Page 112 of After You Returned

“I can still hurt your feelings. You got all butthurt when I told Eli I’d met some famous footballer before you.”

“I wasn’t butthurt.”

“You said – and I’m quoting here – I can’t believe you told Eli before me. You wound me.”

I squeeze her neck. “Tell me why you don’t want to move into my house. If it’s too quick, I’ll understand.”

“Too quick?” She snorts. “We’ve been in love for over a decade. Quick has jumped aboard a smuggler’s ship and hightailed it into the seven seas.”

“Okay.” I nod. “It’s not too quick. You prefer to stay in your place. I’ll ask Eli if he has a recommendation for a contractor. I prefer to live in a house, but I can adjust.”

“I don’t want to stay here. It’s too small. And there’s no yard, should we ever decide to have children.”

“Children?” I lift my eyebrow. “Is that what this is about? Did you decide you don’t want children after all?”

She slaps my shoulder. “No. I still want children. Not six boys for sure. But one or two.”

“I’m stumped. You don’t want to stay here, but you don’t want to live in my house. What’s wrong with my house?”

Her nose scrunches up. “This is the part where your feelings might get hurt.”

“You hate my house?” I shrug. “It’s a house. You don’t have to love it. We can buy a new one.”

“Whoa. Hold your mermaids. Buying a new house together is a big deal.”

“I love you. You love me. Living together is the next step. Unless you want to get married first. Damnit. I screwed up. You want to get married before we officially live together. Not a problem. We can make this happen.”

“You were supposed to hold your mermaids. Not jump on top of one and go for a ride.”

I rub a hand down my face. “I’m seriously confused, Blaze. You’re going to have to explain things for me. Explain it like I’m a kindergartner who didn’t show up for the first two weeks of classes.”

“Fine.” When she pauses, I squeeze her neck. “I don’t want to live in your house because there are too many bad memories associated with it.”

“Bad memories?”

“I may have accidentally, totally not on purpose, happened to watch you walk into your house with a floozy from Mermaid Karaoke a time or two.”

I wince. I shouldn’t be surprised. I’ve staked out Hazel’s place a few times over the years as well. No matter how much I tried to avoid her, I was drawn to her. All those years wasted. Because I was an idiot. No more.

“Okay. We won’t stay in my house any longer. I’ll contact Jade today. We should probably have an idea what we’re searching for. How many bedrooms, bathrooms, etc.”

Her mouth drops open. “Are you serious?”

“Yes.”

“You’re not mad?”

“Nope, and I’m not butthurt either. I understand. I don’t want any reminders of the years we spent apart, either. I should have realized earlier.”

“But a new house? Can we afford it?”

I smirk. “With the money I won in the Raider Brothers prank war, we have a substantial down payment.”

She rolls her eyes. “You just had to mention you won, didn’t you?”

“It’s important my woman understands I’m a winner.”

She barks out a laugh. “You’re lucky I love you.”