Page 166 of Studs Up
“I want to move here,” he said.
“Okay,” I said. He lifted his head.
“No, I mean, I want to live here with you. I want this to be home.”
I thought about it every second since I put in an offer.
“You sure?”
“Logistics are going to be a bitch,” he said with a half shrug. “But if this is how we end our days, it would be worth it. Do you think?”
End the day like this? Fuck yes. The plants would have to come, and he would put Tilly in a thousand different spots before he found the perfect altar. I looked forward to watching him figure it out.
I smiled, cupped the back of his neck, and pulled him in for a kiss.
“I think about it all the time. I just didn’t know when to ask.”
He slid his arms around my neck and kissed me, sliding his tongue into my mouth and demanding more attention. So fucking bossy.
Holden shifted in my lap to straddle me without breaking the kiss.
“Take me to bed,” he breathed.
…
Our first public adventure was driving to Portland. It wasn’t exciting, and as far as public went, it was still pretty fucking private, but when Holden reached over and took my hand, I knew it meant everything to him.
He didn’t like leaving the cabin, and I was no help, staying naked for as long as possible. But when I made a joke that he didn’t really need an MLS trophy, he got his ass in the car.
“What are you going to do?” He asked when I parked.
“I’ve got some things in mind.” He raised an eyebrow at me.
“Going to elaborate?”
“Nope.”
His eyes narrowed, deeply suspicious. “You’re not going to deflate all the balls, right?”
“I hadn’t planned on it, but now that you mention it…”
“Fuck off,” he laughed. I loved it. Slowly, he was returning to the Holden I fell in love with, and I was excited to see who he would become now that it was all out and he didn’t have to hide anymore.
“Go on,” I jerked my chin.
He looked at the training facility and frowned.
“It’s going to be weird.”
“Yup,” I nodded.
“Got any words of wisdom?”
“It’s going to be awkward as fuck.”
“Helpful,” he muttered.
“Shut up and listen dickhead,” I said. He pursed his lips and waited. “It will be awkward, but the more you return to your routine and stick to all the normal things, the more it will all sort itself out. I don’t know how long it will take, but I know that eventually, the awkwardness will be gone, and life will go on.”
