Falling For Dad's College Rival

I don’t say a word though, and we both settle down to our breakfast, with Brooke loving the coffee especially.

“They’ll have to show me how to make it,” she says, and I look at her sideways. “Maybe not,” she concedes, and we both laugh.

I remind her they deliver and they’re only down the street.

“Which reminds me,” I tell her, fishing in my track pants for her key card. I tell her the code as well. “In case you lock yourself out.” Hoping she never will and also hoping she’ll never want to go anywhere without me, not for a while yet.

But she needs her own key to get in, and soon she’ll have her own cards and cash.

I can add her to the insurance on the cars too, I’ll do that myself.

She looks strangely at me though.

“What?” I ask, wondering if it’s too much too soon.

“I don’t plan on using your house like a hotel,” she says, huffing a little. “I thought you wanted it to be us?”

“It is us,” I remind her, leaning over to kiss her lips. It’s definitely all about us.

“I’m just a nerd for details, so I don’t worry about things when I watch you sleep,” I tell her jokingly.

Half-jokingly. I really could watch her all day and all night.

Chapter Twenty-One

Brooke

Trent wasn’t kidding when he said he wanted to set me up with my own side of things, even though it’s ‘us’ together.

I kind of see his logic though, do I want to ask him for money every time I want or need something? Need to have him let me in every time I step outside? No.

It’s sudden, but I can see how much it means to Trent so I bite my tongue every time he comes up with something new, like when he adds me to his insurance on the cars.

“Cars?” I ask. “You mean car.” I correct him. But he shakes his head.

“I’ve got several, it’s not a big deal. Just need your details to add you on there, I can do it now online, and that way you’re covered when you drive anywhere.”

I almost joke about health insurance, but something tells me that’s another thing he’s waiting for. Not wanting to overwhelm me with all this stuff, but he is in business and like he says, he’s a stickler for details.

It’s Tuesday, meaning we’ve been together all of four days and a night, not that I’m counting. Already I have a key card to the building, my own credit cards, and bank account, and now insurance to drive his car. Cars.”

Within a half hour he announces it’s done and coming from his office as I’m coming out of the shower, he jingles a set of keys.

“We should go somewhere today. No point in being cooped up all the time. It’s cleared up outside, why don’t we head down to the bay?” he asks, meaning do I want to drive us both down to the bay.

“I’d love to,” I pipe in. “But I don’t have to drive, I mean… You drive well enough,” I tell him, making him shrug in that way he does when he doesn’t mind something either way.

A half hour later, when we’re in the garage, he moves to the passenger side of the car without saying a word.

Guess I’ll drive us then.

I’m nervous at first, this car is worth more than my dad’s whole house, I’m sure of it.

But once we leave the building and there’s some open road between the city and the bay, I feel like I’ve been driving it for years.

“You like it?” Trent asks, and I nod with excitement.

He’s been watching me since the moment we left. Not being anal or anything about how I’m driving, just watching me enjoy the ride.

Like he’s enjoying every second of watching me get used to our new life. A life I never thought I could ever experience on my own.

With the fine weather, we’re not the only ones who’ve headed to the bay area, and finding a parking space isn’t as easy as I thought.

“Ooh, there’s one,” Trent points out excitedly after we’ve driven in circles for almost fifteen minutes.

“A tiny space,” I mumble, remembering I’ve only ever parallel parked once and that was the day of my test.

“Want me to—” Trent starts to ask, but putting his hand on my knee, he reminds me this car can practically park itself.

Here goes then.

I make a few attempts, but the warning sounds the car gives off are nerve-wracking, putting me on edge. Trent pushes a few buttons and they stop, and he reminds me I have two cameras as well as the mirrors for reference.

“Thank you,” I clip in short reply, feeling my own temper starting to get the better of me, hating it when I can’t do something so simple.