anytime soon and she should think about moving on. His tormented face conveyed how little conviction he had over the statement. He didn’t want her to move on, but evidently the situation was hopeless. She couldn’t stand seeing him imprisoned, it went against everything he stood for. Moreover, orange was not Jared’s color at all .
“So, are you all packed up and ready to move in?” she asked as she surveyed the empty rooms around them.
The rancher was in a quiet neighborhood with similar style homes. The floor plan was open with the entrance leading into a great room connected to the kitchen and dining room. The master bedroom was set in the back corner of the house with an extra bedroom adjacent to it. The sunroom was her favorite feature with a cathedral ceiling and skylights. It was roomy enough she hoped to convince him to install a hot tub in the near future. The house was built less than ten years ago and the newness feeling had been preserved. Bedrooms had brand new carpeting and fresh coats of paint. The walnut hardwood floors in the rest of the house went perfectly with the overall style.
“Almost ready to move,” he said and leveled his gaze on her. “I actually wanted to talk to you about something.”
“Okay,” she enunciated slowly.
“Your mom has that convention in a couple of weeks in Florida. She was thinking about canceling, but we talked and I suggested you stay with me while she’s gone.” He raked his fingers nervously through his hair and several black tufts remained out of place. “I thought if you liked staying here, maybe it could be permanent.”
She gulped audibly. “Are you asking me to move in with you?”
He nodded and watched her closely. She hesitated for a second and wondered if it was too soon to take the momentous step with him. Although it had been almost a year since they first met, they’d only been back together for half that time. But the second she became lost in his eyes, she decided to say to hell with putting rules on their relationship and to follow her heart.
“That sounds amazing,” she said and they broke into matching grins. She catapulted into his arms and he kissed the top of her head. She pulled back and smirked at him. “You’re sure about this, right? It’s not because you require my womanly skills to run this place?”
“Although I appreciate your womanly skills, the invitation is simply because I love you, and I can’t think of anything better than waking up to you each morning.”
Her cheeks flushed. “I feel the same way.”
All of her reservations about whether or not they worked had been put to bed. Months had gone by and her feelings for him had grown exponentially. Things that had been driving them apart before—Nikki, Declan and their age difference—were non-issues.
Giddy, Kate grabbed her phone out of her purse and explained to Jared, “I’m calling my mom to come over and see our new place.”
Kate’s mom arrived half an hour later. As they waited for her to show up, Kate began to worry about how her overprotective and occasionally overbearing mother would take the news. A few months back, Kate had mentioned moving out; and although she was twenty-two, Darlene insisted Kate wasn’t ready. With her attack still looming over them, she expected Darlene to be more apprehensive than ever.
Between her mom, Jared and Declan, Kate hadn’t been alone for a second since her discharge from the hospital. When Jared wasn’t available to watch over Kate, he sent Declan in to take over. She pointed out more than once how twisted it was, but Jared contended that keeping her safe was more important than anything else. Until her attacker was found, he vowed to never leave her unguarded.
For a second it had crossed her mind Jared asking her to move in with him was an extension of his protectiveness. However, their relationship had been better than ever and she felt they were truly in sync. She didn’t doubt his love for her and