Page 18 of Only His Girl
“I’m just glad you and Eliza are here. Willow’s going to need all the support she can get.”
“Of course. That’s what family is for.”
Family. The word warms me from the inside out. Because that’s what Willow is now. What she will be, if I have anything to say about it. For now, we just need to get her through this.
“So what’s the plan?” Drew asks. “Obviously she can’t stay here.”
“I’m going to ask her to move in with me.”
Drew’s eyebrows shoot up. “Wow, really? That’s a big step.”
“I know it’s fast, but... it feels right, you know? After everything that’s happened...”
“Hey, you don’t have to explain it to me. When you know, you know. Look at me and Eliza.”
I chuckle, remembering how quickly they fell for each other. Guess it runs in the family.
“You think Blake will be cool with it?” Drew asks. “Willow moving in?”
“Actually, Blake is moving out. He just closed on a house.”
“No shit, really? That huge place in Cooper Hills?”
I nod. The sprawling six-bedroom estate has been Blake’s dream home for years. A place to build a future. Fill with a family of his own someday.
“Damn, good for him,” Drew says. “Now he just needs to find a woman willing to put up with his workaholic ass long enough to wife her up and knock her up.”
We both laugh, but I can’t help wondering if that’s in the cards for me too. The wife, the kids, the whole picket fence deal. I never thought I was the type.
Until Willow.
“You love her, don’t you?” Drew says quietly, studying me.
“Yeah. I really fucking do.”
“Then go get your girl, bro. Lock that down. Because what you two have? That’s the real deal.”
I clap him on the shoulder, nodding. He’s right. It’s time to man up and claim what’s mine.
Another knock sounds at the door, interrupting our brotherly moment. Drew and I exchange a look before heading over to answer it together.
When I swing it open, a young woman stands on the other side, a small child perched on her hip. She looks momentarily panicked as her hazel eyes flick between our faces.
“You okay, miss?” I ask, frowning at her deer-in-headlights expression.
She blinks and regains her composure. “Yes, sorry. I’m Julie. The landlord.” She brushes a strand of honey-blonde hair off her face. “I got a call about a leak?”
She looks awfully young to be managing properties, maybe midtwenties at most. The little girl in her arms has the same heart-shaped face and pouty lips. Definitely her daughter.
“Right, of course. Please, come in.” I step back to let her inside.
Julie falters to a stop when she takes in the disaster zone that is Willow’s apartment. “Oh no, what happened here?”
I give her the cliff notes version while her daughter squirms restlessly against her.
“I’m so sorry,” she says when I finish. “My dad passed away recently. He was the owner of this complex. I’m in town for the next few weeks trying to get everything straightened out. But to be honest, I’m still trying to get up to speed on everything.”
“No worries, we get it,” Drew assures her. “It’s a process.”