Page 44 of Let Me Love You
With a laugh, he reaches over and squeezes my knee. “Look at you. Acting like an adult and shit.”
“Gee. Thanks.”
After putting the location for the first house into the GPS, we talk about the Colt and Ashlyn drama for a little while. He pulls up to a little three-bedroom house a bit later. It’s…cute. Definitely needs a little elbow grease, but there were plenty of worse options on the MLS, so I’m gonna consider it a win.
“This is it?” Theo asks, pulling up to the curb. He stares out the windshield but doesn’t bother to put the car in park as he examines the pink stucco and cracked sidewalk.
“Uh, yes?” I answer.
He turns to me with a look screaming I’ve sprouted a second head. “Do you want a fixer-upper?”
“It’s not a fixer-upper,” I lie as I take in the missing shutters and ribbon of material flapping in the wind from the shredded window screens. To be fair, I didn’t exactly know our budget and didn’t want to make any assumptions, but this one isn’t too bad.
Is it?
Theo laughs and looks out the windshield again. “So, what would you call this?”
“Umm…quaint?” I offer.
He laughs a little harder. “Is this what you want? This piece of shit?”
“Hey!”
“Don’t get me wrong, Baby Thorne. You know I love you and will do anything for you, including moving into a place like this if your goal is to fix it up and shit. But if we’re gonna get married one day, we might need to raise your standards a bit.”
My lips part, and I blink slowly, convinced I’ve misheard him.
“What?” he asks when I’ve been quiet too long.
“Did you just say the M word?”
“I believe I did, yes.”
My heart skips a beat, and I try to keep myself from jumping to the wrong conclusion. “You wanna marry me someday?”
“We’re buying a house together.”
“Well, yeah. But I thought—” My mouth snaps closed as a realtor climbs out of the car parked behind us. No idea how long it was there. I’ve been a bit distracted.
“Thought what?” Theo pushes.
“I thoughtyouwere buying this house. Notwe.”
“Why?”
“I dunno? Because it’s your money, and—”
“I’m gonna stop you right there.”
I suck my teeth between my lips, unsure what to say. His wrist rests against the top of the steering wheel, and his legs are spread wide as he gives me a look, turning my insides into goo.
“You gonna be my wife one day, Blake?”
“Teddy…”
“You know, for someone so hellbent on telling everyone Macklin’s your future-brother-in-law, and I’m gonna be your husband someday,” he notes, “you sure as shit are looking squeamish over there.”
“When I say it, it’s…” I bite my bottom lip, and he grabs my throat, dragging me toward him.