Alex thought of the changes he’d made to his third bedroom, his desk and the box inside. ‘Not if I have my way.’
‘How is she?’Alex asked, pulling away from Sarah’s building—or Abby and Erik’s building, as he was already calling it in his mind.
‘Weirdly good,’ Sarah said, curling her feet up onto the seat. Abby had once done the same, and Alex had refused to drive her anywhere for a month. He slipped his hand onto Sarah’s thigh, holding her position. ‘The situation is…less than ideal. She’s been looking for a new job, which, let’s be honest, there’sno point doing now. It’ll be tough. But she’s always wanted kids. She says she can’t imagine not keeping it.’
‘Do you want kids?’ Alex asked, as they stopped outside his house. They hadn’t discussed anything that far into the future. Up until now, he had still been trying to play at some level of normality, so she might not see how desperately all in he was.
‘I don’t know. I haven’t thought about it much. But seeing Abby and Zoe talk in there… Theyreallywant kids. I don’t think I’m prepared to take that step unless I’m as eager as they are. What about you?’
He’d never been desperate either way. And being the cool uncle admittedly felt more his speed. ‘I think Abby and Erik, and maybe Zoe, are going to pop out so many kids, we’ll be able to borrow one for a test drive.’
Sarah snorted, bending to kiss the top of Celine’s head when she met them at the door. Seeing her warm to his dog over the past month had been one of his favourite parts of their relationship. Although Celine was close to liking Sarah more than she liked him.
He followed her up the stairs, but before Sarah could venture too far down the hall, Alex pulled her back by her belt loops. ‘I know it’s late, but can I show you something before bed?’
She shivered at the feel of his breath on her neck, one hand still on her hips as he reached around her to unlock his office door.
‘You know I had some work done to upgrade my office space?’
Sarah nodded.
He had mere days left at his firm, finalising one small merger, before he started working for himself. Partly thanks tothe knowledge that someone was waiting for him at home, and partly becausewhat were they going to do, fire him?, he’d left work at exactly five o’clock every night of his notice period, including leaving Pete to run one of the late meetings. He’d botched it, of course, and Alex hadn’t needed to care one bit.
‘Office spaceisn’t exactly the spec I gave them.’
‘Alex,’ Sarah breathed, when he flipped the light switch, illuminating rows of shelving filled with paints, brushes, pencils, and canvases. An easel stood in one corner, next to the large bay window. The area would be bathed in natural light come morning. ‘What is this?’
‘Your new studio.’ He shrugged, brushing off the nerves that sparked at the shock on her face. ‘If you want it. The shelving is all modular, so you can adjust it to your needs.’
‘It’s beautiful. It’sperfect. How—’ Her voice was strangled.
‘Abby supplied access to some Pinterest boards. I know you were planning to turn their room into a studio when they moved out, but since that doesn’t seem likely to happen soon, I thought…’
‘This is supposed to be your office.’ Her voice was slightly hollow as she ran one finger over the dark wooden ledge lining the wall.
Alex walked towards the double desk in the corner facing them. ‘It comes with strings attached. For one thing, you’ll let me work in here and watch you paint. For another, at some point I am going to insist you paint me nude. And I’m definitely interested in making one of those sex paint—’
‘I can’t accept this.’ He might have believed her, if she hadn’t begun fondling a set of new brushes.
‘It’s done. If you don’t use it, I’m just going to have a room filled with highly inconvenient cabinetry.’ Alex took advantage of her turned back to pull a small box out of his drawer before crossing back to her. ‘I thought it might be nice for you to have a space that’syours. Organise your stuff the way you want. Have a place to put canvases to dry instead of waiting days before you can start a new piece. And I thought’—he swallowed hard, reaching his hand and the box it contained towards her—‘I thought you might like not having to move between places all the time.’
Sarah’s lips parted when she turned and saw the small box. ‘Aleksander, I swear, if you’re about to propose to me after a month, I—’
‘It’s been at least six months since we first kissed, actually, but…’ He opened the box to reveal a key he knew she would recognise. A copy sat on her keyring already. ‘I’m asking you to move in with me.’
He’d never seen her so still. ‘That’s still a big step,’ she said finally.
But he knew her. He could see the hunger in her eyes, the same way she looked hungry whenever he opened up with her. She wanted this.
‘Come on. You spend the night here all the time anyway. Move in with me.’
‘I cannot afford to live here.’
‘What’s to afford? The bond’s paid off. We can discuss a contribution to utilities if that’ll make you feel better. Move in with me.’
‘I have a lease,’ she said weakly.
‘Mhm, and isn’t it lucky you have two very willing flatmates desperate for their own space?’
