Taking Shots (Assassins, #1)(138)

Elli was quite for a moment as Shea drove. He didn’t know if he should take her silence as a good thing or not, but he didn’t want to say anything. Plus, he didn’t know what to say. He said his peace, all he could do was hope for the best.

“A house?” she finally asked.

“Yeah, I mean my condo is on the big side, the only thing to add is more bedrooms, you know?”

“Yeah, but we aren’t married, what if we split up? Who gets the house?”

Shea thought about it for a moment, “Well, I doubt that will happen, but if it does, we can sell it, split the profit, or if you want it, you can have it because if I’m not with you, baby, I’m not staying in Nashville.”

“You’d really leave?”

Shea shook his head, “I don’t know, baby, I don’t like thinking about it. In my mind, we’ll be together forever.”

“I like the way you think,” she said after a moment with a grin, he smiled back.

“So what do you say?”

“I say,” she bit her lip again, taking his hand in hers, “yes.”

The biggest, brightest smile crossed his face. Shea felt on top of the world, as if nothing or no one could touch him. They were going to buy a house together, could life get any better?





Elli had been wearing the same grin for the past two days, not only was she with the most amazing man in the world. One that plans amazing birthday parties and makes her scream something crazy in the bedroom, but she was moving in with him. Really moving in, they had gotten the number of the realtor from Harper and Shea called Grace for the number of the one she knew. Everything was in the works, and Elli couldn’t be happier.

Only thing left to do was tell her daddy and Papa.

Lucky for her (not!), they were both at the home game the following night, so Elli made her way up to Papa’s box decked out in her Adler gear. Shea had said he was gonna get her a jersey that said “Adler’s Woman” on the back along with his number, but Elli said no. Call her superstitious, but she had had the same jersey since Shea became her favorite player. She was scared if she changed it something would happen or he would get traded. He, of course, laughed when she told him that, but she didn’t care, she was happy with her jersey. She wasn’t ever gonna wear anything else.

Elli entered Bryan’s box, finding her father and uncle drinking it up as they talked hockey. When the door shut behind her, they turned with grins forming on their faces when they saw her.

She doubted they would be smiling when she left, but oh, well.

“It’s about damn time you came and sat with us!” Bryan said in his booming voice as he got up, hugging her tightly.

“I ain’t staying up here to watch the game. I love my seats, these are too far up,” she said as she kissed her daddy’s cheek, “I came up to talk to y’all.”

“What’s up? You alright?” Michael asked, concern covering his face.

“I’m fine, daddy, why don’t we sit down?” she asked pointing towards the bar, they didn’t move. Not that she expected them too.

“What’s going on, Eleanor?” Bryan asked sternly.

“Um, well, Shea wanted to come up here, too, but you know he’s getting ready and all but, um,” she stuttered.

“Eleanor, spit it out already, what’s going on?” Bryan asked, crossing his arms, “He knocked you up, didn’t he?”

“God no! Never! I’m on the pill!” Michael and Bryan cringed, as Elli turned beet red. Shit, this was not going the way she wanted it too. “No, I’m not pregnant.”

“Then what it is? I know that boy has enough sense to come to me first if he is trying to put a ring on your finger.” Michael said, as Elli cringed. This was not gonna be good.

“No daddy, he didn’t ask me to marry him, um, but we are moving in together.” It was like everything stop as Michael and Bryan zeroed in on Elli, Michael’s eyes narrowing as Bryan’s face turned red.

“You’re moving in with him?” Michael asked.

“And y’all aren’t married?” Bryan added.

“Now, I moved in with Justin,” Elli said in her defense, “and these ain’t the olden days, these are modern times, people move in together before they are married all the time.”

“I don’t care about other people, I care about you!” Michael yelled, “And I don’t want my little girl living with some man that she is not married to!”

“I lived with Justin for a year before we got engaged and he was a dick. Shea is a good man, I care for him a lot, and he loves me. I’m moving in with him,” she said with a more confidence then she felt, “I just thought I would let you know. Y’all can be mad at me, but I’m living my life. Don’t you want me to be happy? Cause Shea makes me happy.”

Michael and Bryan just stood there staring at her like she grew two extra heads. Elli swallowed loudly, they were gonna freak, she knew it, but to her surprise, a smile came across Michael face, as Bryan shook his head.

“You’re twenty seven years old, Eleanor, who am I tell you what to do? If you want to live with Shea, live with him, but I’m not happy about it” Michael said, shrugging his shoulders.

“And if you come up pregnant before you’re married, I swear, Eleanor, we’ll kill him.”