Page 57 of A Magnolia Move-In
He nodded and yawned. “Yep.”
“Perfect.”
“Couch?” He nodded toward the living room.
“Yep.”
He glanced over at it and then back to me. “See you in the morning?”
I nodded again.
Walker stood and declared that he was going to head to his rental car to grab his backpack. It was killing me to keep my eyes open, so I just nodded and tipped my face up toward his in anticipation of a kiss.
It took him a moment to respond, and when he did, he gave me just a peck before he pulled back and said good night.
I tried not to read into it, but it frustrated me that he hadn’t seen me in over a month and that was all I got from him. Plus, he didn’t seem to have any desire to help me get ready for bed, which I wasn’t sure I could fully blame him for. After all, he didn’t know the state I was in after the accident. I’d been such an independent woman while we were together.
Still, as I got ready for bed, I couldn’t help but thinkabout Colten and everything he’d done for me that day. He’d taken care of me when he didn’t need to.
As I lay in bed that night, I sighed. Sleep was evading me now that I was ready to sleep.
Walker was back, and I’d thought that he was what I wanted.
Now that I was here and I’d seen what a different life could look like, it got me thinking.
My old life was sleeping on the couch just feet away. But I wasn’t so sure I wanted that old life anymore.
I wasn’t sure what life I wanted.
SEVENTEEN
Penny
It had been years since I’d woken up in a man’s bed, and it was…strange.
Sunlight was just beginning to peek through the blinds, and I shifted to keep the rays from blinding me. But that movement brought me face-to-face with Spencer, and my effort to stay asleep evaded me.
I opened my eyes and studied Spencer’s face. He looked relaxed as he lay there. His greying five o’clock shadow made him look distinguished, and I was surprised by how much I liked it. His skin was smooth, and his hair was grey and thick—I wondered what it would feel like between my fingers.
“Get a grip, Penny,” I whispered to myself as I moved to lie on my back. I was definitely moving in the wrong direction when it came to this man. I wanted to keep him at arm’s length, but my actions seemed to say otherwise.
After all, a woman who wanted to keep her relationshipwith a man platonic didn’t spend the night sleeping next to him. I should have waited for him to fall asleep and then left to stay in my own room.
But there was something about sleeping next to him—feeling a warm body next to mine—that captivated me in a way I hadn’t felt in a long time.
I didn’t want to let it go. It was selfish, but I wanted this, and I was tired of pretending that I didn’t.
“Good morning.” Spencer’s gravelly voice drew my attention. His eyes were open, and there was a half-smile playing on his lips.
He was surprisingly fine with me being in his bed. How much of last night did he remember? Did he know that he’d mentioned Rosalie? That he’d asked me to stay with him?
“Morning,” was all I said as I pushed myself up to sitting. I grabbed a pillow from behind me and wrapped my arms around it. I wanted to know what happened last night, and I hoped that Spencer was okay with telling me because I wasn’t leaving until I got answers.
Spencer moved to sit as well. He brought his knees up and rested an elbow on them as he turned to face me. “How did you sleep?”
This conversation was so strange. Why was he acting as if nothing had happened last night? He’d asked me to go somewhere with him. Then he didn’t show up. And I ended up having to peel him off a bar and help him home, where he proceeded to ask me to stay the night with him.
He was either very forgetful, or this was normal for him.
