Page 80 of Further To Fall

He rested his hands on my hips. “Move in with me. I realize now that Joe is in custody there’s no reason for you to stay, but I don’t want you to go. I’m selfish, and I want you with me all the time.” My heart seized. He wanted me to stay. Not because I was in danger, but because he wanted me with him.

I looked into his eyes, searching for…I don’t know, a thread of uncertainty or doubt. I couldn’t see any. “Are you sure? Isn’t this a little soon?” I wanted to give him an out, just in case this offer had been made in the heat of the moment. But I was all in. There was no one I’d rather spend time with, no one else with whom I’d want to build a home. He was it. He was everything.

“I’m sure. You’re my best friend, my favorite person, the love of my life. And if we can get through this past month, I’m pretty sure we can get through anything.” My heart did summersaults in my chest. “What do you think?” he pressed.

“I think…” I paused, “Yes!” I threw my arms around him. “When?” I asked, leaning into him, my lips almost resting against his.

“Today? Yesterday?”

I giggled. “Today.” I was smiling so hard, my cheeks hurt. I grabbed the body wash and started a furious scrub. “Hurry up, I’ve got packing to do. Well, searching through my trashed stuff to see if there’s anything left to pack, but you get the picture.”

Austin chuckled but reached for his own, more manly smelling, soap. “Calm down, I’ll help you pack.”

I pushed Austin aside so that I could rinse the suds off my body, being careful not to wet the hair that was in a bun on top of my head. I didn’t have time for blow-drying this morning. “You can help me with the heavy lifting, but I’ll do the packing.”

I looked up to see Austin had pulled a full-on pout. “I can help pack.”

I bit back a smile. “I love you, but you’ll just want to throw everything into boxes and call it a day. And you’ll drive me nuts if you’re just hanging around while I’m trying to organize things.” He ushered me aside to rinse himself but didn’t deny anything. “You know I’m right.”

Austin turned off the water, and I stepped from the shower, grabbing us both towels. “Why don’t you just drop me off on your way to the gym?” I paused as I handed him his towel. “Oh, shoot, I forgot you don’t have your car.” His Range Rover was currently under the care and inspection of the LAPD. “Oh, well, we can just Uber.”

Austin wasn’t saying much as he toweled off, just eying me. Finally, he said, “Don’t be mad.” Just the sentence every girl wanted to hear from her boyfriend.

“What?” I asked. Then thinking I knew what he was going to say, I kept right on talking. “I can be in the house by myself for a few hours. Joe’s in custody, there’s nothing to worry about.” I walked out of the bathroom in search of clothes.

Austin followed closely behind me. “It’s not that. I mean, I’m not crazy about you being there by yourself, but that wasn’t what I didn’t want you to be mad about. I got you something, and I don’t want you to fight me on it.”

I narrowed my eyes skeptically at him. “If this is another Taser, I think I’m good with the one you got me already.”

A smile stretched over his lips. “It’s not a Taser. Come on. Get dressed, and I’ll show you.”

As quickly as possible, I lotioned and dressed, and then followed Austin through the house. I was confused when he started heading towards the garage, but then I got excited. “Holy heck, did you get me another dog?!”

Austin scoffed, “Fuck, no!”

I pulled on his arm. “Hey, now, that would be a great gift. Blue could use a sibling.” At the sound of his name, Blue lifted his head from where he was snoozing on the couch.

“That dog is a terror. I’m not getting you another one.”

“He is not a terror. He’s perfect.”

“Keep telling yourself that.” Austin paused at the door to the garage. “Remember, no getting mad.”

“No promises.” If this was a permanent security detail or worse, a gun, I was going to be pissed.

Austin shook his head and pushed open the door, flicking on the lights. There, in the garage, was a brand new Mercedes SUV. It was a gorgeous silver color with gray interior. I knew nothing about cars, but even I could appreciate this one. I turned my head to Austin. “Why would I be mad that you bought yourself a new car? It’s your money, you can do whatever you want with it.”

A grin stretched across Austin’s face. “I’m glad you see it that way because I bought it for you.”

My jaw slackened. “You, what?”

“I bought it for you.”

My head swiveled from Austin to the car and back to Austin again. “Y-y-ou can’t,” I stuttered. “It’s way too much.”

He stepped forward and grabbed my hands in his. “Baby, this is one of the safest cars on the market. I love you, and I want you safe and in one piece. Please, for the love of all that is holy, accept this car. Even if it’s just for my peace of mind.”

I bit my bottom lip as Austin stared at me with imploring eyes. I sighed, releasing my lip. “I will, on two conditions.”

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