His Forever (His #2)

Chapter 14 : Mr. Willing

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''Can we go to my flat?'' I ask Braden, biting my lip. I have an idea – a surprise for him that I wanted to do right after he came home from the trip, but because of the things that happened, I couldn't. And I want to do it tonight. At least I hope it'll be possible.

Braden looks at me. ''Why?'' he asks.

''I just want to go home tonight,'' I say as casually as I can, not showing how nervous I am. I'm not a good liar and Braden can read me too well, so I have to carefully mask my face so he doesn't see anything that could give me away.

Braden frowns and falls silent, staring right ahead. My eyebrows furrow and my leg starts bouncing up and down again. I'm lightly scratching my thigh with my nails.

''So, I've been thinking ...'' Braden starts, all serious. Uh oh. My body involuntary tenses and I turn to him completely in great anticipation, not letting my mind guess what he's been thinking about. Braden briefly glances at me before he sets his eyes straight forward again. He clears his throat and by the way he shifts in his seat gets me thinking that he might be nervous, too.

My anticipation grows even further. What has he been thinking about that made him nervous to talk with me about it?

''I want you to move in with me.''

I have to grip the handle. My mouth opens so wide I'm afraid I'll hurt my jaw. Surely I didn't hear him right ... Right? ''W-what?''

Braden looks at me again. ''I want you to move in with me. In my suite,'' he states, repeating himself.

My leg starts bouncing even harder and faster now so Braden has to put his hand on my thigh, squeezing it, making me stop. I trace my left eyebrow. ''Uh, wow,'' I breathe. ''That's really, uhm ... unexpected.'' I clear my throat. It feels like someone punched me in the stomach by the way it tightens. It's not that it's a bad thing that Braden wants me to move in with him, it just really surprised me and threw me completely off guard. It's also a bit soon for that.

Braden's eyebrows lift up. ''Is it really?'' he mutters.

I shift in my seat, suddenly uncomfortable. ''A bit, yes?'' it sounds more like a question than a statement.

A silence falls between us. I feel like throwing up, there's so much tension in me. After a few heartbeats, Braden finally sighs. ''I love you, Rory. I want you with me – always. And living separately just isn't working for me anymore, especially when we're going to have a baby.'' He looks at me, his eyes burning through my skull. ''Where do you plan on having a child? In that tiny flat you live in? With a flatmate?''

''Well, I ...'' I start, but I close my mouth because I really don't know what to tell him. He's right, of course, and to admit it, I've had so much on my mind lately that I didn't think about that.

Braden hums. He doesn't seem angry or upset, nor he looks happy. He's merely ... serious. And that's a reason enough to get nervous around him. ''So you've thought I'd let you live in that tiny flat where you live with yet another person, while I comfortably enjoy in a suite, too big for only one person.'' He doesn't sound accusing, not to me at least. He's merely observing, stating how the situation really is.

I play with my hands that are resting on my legs, biting my lip so hard I'm afraid it'll start bleeding. Braden looks at me when I don't say anything and his eyes fall down on my lips. He lifts his hand and releases my bottom lip with his finger, tracing it with his thumb. I stop breathing alltogether and I just sit there, completely unmoving.

I watch him with wide eyes, that one, little touch nearly setting my body up in flames. It also calms me down a bit and I remind myself that I have no reason to be nervous around him. ''I didn't give it much thought,'' I admit, smiling apologetically.