Page 7 of While You're There
Rhett groaned as he flopped down onto the bed. “That was a lot more work than I thought it was going to be.”
Tori pulled on the T-shirt she planned to sleep in before turning around to join him. She slid under the sheets, her body instinctively making its way to the middle of the mattress. “Come here, you,” he instructed as he pulled her body into his. “Thank you for all your help today.” He kissed the tip of her nose.“How are you feeling now?”
“I’m fine,” she replied automatically. That was partially true. She had cooled down from her earlier outburst, a lot of her frustrations dissipating once the apartment was completely packed up and cleared out. She still felt some lingering irritation about all the artifacts from Rhett’s other relationship she had stumbled on, but she wasn’t interested in rehashing the same fight again tonight.
“Are you tired?” he asked. She knew the subtext of his question. Never mind that his sister was sleeping on the couch just one room over.
“I am,” she admitted, running her nails against the short hair along Rhett’s neckline. “And I’ve got cramps because my period started this afternoon.”
He shifted next to her, moving one of his hands down her back so he could knead into the spot that always bothered her whenever she had her period. She sank into his touch, savoring the way his strong fingers worked the muscles at the bottom of her spine.
“That feels so good,” she moaned in satisfaction. He continued to soothe her tight muscles as he trailed kisses along her neck and collarbone.
“Can I get you anything? Water or painkillers? I think I packed up a bottle of ibuprofen earlier, but I can go find it.”
“No, I took some after dinner. I’m okay,” she insisted. She almost hadn’t said anything about her cramps. She knew he would spring into action and go overboard in his efforts to comfort her. But that was Rhett. He prided himself in taking care of his people and doing whatever was in his power to take everyone else’s pain away.
He had stopped kissing her at that point, but he continued to massage her low back, his face nestled in the crook of her neck. “Will you be sad to leave here tomorrow? This apartment has been your home for the last few years.”
Rhett’s hand stilled as he raised his head to look at her. “This place was never home, V. Home has always been wherever you are.”
Chapter four
Rhett
Rhettrolledoveronthe familiar mattress in his now bare apartment bedroom. He knew Tori was there—all the reasonable parts of his brain told him he had nothing to worry about—but he still wanted visual confirmation. She lay next to him, her oversized T-shirt crumpled up around her stomach, her legs splayed out in the center of the bed. It was surreal having her here, seeing her next to him in a bed she’d never been in before. But lying next to her now scratched all the happy places in his brain. He felt more settled and more inside his own body just lying next to her and feeling her presence.
He quietly lifted his arm and let it rest across her back. He didn’t want to wake her. They didn’t need to be up for at least another hour. He just wanted to feel her solidness next to him.
He had to do things like this a lot lately to remind himself that everything that was happening was real. Less than two weeks ago, they hadn’t even been on speaking terms. Now, they were together, truly and completely. They were engaged, and based on the conversation they had yesterday in the car, they were going to get married in a few weeks. It was just going to take a bit of time for his adrenals to get the message that he could relax and trust in their relationship now.
It wasn’t lost on him that the catalyst for their current relationship was everything Tori had feared for so long. But she was a fighter, and he was going to be by her side through it all. He would make sure she had the best care possible, regardless of cost. He would be the one to take care of her after her surgeries. They would get through this, and once they cleared this hurdle, they would have the rest of their lives to look forward to together.
He watched his own hand rise and fall with the deep inhales of her breathing. She was always beautiful in his eyes, but he especially loved to watch her sleep. She had put so much effort into preventing him from getting too close over the last few years. He had gotten in the habit of trying to wake up before her when they were together so he could savor the moments when she wasn’t pushing him away.
His eyes scanned her body from the soft curve of her hips up the small of her back to the hand she had resting across her pillow. His gaze lingered on her ring, and he felt his heart swell with pride. He could distinctly remember his grandmother wearing that ring. He was so grateful she left it to him.
Now that Tori was on board with Memorial Day weekend at the cabin, they could start making wedding plans in earnest. They would share their plans with his parents at brunch. He knew they would support whatever they wanted to do, and he was counting on his mom to step up and help him and Tori over the next two weeks.
Rhett reached for his phone on the nightstand, curious about the marriage license procedures in the state of Michigan. He swiped to unlock the device, but his hand froze when he saw the message notification on the screen.
Chandler: Hey, I know you’re in Easton this weekend. I really need to talk to you. Can we meet up?
Fuck.
Rhett didn’t click on the message. He didn’t want his ex to know he’d read her text. He set the phone back on the nightstand as gently as possible, slowly releasing the device like it was a motion-activated bomb.
Rhett raked his hand through his hair. Should he wake Tori up? He couldn’t stand to just lie here when he had something big to tell her. He wasn’t willing to let anything come between them now. She looked so peaceful sleeping, though, and she didn’t need to be up for a little longer.
He shoved off the bed and headed for the bathroom instead. He could shower and get coffee going for the girls. He grabbed his phone and brought it into the bathroom with him, just in case Chandler attempted to call or text him again.
Tori was awake by the time he was done showering, still sprawled out on her stomach in the middle of the bed with her head turned to face him. “Good morning,” she offered in a sultry tone, cocking one eyebrow as she assessed his towel-clad body.
"Good, you’re up.” Rhett sighed, hurrying over to the bed to sit down.
“What’s wrong?” She sat up quickly and scooted to the edge of the bed to meet him. He didn’t want to panic her, but he couldn’t reign in the frantic energy he felt from seeing Chandler’s text.
“I have to tell you something.”
