“Kash, I have done everything in my life by the book until you. I’m tired of playing it safe. I’m sick of denying myself the things I want just because it isn’t part of my ten-step plan. I’m over all the rules. From now on, I’m going to do what I want.”

“And what do you want?”

I peered up at him with a shyness only he brought on. “What I wanted the first time I walked through that door. I want you here with me.”

Without a word, he kissed me to accept, but in every breath was a simple truth, the deepest truth of my life—he was mine, and I was his.

Not for the first time, I believed it would be forever.

And this time, I’d be right.

31

Sign For It

KASH

“Just put it right there, against the wall.” Lila pointed at said wall, which touted exposed brick and faced the bay windows in our bedroom.

Luke and I shuffled in that direction, setting the box spring on the floor.

With a smile, she hung her hands on her hips, appraising her domain with pride and hope.

It had only been a week since we decided to move in together, and if it’d been up to me, I’d have stayed here with her that night and every night after. But we had to have some plumbing work done, and although we could have stayed here through that, she insisted on having the floors refinished afterward, correctly assessing that it’d be the only thing we couldn’t live around during renovations. We could eat takeout while the kitchen was being gutted. We could add the second bathroom, then renovate the other. But the floors had to be done, and there was no way around it.

I’d have agreed with her, had I not been so impatient.

Over the course of that week, we’d slowly purchased and moved over the things we could put away—clothes and dishes and glasses and flatware. Toiletries and towels and linens and shower curtains. We’d even hung curtains after painting the walls a crisp white that reflected sunshine like it was its full-time job.

Lila carried in bed linens as we brought in the mattress, thunking it on the box spring.

“I still can’t believe you’re going to sleep on a bed on the floor,” Luke said with a sidelong smile at Lila.

“Please, I’m not as prissy as you all make me out to be,” she said, ironically prim, nose up just enough.

Luke chuckled. “Anything else you need?”

“Nope,” I answered. “I think we can manage putting the sheets on the one piece of furniture we own, but thanks.”

“Couch tomorrow?” he asked.

“And breakfast table,” she answered. “We can empty out my storage unit too, right?”