Total pages in book: 30
Estimated words: 27288 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 136(@200wpm)___ 109(@250wpm)___ 91(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 27288 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 136(@200wpm)___ 109(@250wpm)___ 91(@300wpm)
Once she’s had her food and taken a sip from her water bottle, I pause outside the new apartment block that just got built. It’s a nice, modern building, filled with well-designed, spacious homes. Autumn’s head cocks to the side, looking between me and the building.
“I don’t understand,” she says as I lead her inside and into the elevator. I press the button for the fourth floor, inhaling deeply.
“Nearly there, sweetheart,” I soothe, her impatience rubbing off on me. Thankfully, neither of us has to wait any longer because the elevator stops with a ding, and we walk out into the clean, well-lit corridor. There are only two apartments on this floor, and I head straight for the one on the left, pulling the keys out of my pocket and quickly unlocking the door.
“Aidan, seriously, what are you doing?” Autumn asks at my side, peering around my body in curiosity to see inside the apartment.
I enter and step aside to let her through before closing the door behind us. The place is empty, smelling like cleaning products and floral room spray. The door opens directly into the living space with gleaming wooden floors and floor-to-ceiling windows letting in tons of natural light. I picture exactly how we would decorate it, explaining my thoughts to Autumn as she stares with her mouth open and brows drawn together—a beautiful mix of confusion and adoration.
“...a big sofa here,” I say, gesturing to the place I mean. “Fluffy rug, TV on that wall…”
I take her on a tour of the place, given that I’ve already come to view it twice and know my way around. The kitchen is equally as spacious and bright, with wooden cabinets and light gray countertops, classic but modern. A blank slate for us to do with what we wish. We walk through the two bathrooms and three bedrooms before returning to the living space.
“So, what do you think?” I ask her, trying to hide how much I’m anticipating her answer.
“I…I mean, the place is amazing,” Autumn says, looking around. “Big and bright and so much potential. Way bigger than my place, even yours.”
“Loads of space for all your things,” I agree. She stills, then turns to me as my words register, her eyes wide and round.
“What?”
“Good location too, central and close to work,” I continue with a smirk as realization dawns on her pretty face.
“But there’s…we…” Autumn stumbles over her words, and I can practically see her heart racing. Mine is, too. “You’re serious?”
“As a heart attack,” I joke, stepping forward to tug her closer to me. I cup the back of her head as she tips her neck back to meet my eyes. “I want a place that’s ours, sweetheart. I want to live with you, to have a life with you, and a home with you. This place has everything we need, though I’d be happy living in a damn cupboard if I had you with me.”
She laughs, her eyes a little glassy with unshed tears. “Ours?” she echoes softly.
I nod. “If you want it.”
“Of course I do!” she cries, pushing up on her tiptoes to kiss me. Her tears taste salty between our lips, and when I pull back, she’s grinning and radiant with happiness. “I want this, you, our future. All of it. But…what are the two extra bedrooms for?”
I chuckle, leaning closer again so that my words skim her lips.
“For all the babies we’re going to have.”
12
AUTUMN
“Don’t you have those exact shoes at home?” I ask with a laugh as Janey drools over the pair of sparkly nude heels on the shelf. The bags clutched in my hands rustle as I walk towards my friend, shaking my head at her.
“No, they’re tan not ivory,” Janey corrects with an exaggerated frown. She drops her own collection of shopping on the shiny white tiles and reaches for the heels, the glittery fabric sparkling in the bright shop lights.
“They are really pretty,” I concede, plopping myself down on the comfy bench meant for people who are trying shoes on.
My feet hurt from walking around the mall all day, letting Janey take me on a birthday shopping spree. Aidan had shoved his card into my hand this morning and told me to buy whatever I wanted, adding that if I turned up back home without a suitable haul, he’d teach me a lesson on disobeying. I blush even thinking about it now.
It’s been a few months since we moved into our new apartment, which is even more perfect than I’d thought when he first brought me to view it. I’ve decorated it in a wonderful mixture of our styles, gray undertones with pops of bright color and my ever-growing collection of things. I may not be used to being spoiled by him, and I doubt I ever really will be, but I can’t deny that I love it.