Page 281 of Out of Left Field

“Then I suppose the better question is whether we’re practicing when we get home or letting the Universe decide our future.” The gleam in his eyes almost sent my panties up in flames.

“Why, Everett Anson. Now who’s getting impatient?”

“I can’t help it. I really like the idea of making babies with you.”

“Then you better help me figure out which order our names go in!”

He signed the check, grabbed my hand, and led me out of the restaurant, not saying a single word along the way. He didn’t laugh at my jokes or answer my questions. Just had this stoic look as he drove. “Wait, where are you taking me? Your house is that way.”

He grunted.

“Everett!”

“Babe.” He slid his hand over my knee, giving it a squeeze. “We’re sleeping at the condo tonight.”

“Oh.”

“Because I want you to myself.”

Oh. “We can’t keep renting the condo forever just so we have sex dungeon to escape to.” Ever since Dad moved in with Hannah it had sat mostly empty, which was a ridiculous waste of space.

“It's hardly a dungeon. Besides, you work there sometimes. It’s like an office space.”

“I have an office, Everett.”

“And yet you use the condo.”

I slumped down in my seat and crossed my arms. “Because the practice facility is on the other side of the bay!”

“I really don’t understand why having two places is a problem. We had two places when we started dating.”

I wasn’t sure why it bugged me. It was nice being at the house, being part of the family, but it got overwhelming when we were all together.

He gave my knee another squeeze. “Think of it as our place. It’s something that’s just ours. Seth is a kind and benevolent landlord.”

“That is not helping your case.”

“We have a home, Willa. All of this is just temporary. In the off season we go home. When baseball is done my bedroom at the house will be a place we visit, not live. This condo will go to someone new.”

He made a valid point. Maybe I just needed to wrap my head around it. The house was somewhere we slept when we wanted to be close to family. The condo was ours for when we wanted it to be just us.

It wasn’t like we couldn’t afford it. It wasn’t our style, but that didn’t matter. It was temporary. And it was very, very nice. Maybe some of my resistance came from wanting to have a place that was just ours. We hadn’t been to Everett’s house on Calusa Key, so it didn’t feel real yet.

But it would. Soon.

We parked in the garage and made our way upstairs. The condo was dark and clean. Everett went straight to the fridge and pulled out a bottle of champagne.

“Fancy.”

“We have much to celebrate.”

“We do?”

He nodded. “First, it’s Cooper-Anson. I like the way it sounds better.” He popped the cork and poured two glasses that just so happened to be waiting on the counter.

Which was interesting.

“So you have thought about this.”