Free Yours or Mine by D.S. Craver

the
same. Every inch of Sydney had been his.
    “I don’t think I
ever wanted a platonic relationship. I wanted you, but was afraid of
losing you if we rushed everything.”
    She arched her
eyebrows. “We didn't lose any time in buying a house together.”
    He loved living near
Sydney and seeing her daily. He hoped that she wasn't regretting
their big purchase. “Buying this place with you was the wisest
thing I've ever done. I've never done anything on impulse before. I
surprised myself─”
    Sydney's cell phone
rang before he could finish his sentence. She glanced at the phone on
his side of the bed. “Sorry, but I forgot to call Libby to tell her
about my dad. I bet it’ll be her.”
    He grabbed the phone
and handed it to her. “You better answer it.”
    Sitting up in bed, she
looked at the screen. “It's Libby, all right.”
    “I'll stick something
in the oven for us to eat while you talk.”
    He left the bedroom to
get two glasses of wine and put a prepared pasta dish in the oven. He
remembered Sydney mentioned earlier she made it for them. Carter ate
a sandwich in the hospital cafeteria, but they had never eaten
anything.
    After walking into the
bedroom, Blake handed Sydney her wine. “The pasta will be ready in
thirty minutes.”
    “Thanks.” Her eyes
widened. “Do you always walk around the house naked?”
    He grinned. “No, but
it feels great. It might become a habit.”
    “Libby wanted to know
if I could go with her tomorrow to pick up her wedding gown. She's
afraid it won't fit.”
    * * *
    Was she glad they
bought the duplex house together? Sydney wondered while she
absentmindedly watched Libby twirl in front of her. If she hadn't,
they probably would've dated for a few months before getting so
serious.
    Libby touched her ivory
colored bridal gown. “You hate my dress now. You liked it when I
ordered it. Do you think I should've ordered it in white instead? Or
is it the style you don't like on me?”
    Sydney focused on
Libby. “I'm sorry. I was thinking about something else. You look
beautiful in it. And it fits like a glove. You won't need any
alternations.”
    Libby glanced in the
full-length mirror. “I love it.” She turned away from her image,
giving Sydney a serious look. “I bet Blake's on your mind. Is
everything okay in the Smith household?”
    She gave a small shrug.
“I can't believe I bought the house with Blake. What was I
thinking? I wanted to get out of my dinky apartment so much, but felt
guilty about buying the house myself when Blake and Carter liked it
too.”
    “I thought it was
going great between you two.” Libby took another look at her gown.
Then she stood with her back toward Sydney. “Unzip me, please.”
    While carefully easing
the zipper down, she sighed. “Things are moving so quickly. After
we had sex last night, I told him that I loved him. And he said that
he loves me too.”
    Libby stepped out of
her gown. “What's the problem then?”
    “I'm thinking we
should've fallen in love first and then had sex. What if what we
think we have isn't real? Maybe it isn't really love but just a
wonderful physical...lust we feel for each other.”
    Outside the dressing
room, a young woman asked, “Does the gown fit okay? Or do you need
alternations?”
    Libby answered, “It's
a perfect fit. Thank you. I'll be out in a minute to pay the
balance.”
    “I think I need some
space to think, but that's impossible since we live so close
together. I guess that's bothering me too. All of a sudden I went
from a single life to a family life with a seven-year-old. I'm not
Carter's stepmother but feel like I'm in that position.”
    Libby nodded. “And
you and Blake haven't gone out often without Carter. You two need
some alone time.”
    Sydney said, “Maybe
then I can wrap myself around this whole idea of being in love. If
that's what it is.”
    After she ate lunch
with Libby, Sydney went home and was greeted by Carter. “Guess
what? We're going to Florida. Grandma and Grandpa