Fighting for Love (Second Chances #4)(63)
“No, he’s never tried anything with me, and I’ve never tried with him. He’s been a good roommate. I’m going to miss him when the time comes for us to separate.”
Turning toward the stove, I poured some of the pancake batter in the pans and set the bowl aside. When I turned around to face Matt he had a serious, yet determined, look on his face. “What are you thinking about?” I asked.
He paused for a second, as if contemplating that question. “When do you think that time will come? You know, for you to move away from him?”
Grabbing the spatula off the counter, I shrugged and turned to flip our pancakes. “I’m not sure. I guess whenever I decide to marry someone.”
My heart was racing ninety miles an hour; therefore, I took my time in flipping the pancakes so I wouldn’t mess them up. Thinking of getting married, or even living with someone else, hadn’t crossed my mind in so long that it almost seemed out of reach for me.
“So are you saying you want to be married before you move in with someone?” he asked incredulously.
Snickering, I turned back around and smiled at him. “No, I didn’t mean it like that. I definitely want to live with someone before I marry them, but I wouldn’t just move in with any guy unless I knew it would progress to something more … like marriage.” Matt lifted his brows and waved around my house. “Okay, fine, this situation is different. Under normal circumstances, the next guy I live with will have to be someone I’m really serious about.”
Getting to his feet, he walked around the kitchen counter and joined me in front of the stove. He took the spatula out of my hand and laced my fingers in his. “What about me, Shelby?”
My heart beat thumped faster. What was he asking?
“What about you?” I whispered nervously.
“Would you ever consider moving in with me?”
My eyes went wide and I gulped. “As in now?” I gasped.
Chuckling, he rolled his eyes. “Yeah, maybe, if that’s what you wanted. We’re practically doing it now.” He glanced over at our banana pancakes and smiled. “I know a lot has changed in the years, but I’m still the same guy you knew before. Do you think you’d consider it, moving in with me?”
For once in my life I could actually see a future with me and Matt, our own house, a family. Could it possibly be real?
“What about my job? I would have to drive over an hour every day to get to work from Santa Rosa, and if we lived down here you would have to drive the same amount to Carter. Don’t you think that would get a little tedious?”
He smiled down at me and tapped my chin with our clasped hands. “We would get our own place, angel. A place where you and I both can be happy. We can pick somewhere in the middle.”
Tears immediately sprang to my eyes and I flung myself into his arms, holding him as tight as I could. “Really?” I squealed happily. “You honestly want to do this?”
It almost seemed too good to be true.
Holding me just as tight, he chuckled and I could feel him nodding his head beside mine. “Yes, I want to do this. We’ve wasted too much time and I’m tired of wasting anymore. If you want we can start looking tomorrow. All I need is to hear your answer, angel,” he murmured in my ear.
With tears streaming down my cheeks, I loosened my grip so I could look into his eyes when I answered him. I kissed him firmly on the lips, over and over, until I could taste the salt of my own tears.
“Yes, Matt. Oh my God, the answer’s yes,” I screamed.
Yes!
THE NEXT MORNING I FELT like I was floating on air. Matt had gotten up early and was about to leave to go train with his coach while I started the search for houses. I could barely sleep because I was so excited, but yet I still couldn’t get out of bed.
Matt sat down beside me and leaned over to tie his shoes. “Are you going to call Jace and tell him today?” he asked.
Stretching my arms out over my head, I laid back down on my pillows. “Yeah, I probably need to do that. He’ll most likely want to stay here and just the pay the rent once I’m gone. He likes this place, so if he wants it I’ll let him have it.”
Leaning over, he caged me in his arms and kissed me softly on the lips. “Well, you have fun today while I’m gone. Do you want to drive up to Santa Rosa this afternoon and stay at my place for the weekend? The fight’s in Stockton tomorrow night, which makes it a little longer drive from my place, but I didn’t think that would matter anyway.”
I ran my fingers up and down his muscular arms, feeling his muscles flex as I passed over them. “Yeah, we can do that. I’ll pack a bag and head out your way this afternoon. I’m going to call Jace and Lexi, and probably my mother, to fill them in on everything. I haven’t exactly kept in touch with her as much as I should.”
“Sounds good, angel, I’ll see you this afternoon. Tell her I said hello.” He kissed me again and leaned his forehead against mine. “Be careful on your way up.”
“I will,” I told him. “I love you.”
He looked back at me one last time and said, “I love you, too,” before walking out of my room and out the front door. Grabbing my phone, I slipped out of bed and put on my gray lounging pants I had thrown over my writing chair in the corner of my room. My stomach growled in protest, so I ventured off to the kitchen and poured a glass of orange juice and fixed a bowl of cereal. I loved eating breakfast while looking out the windows toward the bay, and soon I wouldn’t be able to do that. Maybe my next house would be with a beautiful view of the mountains. There were so many choices and I couldn’t wait to start searching.