“Hey. Remember I talked about buying a new apartment?”
“Yes.”
“I’ve got an appointment with the real estate agent tomorrow. Do you want to come? I’d like your opinion, and—”
I stopped myself just as I was about to say it would make our engagement more credible—couples went house-hunting together.
Maybe I was being paranoid about the immigration services recording phone conversations, but I didn’t want to take any chances. Then I remembered we’d already talked about our relationship on the phone... damn. I was going to do better from now on.
“Sure,” Josie said in a tone that indicated she knew what I really meant.
“Perfect. I’ll text you the details.”
The next day, we met at the address that the real estate agent, Darla, had indicated, in Chelsea. She and Josie were already there when I arrived. I assessed Josie. She was relaxed, chatting with Darla. That changed when she noticed me. She squared her shoulders, holding her chin high. Her gaze darted to the engagement ring, and then she gave me a nervous smile.
“Darla, I see you’ve met my fiancée.”
“Yes. Ready? I can give you a rundown of what I’ve prepared.”
Nodding, I placed an arm around Josie’s shoulders. She stiffened for a fraction of a second and then she leaned into my touch, as if she’d been expecting it. Was she just playing her part, or did she want this? Me?
Her breathing was labored, her chest moving up and down rapidly. She turned her head slightly in my direction. Her blue eyes widened when she realized I was watching her. She bit her lip before looking away. It was all I could do not to cup her face in my hands and kiss her. Everything about her tempted me: her slender neck, the way her dark hair fell over her shoulders.
There was no going back to the way things were before. The faster I accepted that, the better. But could she accept it?
“We’re seeing five apartments in the condo building. It’s luxury real estate with a gym and sauna. On the other edge of the property, I have a renovated townhouse, if you’d like to see it? You’d still have access to all the facilities in the building.”
I’d opened my mouth to tell her I wasn’t looking for a house when I noticed Josie nodding enthusiastically. She looked like a kid on Christmas morning.
“Sure. Let’s see the house,” I said. Why not make Josie happy? I always bought real estate as an investment, not just a place to live. I was the condo type all the way. Less hassle, and easier to resell.
The house had five bedrooms on three floors and a generous terrace on top. There was plenty of space for both Josie and me to have home offices. Hell, I could even bring in a treadmill in one of the rooms. That would still leave us with a guest bedroom.
“Perfect for two kids, even three,” Darla was saying. I stiffened, pretending to inspect the windows.
Josie was over the moon. She touched every wall, every door, smiling every time she looked out a window.
“What do you think?” Darla asked when we were back in the living room.
Josie was positively glowing. “Oh my God. I can already see us roasting marshmallows at the fire....”
“Kids love fireplaces,” Darla said. There she went again, bringing up children.
Josie’s smile faded. She cast her gaze to the floor. What was she thinking about? The life she could have if she had the right man beside her, not just a stand-in groom?
“And the kitchen has a built-in pizza oven.”
Josie was glowing again. She could see herself living in this house, I could feel it in my bones.
“We’re buying the house,” I said.
Darla gave me a thumbs-up. When she excused herself to make a call, Josie tugged at my sleeve.
“I got carried away. You don’t want a house. We can go see condos,” she whispered.
I shook my head, lacing our fingers, kissing the back of her hand. My heart was beating wildly. Every fiber inside me wanted
to please Josie.