“Just the clothes. That’ll be all.”
He nods. “We’ll be out of your place by three o’clock. The key will be delivered to the address in Chelsea.” With that, he spins, his heavy booted feet making all kinds of noise as he leaves.
“This is too fast,” I grumble under my breath and rub my temples.
“Roll with it,” Jamie responds, spinning around in her chair. “It’s just clothes, and you’re with him all the time anyway.”
“It just seems so. . .”
“Serious?” She answers my thought.
“Yeah. We went from zero to sixty in a week. A week, Jamie.”
“Oh, please.” She waves her hand dismissively. “You’re dating and moved some clothes to his place. Zero to sixty would be a one-night stand to pregnant.” She winks at me and laughs, although that doesn’t make me feel any better. “Look,” she says with more sincerity. “Enjoy this. I haven’t seen you this happy in a long time.”
“I’m not happy.”
“Pfft,” she snorts. “You have a permanent smile on your face, so either you’re happy or he fucks like a God.”
I blush at her remark and bury my face in my hands.
“Oh, I see. It’s both.” Now we’re both giggling. “Just have fun, G. Don’t overthink this.”
I let out a long sigh. “It’s hard not to.”
She offers me a tight, sympathetic smile. “I know. You’re always the responsible one. The one who takes care of everything, fixes everything. The one who figures shit out, the one who makes one hundred lists on paper and in your head every day. Just roll with this, okay? Let things happens without overanalyzing everything. You deserve to be happy, you deserve to have fun, and you deserve to have someone take care of you once in a while.”
She’s right. Jamie is always right, just like Drew is always right. It’s just that I need to be in control, and with Drew, I have zero control. He calls the shots, he fixes things, and he takes care of me. This is out of my comfort zone, but I need to heed Jamie’s advice.
“I’ll try,” I say.
A wide smile spreads across Jamie’s face. “Atta girl! Now finish up work so you can go home to your new condo.”
“It’s still his condo,” I mutter defiantly.
Now she’s the one who sighs. “You just said you’ll try. You’re already failing,” she points out.
Now it’s me who’s laughing. “Okay, I’ll try harder.”
I slide back into my desk chair and send off some ad concepts a client has been waiting for and schedule a meeting with the art director for another client. Thank goodness I have a busy day of meetings ahead of me to distract me.
At six o’clock sharp, Tony is waiting for me at the curb, just like he waits for Drew every day. The man is never late and always in the exact same spot. How he does that in Midtown Manhattan on a daily basis is an act of God.
“Ms. Morgan,” he greets me with the door open.
“Hey, Tony.” I slide into the backseat and sink into the soft leather seat. This is definitely a luxury. Normally, I’m shouldering my way onto packed trains and buses, and here I am getting a ride a few short blocks to Chelsea.
“Ready to see your new place?” he asks as he buckles his seatbelt and eases into the bumper-to-bumper traffic. I won’t correct his error because, like I promised Jamie, I’m trying harder.
“I am,” I answer, looking out the window. I wonder how long it’d take me to walk from the office to the condo. Sometimes I appreciate the fresh air and a walk after work, and this seems like it’d be the perfect distance. Another plus to living with Drew.
“Should have you there in twenty to twenty-five minutes, depending on traffic.”
I close my eyes and take in how crazy all of this is. Two weeks ago, I would have never imagined this might be my life, but here I am in the back of a Town Car heading to what is very likely my new home.
A short twenty minutes later, Tony turns onto the tree-lined street and pulls up to the nine-story building. I can’t help but pause and look out the window at the top floor condo, taking it all in. My stomach flutters as the reality of all this hits me. I inhale sharply just as Tony opens the door.
“Ready?” he asks, reaching for my hand.
“As I’ll ever be.” I smile and he helps me out from the seat. I adjust my purse on my shoulder and wave goodbye to Tony. Excitement continues to flutter in my belly as I approach the entrance.
The doorman opens the door and greets me, “Evening, ma’am.”
“Hello.” I smile at him warmly. Just inside the doors, I find Drew standing in the lobby, leaning all casually against the concierge desk. He greets me with a giant smile and tight hug.
“Why are you down here?” I ask him when he finally releases me.
“I’ve been waiting for you. I want us to go in together.” He wraps an arm around my shoulders and we walk together to the elevator.
“Wait, you haven’t been here all day?”
He shakes his head. “I’ve been with lawyers all day, finalizing the acquisition.” I assumed he was here micromanaging the hell out of the movers.
“Is everything okay with that?” I thought everything had been finalized.
We step into the elevator and the doors close slowly behind us. He swings a keyring with a single key around his finger and rocks back on his heels. “Everything’s great, just some final documents that needed to be signed.”
I nod, letting my curiosity go. Everything about this building is exquisite and luxurious, even the travertine tiled floors of the elevator. The elevator doors suddenly open and I hadn’t even realized we moved.
“Ready?” he asks with a giant smile as we approach the door. A nervous energy rolls through me and I nod my head quickly. “Let’s do it,” he says. He inserts the key he was just swinging and his hand twists the lever handle while he pushes the door open.
I gasp when I step inside the foyer. The last time I saw the condo, it was stunning. Now there are no words to describe it. Shannon did an exceptional job.
“Oh my god.” My shaky hand covers my mouth as I take it all in. The furniture, the window coverings, and even the kitchen. I drop my purse on the console table in the foyer and kick off my heels.
“Where do we even start?” I ask, my eyes jumping from one thing to the other. Drew laughs and holds out his arm in a gesture telling me to take my pick. I move to the kitchen and start opening drawers. Nothing was left untouched. Shannon has drawers filled with silverware, towels, pot holders, and utensils. The cupboards are stocked with plates and cups and everything you could imagine needing in a home. Even the pantry has been stocked. The small butler’s pantry has a state-of-the-art coffee machine and a mixer.
“It’s too much,” I say softly, overwhelmed and feeling a bit emotional all of a sudden. I’ve never seen anything this luxurious and beautiful.
“It’s not,” Drew says, pulling me into an embrace. “It’s perfect and I can’t wait to share it with you.”
Seventeen