“I’ll be there in ten minutes.”
As soon as I hung up, Griffin took my phone and calledDustin. I heard the sharp intake of breath on the other end before my brother’s voice came through.
“I’m on my way.”
I looked up at Griffin, his steady presence the only thing keeping me from crumbling all over again. “Thank you,” I whispered.
“Always.” He leaned in, kissing me softly. “Now, let’s pack you up and get you out of here.”
Dustin arrivedwith a stack of boxes in hand, ready to get to work. He and Griffin took charge of the kitchen and living room, first clearing away the chaos before carefully packing up my belongings. Every broken item, every overturned piece of furniture was a reminder of what had happened here, but they worked methodically, determined to erase the damage, piece by piece.
Meanwhile, Millie and I focused on my bedroom. For the past thirty minutes, we’d worked in silence, the weight of unspoken words pressing between us. Each item I touched carried a memory, each drawer I opened threatened to pull me under. But I refused to let the past win. Not now. Not when I had people willing to help me put my life back together.
Millie had decided to dump all the items from the drawers of my dresser, and we were sorting through what we thought I needed and what should be donated. She leaned in close, her voice a conspiratorial whisper as we sorted through my scattered belongings. “Okay, spill. How was it?”
I rolled my eyes, biting back a smile as I shoved a handful of clothes into a duffel bag. “I am not talking about thisright now.”
Millie gasped, grabbing my wrist. “That good? Is he big?”
A deep flush crept up my neck, and I avoided her gaze, pretending to focus on folding a shirt.
“Oh my god. I knew it! I fucking told you in high school! I fucking told you.” She smacked my arm. “You’re glowing. I knew he’d be good, but damn, Tate. Was it, like, life-changing kind of good?”
I hesitated, then exhaled, my lips curving into a smirk. “Millie…”
She grabbed my shoulders, shaking me gently. “You tease. I knew it!”
I bit my lip, my face burning. “Okay, fine. It wasamazing. Like, I didn’t even know it could be that good. He was my first.”
Millie sighed dramatically. “Lucky bitch. My first was terrible.”
I laughed, shoving her playfully before she wiggled her eyebrows. “So what’s the plan now? Are you moving in with your baseball god?”
I froze for half a second before shaking my head. “No. I mean…we haven’t talked about that.”
She narrowed her eyes. “But you’ve thought about it.”
Of course I had. How could I not after everything that had happened? But moving in with Griffin felt…huge.Too fast.Too permanent. I needed to get my freedom back.
“I just need to figure things out first,” I said finally. “I don’t want to rush into anything.”
Millie studied me for a second, then nodded. “Okay. But if I were you, I’d at least enjoy the benefits of that man while you figure it out.”
I snorted. “Oh, trust me. I plan to.”
Hours later we all sat on the couch staring at the boxes stacked up by the front door. Griffin had ordered pizza, and we all sat there quietly munching away, lost in our own thoughts.
Dustin had already decided he was staying in town long enough to help me find a new place, which, of course, sparked an argument between him and Griffin. And because she couldn’t resist, Millie threw in her two cents, fanning the flames until the whole thing spiraled into a three-way debate about where I should live.
I hated being a burden. I appreciated their concern, but I wasn’t helpless. I could figure this out.
I already felt guilty enough for dragging Griffin here today, forcing him to deal with my mess when he should have been basking in his victory. But he insisted. Over and over, he reassured me it was fine, that he wanted to be here. And yet, no matter how many times he said it, that small, insidious voice in my head kept whispering doubts, telling me he didn’t actually want me in his penthouse longer than necessary.
Was he just being polite?
Was I overstaying my welcome in his penthouse?
I wasn’t going to spiral. We were a new couple, but that didn’t mean I had to second-guess everything. If I wanted to be with him, I had to trust what he said.
