid figure the mews house sold for, even more so compared to the amount of land he got here and still has money left. Not that Brodie has changed. He’s as down to earth as always.

Hands snake around my waist, and lips press against my neck. “Mmm, salty,” Brodie murmurs and licks the spot. “My favourite.”

I turn around. “Still made the right decision?”

A slow smile spreads over his face. “Absolutely, it’s going to be perfect. I may have to shower at your place for a week or so when the bathroom gets refitted.”

“I see how it is. What do I get out of that arrangement?”

“Sexual favours, of course.” He winks. He wanders to one of the boxes, rips the tape off it, and peers inside. “I hate this part of moving.” He closes the box again. “At least it’s clean, and I can get the furniture sorted and situated. The removal company got all the big items in the right rooms. I can’t wait to make up my bed.”

He’s so relaxed here, so much more so than at Drew’s. He was never keen on sex in the bed where his best friend has probably fucked in too. A sentiment I agreed with, which led to us spending more nights at mine.

Merrick walks in and puts Willow down. The little girl makes a beeline for Drew, who picks her up and kisses her forehead. It’s instinctive. I doubt he even realises he’s done it. If someone had told him a year ago that he would be settled with a man and a child, he would’ve fallen over laughing. But it’s obvious he treats her as his own. A pang hits my chest. Not longing, not by any means, but maybe one day. If Brodie is interested too.

Brodie and Merrick each grab a box and walk to the door in the corner of the room, where the stairs to upstairs hide behind it. They disappear, and a few moments later, footsteps tap on the wooden floorboards over my head. The master bedroom.

“Hello, Miss Willow,” I greet the little girl. “Are they talking about anything good?”

“No, Van, it’s borwing.” She sighs and wipes her hair from her forehead with the theatrics of a stage star. “My bored, Dew.”

“Not long now, sweetheart. Where’s your papa?”

She shrugs.

“He’s gone upstairs with Brodie,” I say. “There’s not much more to do here now. You don’t have to hang around if you’ve got things to do. You’ve been a massive help. I don’t think we could’ve managed just the two of us.”

“Yeah, I’m back here in a couple of days to go through the work we need to start on,” Drew says. “Brodie’s got his head screwed on right and knows what he wants us to do. As soon as the messy work is out of the way, it’s all on him.” He lists all the jobs Brodie wants to tackle, starting with the kitchen and bathroom. The same architect Merrick used has drawn up the designs. It must be nice to have that sort of money at your fingertips.

“And I’m sure I’ll be doing plenty.”

“Plenty of what, babe?” Brodie is back downstairs, puts his hands on my waist, and pulls me back into him. He’s in a touchy-feely mood. Maybe it is time to get everyone to leave.

“Jobs here for me to do.” I twist my head back to kiss him.

“Actually, there’s something I need you to do. It’s upstairs.” Brodie turns to the others. “Thank you so much. Drinks are on me on Friday.”

A few minutes later, the house is empty. It seems larger, more echo-y now it’s just the two of us. “What do you need me to do?”

“It’s to do with the bed. Something is not right with it.” He walks back to the open door.

I follow him up the stairs. Ten minutes ago, only a bare mattress was on the bed, but now the stunning brass king-size bed is made up with dark red brocade sheets and a duvet takes centre stage. Candles stand on the windowsill and all along the edge of the skirting boards. Brodie leans against the windowsill, his arms across his chest, his feet crossed at the ankles, the grey April sky highlighting his almost black hair like a halo. The epitome of cool, but his jaw is hard with tension. He’s nervous. Why?

“Hey, are you okay?” He’s practically vibrating. From excitement, nervousness, fear? “What’s wrong?”

He shakes his head, swiping the back of his hand over his eyes. He’s crying. “Brodie, baby. What’s up?”

“I don’t know how to do this shit. I never thought I’d be in love, and to find it in a dark club with a stranger is romance film shit. But here I am, five months into a relationship with someone I respect so much. A man who makes me laugh, who puts up with my sweaty, stinky trainers and my equally sweaty and stinky body. I wanted to do something special to show you how much I love you and want to be with you.” He snuffles, wipes his knuckle under his nose, and chuckles. “Don’t panic. I’m not proposing, but I am asking you to think about moving in here with me. Once it’s all finished, I mean.”

I stare at him and then look around the room. He’d planned this—with Merrick—to make it special. I grab his arms and pull him away from the window into my embrace. “You do this shit damn well, baby. I love you too. So much. We met for a reason that night. It was to lead you here to me. Some serious chaos theory must have been going on to mix our lives, but I’m glad it happened.” I let him go. “I think we’ll be very happy here. You and me.”

“Is that a yes?” He laughs, looking hopeful.

“It’s a yes.” I drag him down until our backs hit the bed. “Do we get to christen this bed now?”