We headed toward the entry and walked through. I gave the room one last look before I closed the door and said goodbye to my past, ready to step into my future with Thane beside me.
Three months later…
My home was no longer my own.
And I loved it.
The changes Roe had made to the place were all simple and cosmetic, but they warmed everything up. From colorful rugs to curtains, a new sofa that was comfortable, not like the modern one I had before.
I gave her free reign and as hard as it was to see some things go, when the new stuff came in, I realized that she was right. All of my furniture had been sleek and modern, and while there was nothing wrong with the style and it looked nice, it wasn’t very comfortable or warm.
I was stuck staring at my computer, my nerves kicking into high gear, causing me to read the same paragraph over and over. We’d made it through three major holidays and Valentine’s Day with flying colors. My parents came to New York for the Christmas holiday and finally got to meet Roe and Kinsey.
Just like me, they fell in love with both of them. Linda, Roe’s mom, came over as well, along with my little brother, Wyatt. It was wonderful to have everyone in our home for the holiday creating family memories in a place that had no memories before Roe.
It was just a place I lived in. Now, I truly lived in it.
Yes, Kinsey had stopped me mid-stroke more than once, but having Roe in my bed was completely worth it. Kinsey made up for it with her cuteness, and every day our connection grew.
The warm feeling that always took over when I thought of my girls was doused with my overactive nerves again.
“Get it together, Carthwright,” I grumbled to myself.
A knock on my office door was a welcome break from my inability to focus.
“Come in,” I called out.
Crystal smiled as she walked in. “Lunch is here,” she said, holding up a bag.
My stomach gave a rumble at that and I stood, walking over the table where she was pulling containers out.
“I didn’t realize how hungry I was until you walked in.”
She chuckled. “You never do.”
While she opened containers, I pulled out some plates and silverware I kept in a nearby cabinet. It made sharing easier, and I just liked using actual utensils and not plastic.
On Fridays, Crystal and I always ordered in and ate lunch together. It started when she was first hired on as a get-to-know-you type of gesture, and for the most part, continued on. Oftentimes, these days Roe joined us. The day’s meal was from a nearby tapas restaurant.
“What’s the plan for the weekend?” Crystal asked as she began piling food onto her plate. There was a knowing tone to her voice, but I refused to verify her suspicion so that I didn’t jinx myself.
“Dinner with James and some other friends, along with Roe’s mom.”
“Her mom, too, huh?”
I narrowed my gaze at her. “Housewarming dinner.”
“Sure,” she said with a grin.
“Don’t say a damn word.”
“I didn’t say anything.”
“You were going to.”
She shrugged. “Maybe.”
“Well, don’t.”
“You’re leaving at three today, right?”
I nodded. “Correct.”
Crystal was good and didn’t press for more, but I knew when the armed courier arrived earlier in the week that she knew exactly what was going on.
Near the end of lunch my phone went off with a text.
Jace the Idiot: Yo, what time is this thing tonight?
Thane: Drinks at seven, dinner at eight.
I couldn’t help but chuckle at the contact name.
“What’s so funny?” Crystal asked.
I turned the phone toward her and showed her the name, which made her laugh. “Let me guess—Roe?”
Roe’s first meeting with Jace went as spectacularly bad as I thought it would. Jace said all the wrong things and baited Roe who just trounced him, just as she always did with me. Her wit was still something that amazed me, and even more so when directed at someone else.
After that night, Roe altered his name in my phone, and I’d never changed it because it was fitting.
Even with their bad first meeting, it turned out it apparently wasn’t as awful as I believed it to be. Jace was impressed by Roe, and Roe, while annoyed by Jace, had fun with her verbal smack-down.
A few hours later there was a knock on my door, and I looked up at the most beautiful woman in the world.
“Ready?” Roe asked as she sauntered over to me.
“I will be by the time you’re in front of me if you keep walking like that.”
She giggled and rolled her eyes as always, then pulled on the collar of her scoop-neck shirt, exposing her gorgeous cleavage.
“Really? I want a fucking hand job on the way home for that shit.”
She stood in front of me, her minx-like grin in place as she leaned over. As her lips pressed against mine, a low moan crawled out when she cupped my now straining dick.
“Fuck, woman.”
“Rest of the day is ruined, might as well go home,” she whispered against my lips before swiping her tongue across them.
A chuckle left me. “You’re killing me.”
She straightened and held out her hand. “Come on.”
Roe continued to tease me and so when we got home, I pinned her to the fucking window with my cock. It helped release my tension and nerves.
Afterward I hit the shower while she went to pick up Kinsey. When she returned, I took Kinsey into the kitchen for a snack while Roe showered and I worked on prepping for dinner.
Only James knew what tonight was really about. All but Jace had visited since Roe moved in, so calling it a housewarming party was a bit false. When Roe pushed back, I explained that I just wanted a get together with our friends now that we’d made it a home.
“How’s it going in here?” Roe asked as I pulled out a large wooden tray from the cabinet for the charcuterie we were putting together. She was running a towel through her wet hair, and a groan left me.
“You make me want to repeat an hour ago looking like that.”
She bit down on her bottom lip and smiled. “You know I like to tease.”
Oh, how I knew that. “Yes, but we have four and a half people coming over for dinner in an hour and a half.”
She wrapped her arms around my waist and placed a kiss to the side of my arm. “Okay, I’ll behave until they’re gone.”
Sex happened a lot more since she moved in, and I was not complaining one bit. I found it was a way we bonded, a way that we both needed to keep our abandonment insecurities at bay. It was odd to say that sex made us a stronger couple, but it was true. I believed living together helped as well.
A few minutes before six, Roe was finishing off the charcuterie in the dinning room while I cut up potatoes in the kitchen when the doorbell went off. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught a waddling Kinsey stomp past the kitchen door with Roe right behind her. Roe gave me a wink and blew me a kiss as she went by.
“Well, hello, my pumpkin!” I heard Linda say.
I rinsed off my hands and walked out to greet her. She had Kinsey in her arms admiring her dress when I reached her. “Welcome,” I said, leaning down to kiss her cheek. Kinsey made a sound and I turned my head and kissed her as well, earning a peal of giggles.