I leaned back in my chair, feeling embarrassed. “I’ve loved having you here with me. I guess, if I’m honest, it kinda bothered me you couldn’t wait to go back to living separate.”
Surprise shifted through his blue eyes. “Well, this was just temporary. You never offered me a permanent place in your home.”
It’s true, I had never officially asked him to move in with me. Mostly because I’d feared he’d reject my offer. “I suppose I just hoped you were feeling what I was feeling.”
“Who says I wasn’t?”
Frowning, I said, “But you went looking for a place to live. Not just a place for your business.”
“I told you the first place I looked at was that business park. But Mrs. Numi could see that spot wasn’t for me. When she showed me the building where Johnson’s Dentistry was, it solvedallmy problems. It even had a pool.”
“Right. I’m not saying you did anything wrong; it just threw me. You’d already put an offer in by the time I heard about it. I suppose I felt a little left behind. Out of the loop.”
Maxwell grimaced. “I didn’t mean to do that to you. I really thought I was just going to look at business locations. I figured I’d worry about the living situation after that. But… then I saw the pool. I never in a million years dreamed I’d find another setup that worked for me personally and in business. I knew that first spot I’d had when I first came here was unusual.”
“Sure. I getwhyyou jumped on it. I knew I was being a baby. That’s why I told you this was my problem, not yours.”
“I didn’t know what you meant when you said that. I just knew you were upset. Distant.” He pushed the last of his toast into his mouth, and he chewed while staring at me. Once he’d swallowed, he said, “I’ve loved living with you. Just for the record.”
“I wasn’t sure.”
“Really? It seemed obvious to me. Didn’t I seem happy here?”
“Yes. But I thought maybe you were just hiding how you really felt.”
He blinked at me. “Since when am I good at that?”
I laughed. “True.”
“You know, to be fair, you never formally asked me to live with you.” He frowned.
I gave a sheepish laugh. “No. I was too scared.”
“Fearless Sheriff Royce Callum isn’t afraid of anything.”
“I’m afraid of plenty of things.” I shrugged. “Mostly, of losing you.”
“Well, it would seem you’re still stuck with me.” He blew out a shaky breath. “Apparently, I’m not going anywhere soon.”
“Good.”
He gave a sad smile. “Yeah. I was really looking forward to having a pool again though.”
“I know.” I sighed. “Maybe one of these days, we should discuss what we both expect from this relationship. It might help avoid problems.”
“We can talk about it now, if you want?” He pushed his bread plate away, looking uneasy.
“Let’s talk when you’re not feeling so… vulnerable.”
He smirked. “You mean drunk?”
“That too.” I laughed.
His expression changed and became very serious. “I love you, Royce. I hope you know that. Maybe I don’t show it enough. You’re the most important thing to me in this world.”
His unusually emotional comment caught me off guard. I found myself smiling, happy to hear how he felt about me. “I feel the same about you, Max. That’s why I like you here in my home.”
He smiled, but when his stomach gave an ominous grumble, he widened his eyes. “Oh, dear.”
