43.

HE DIDN’T WASTE A MOMENT. The instant she had settled Ivy into the pillow and tucked the blankets back around the now sleeping child, Nate grabbed her by the hand.

His room was right next door. He dragged her there quickly. He closed the door and then had her up against it. His mouth covered hers. Her hands went to the buttons of his shirt.

Perci had clever little fingers. He’d learned that the night before. “Honey, I don’t want you to leave.”

She stilled against him. “What do you mean?”

He cursed himself inside his head. He should have kept his mouth shut. Until after. “I don’t want you to leave here. Correction. When I go to the new place, I want you to go with me. You and Ivy. Come with me.”

Tyler blue eyes widened. “For how long?”

Forever. “You know what I mean.”

Her fingers paused. “No, I don’t. I don’t know what any of this means. This changes everything.”

“Yes.” The way things were supposed to be. He should have been with her long before Joel and Phoebe had met. If he hadn’t fought so hard a year and a half ago everything would have happened so much faster. Maybe. Or maybe not. Maybe they had all had to go through what they had to find what they had now.

That thought didn’t even make sense to him.

“I...just can’t decide to move in with you. I have my family to think about. And...we’ve fought so much. What makes you think we won’t start doing that again once this newness wears off?”

“We’ll fight. But making up is going to be a hell of a lot more fun.” Nate brushed his lips against her neck, then scooped her up. Her legs wrapped around his waist. Nate carried her to his bed and put her right where he had wanted her for a very, very long time. “And your family will be fine. There will be a few changes. Maybe your dad has to get some help in during the evenings. But it’ll work out. You’ll be with me. Where you belong. Say yes, Persephone. Move in with me. We’ll figure everything else out later.”