Free The Weight of Shadows by Alison Strobel

having to worry about your roommate walking in on us.” He wagged his eyebrows and squeezed her hand.
    Her laughter sounded nervous to her ears. She hoped he didn’t hear it that way. “Rick—I’m so flattered. I can’t believe you asked.”
    “It’s the most logical next step. We’re practically living together as it is, with all the time we spend together. Why not make life easier for ourselves?”
    It made sense. Of course it did. And yet she felt on the edge of panic at the thought. She had already grown anxious the two or three nights that she ended up in bed with him, worried that she’d end up like her mother—pregnant and alone. If they were living together, how much more often would they test the reliability of her birth control? And when they broke up, which was bound to happen eventually, she’d be homeless.
    The light in his eyes faded as her answer took longer in coming. “I thought you’d be excited about this. I thought you’d be as happy about it as I am.”
    “Rick, I’m sorry—”
    “I love you, Kim. Seriously. I love you. And I thought you loved me too.”
    “I do—”
    “No, no you don’t.” He let go of her hand and sat back, crossed his arms over his chest and glowered at her across the table. “If you did you’d say yes. Why would you not want to live with someone you love? With someone who loves you? Unless there’s someone else.”
    Kim’s jaw dropped. “Someone else? Of course there isn’t, Rick. That’s ridiculous.”
    “Then prove it. Prove that you really love me. Because I’m not in this relationship just to have fun, Kim. If you’re not committed, then I’m gone.”
    A tornado of emotion was ripping her apart. Of course she loved him. Never in her life had she thought she’d find someone who felt this way about her. But they’d only been together for three months, and she couldn’t deny the concern she felt at the proposition. But was it enough to risk losing him?
    “Okay.” It’s just cold feet. “Of course I want to move in with you. You just…took me by surprise, that’s all. I wasn’t expecting it.” She shut her mouth to stop the rambling, then drew a deep breath. “Let’s move in together.”
    His eyes lit up and Kim knew she’d done the right thing. She loved that she could make him so happy.
    “It’s gonna be awesome, waking up next to you every morning,” he said, eyes dancing, his smile nearly pulling right past his cheeks. “Can you get out of your lease early? Let’s do it next weekend.” He continued to talk but she didn’t hear him. Her mind was racing with the realization of what she’d just agreed to.
    It didn’t take long for Rick to realize she wasn’t as wrapped up in the idea as he was. He stopped and gave her a cautious look. “Already rethinking things?”
    Don’t do anything else to ruin it. “No, no, I’m just—overwhelmed. It’s a lot to think about.” She forced a smile and took a sip of her water to occupy her nervous hands. Her wounded fingers began to throb.
    “I understand, baby.” He squeezed her good hand across the table. “We’ll make a list. The actual move shouldn’t be too bad; it’s not like you have a lot. And you don’t have to do everything all at once. I’ll help you out however I can.” He gazed at her, his head shaking slightly. “How did I get so lucky?”
    Kim felt a blush creeping into her cheeks. “I could ask the same thing.”
    “We’re quite a pair, aren’t we?” Rick laughed and settled back in his seat, looking happy and content. Kim pushed down the niggling concern that itched in her chest and let herself be drawn in by his good mood.
    Everything will be fine. You’ll see. Better than fine, even—you’ll be a family.
    “H EY CORRIE, I NEED TO TALK TO YOU A MINUTE.”
    A few days had passed since Kim and Rick had celebrated their anniversary, but Kim kept missing opportunities—sometimes on purpose—to talk to Corrie. Rick was getting impatient, though, and