Heartthrob (The Bennett Brothers 3)

Me— Claire just crawled on her hands and knees to the bathroom and looked worse than a baby goat taking its first steps.

Shaw— Perfect

I drop the phone and go back to the bedroom. Claire calls my name faintly, and I find her sitting on the edge of the tub. Her eyes light up with gratitude when I hand her the pills and bottle of water. She gulps them down, swallowing half the bottle in the process.

“I used the bathroom, attempted to brush my teeth, and pulled my hair back. It took all my energy.”

I pick her up and take her back to bed, cradling her against me and waiting for the ibuprofen to kick in. After a while, she lifts her head to mine. Her eyes are now clear and her cheeks flushed.

“Thank you.”

“Always.”

“And remind me to thank your housekeeper. The floors are impeccably polished, and the sheets are softer than ever before.”

“I’ll be sure to compliment her on the crawl-worthy floors. As for the sheets, they are new.”

“Did you need new sheets?”

“For you I did, they’re identical to your favorites but in a larger size to fit my bed.”

Her eyes fall to the bed then slowly roam to the side, her head turning to scan the room. “Is that the painting Grace gave me for Christmas?”

“It is.”

“Are those my Parisian candlesticks?”

“They are, and if you keep looking, you’ll see a lot of your stuff in here.”

“What’s going on?” Her voice is laced with confusion.

“I could tell you, but I’d prefer to show you. Think you can get out of bed?”

“Yes.”

I slip out from under her, go to the dresser, and pull out a silk nightgown.

“How did that get here?”

“These four drawers are yours.”

She slips the nightgown on and grips my hand as I take her through the bathroom and to the closet. Bizzy and Gail did an excellent job hiring the contractor to renovate the space. There is now an abundance of cubicles filled with her shoes, dual columns of custom drawers with our clothes, and three tiers of hanging shelving. My clothes have been re-hung to the side, and most of the space is organized with her things. She doesn’t say anything; her only reaction is a small gasp. We go back into the bathroom where almost all of her toiletries are placed around. Her grip tightens, and I lead her to the middle of the living room.

She twists and turns, her eyes growing wider as she takes it in. Her colorful pillows and blankets are placed and draped on my furniture. The built-in shelves that were sparse are now loaded with her favorite books and knick-knacks.

There’s also a lot of blank space. Nick rearranged the furniture to open up the room and allow for more seating.

“Did they do all this?”

“It was a group effort, including Gail and Doni.”

“What about my apartment?”

“Shaw worked out a deal to get you out of your lease. The movers are coming next weekend. Packing boxes are already there. We’ll go over on our days off, and you can decide what comes here and what goes to storage. Anything of mine you don’t like can go to charity or storage as well. I left the kitchen, office, and guest room for you to decide. You want to decorate that bedroom and bathroom with your furniture and belongings, go for it. We’ll move mine.”

“You did all this without talking to me. What if things didn’t work out?”

“Not working out wasn’t an option.”