Down Fall (Fallen Duet 2)

“It’s a tree made out of diapers. Kind of like a cake in a way,” Kyle answered, opening and closing my kitchen cupboards and then moving on to the refrigerator. “You got anything to eat? I’m starved after today.”

I stared at him like he’d grown two heads. How did he know what a diaper tree was? “I can order takeout?”

“I vote Chinese,” Kyle said, slamming my refrigerator door shut and holding his hands out in front of him. “Anyone else?”

“Jesus, Kyle, do you ever just stop?” Jord asked, sitting on my sofa and taking up practically the whole thing.

“What? She’s pregnant and eating for two, so we should get twice as much to be sure.” Kyle nodded as he walked past me. “Right?”

“Erm…”

Kyle continued on to the sofa and sat next to Jord. “Besides, don’t tell me you don’t want any. You know you do.”

“Hell yeah, I do,” Jord answered. “I never said I didn’t.”

I turned to face Brody. “What is happening right now?”

“They wanted to help move things, but apparently, they need to be fed first.” He grinned and cupped my face in his hands. “You want Chinese?” I nodded in reply and lifted up onto my tiptoes. “I’ll order it as soon as…” He trailed off and dipped his head down, placing a gentle kiss on my lips. “I’ve done that.” He winked as he let me go and stepped into my bedroom.

“Lola?” Ryan called. “What needs to be taken to the truck?”

“Oh.” I stepped over to him and halted in front of the boxes he was looking at. “Just these few boxes.”

“What about the sofa? The—”

“Just the boxes,” I whispered, my cheeks heating. I may have lived here for a couple of months and managed to curate a few random knickknacks, but that was about it.

He nodded and lifted two boxes at once. “Jord, Kyle, help me with these.”

They stood at the same time Brody walked out of the bedroom. His gaze found me immediately, and his grin had my own lips spilling into a smile. “I ordered it to our place,” Brody said, moving across the room to me. His hands gripped either side of my neck, his thumbs rubbing on the underside of my jaw. “I love you.”

I lifted up onto my tiptoes, pressing my lips against his and whispering, “I love you, too.” It was hard not to get caught up in our own little bubble, but the guys grunting as they lifted the boxes was enough to have me stepping away from him.

They all made quick work of emptying my apartment, and then we were taking the elevator down to hand my key to the maintenance guy. The new life I was about to walk into had my stomach dipping and palms shaking.

I’d never wanted to rely on anyone else to get anywhere in life. I wanted to pave my own way and create my own path, but I now understood it was okay to have two paths merge into one. It was fine to share your path with someone else. In fact, it was more than fine. It was what life was all about. You only got one shot at it, and I wanted to make the most of every second.

Brody’s large hand wrapped around mine as we walked toward his shiny car. He held the passenger door open for me, and I slipped inside. “How you feeling today?” he asked as he started the engine and put the car in gear. Once he was out of the lot, he gripped my hand on my thigh.

“Tired.” A yawn escaped me. “My feet hurt, and I’m so”—my stomach growled—“hungry.”

“Well…” Brody started, taking a turn. “Food is on its way. The guys and I will bring all your things inside, and then you can veg on the sofa.”

“And take a nap afterward?” I asked, the hope in my voice obvious.

He chuckled and pulled into the street his house was on. “Yes, you can take a nap.”

“Thank god.” I groaned and let the back of my head hit the headrest as I closed my eyes. “I wasn’t sure I’d make it through the rest of the day.”

Brody pulled into his driveway, a couple of cars pulling up outside as we did, and switched the engine off. He turned his body to face me, his hand automatically resting on my stomach.

“You ready?” he asked, his dark-brown eyes shining.

I worried my bottom lip, looking away from him and at the outside of the house. Its bay window was inviting, begging for a comfy chair to be placed inside it. The white door with two lights on either side welcomed me, and the enclosed front yard covered in flower beds and a small patch of lawn called to be covered with kids’ toys.

This was the feeling I’d waited for. All those months ago when I’d wanted to feel like I was at home. It was finally here, and it was all because of Brody. He’d never know how ready I was to start my life with him. To take on this new adventure that had been given to me. I was beyond excited, but more important than anything, I was...

“I’m more ready than I ever thought I’d be.”