He laughed as he led me out of the office. “I keep meaning to do it, but I’ve been focused on that kitchen.” He slid me a long look. “And you.”

A giddy smile tugged at my lips. “I should feel bad for sucking up your time.”

“But you don’t.”

“Nope.”

Brock picked up the bags he’d placed down earlier and led me upstairs. “There’s four bedrooms up here. I have a guest room set up. Nothing too exciting in there. Eventually I’ll do something with the other rooms.”

Following him down the wide hall to open double doors, I had to think this was the kind of house for a large family. And he wanted kids. Not an entire team of them like my uncle had, but he did want babies. I realized that maybe Brock was ready to truly settle down and start a family.

Brock moved ahead, turning on a bedside lamp, and I got my first look at his room. Like the rest of the house, it was a bit bare.

There was a wide dresser with a mirror beside doors that either led into the bathroom or closet. There was another dresser opposite the doors leading out onto the deck, and there were two nightstands. Other than a few wooden boxes on the dresser, the kind that looked like someone would stash fine tobacco in, there weren’t many personal items.

Nothing truly looked lived in.

With anyone else, this might’ve concerned me, but Brock had never been into decorating. His room at my parents’ house and his apartment when he was younger had been the same way.

My gaze roamed over the room and then stopped. I stared at the large bed in the center of the room and my stomach dipped. Tonight would be different. This I knew. I didn’t know how. Maybe it was instinct. Who knew? But tonight was not going to be like any other time.

Little knots of anxiousness filled me as I crossed the large bedroom, approaching a bay window. Pulling the curtains back, I peeked outside. Beyond the trees, I could see the moon reflecting off the slowly churning waters of the Potomac.

Glancing over my shoulder, I watched Brock pick up a small candle from the dresser and light it. He grinned in my direction as he placed the candle on the nightstand.

After a few seconds, the scent of honeycrisp apples reached me. “Are you sure you’re okay with Rhage running around?” Nervous, I fidgeted with the curtains, running my fingers over them. “He will use the litter box, but I can’t promise he won’t be into everything.”

“It’s okay.”

“He’ll destroy something. I’m positive.”

“He’ll be fine.”