Just One Kiss (Very Irresistible Bachelors #2) - Layla Hagen Page 0,87

this meant I could finally persuade my landlord not to evict me.

I got to work right away, rewriting sections of the article, not even bothering to take a shower until I realized it was four o’clock. Holy shit! Ryker was going to arrive any second now. We were going to the ballroom together.

I showered quickly, putting on the clothes I’d traveled in yesterday.

I heard the front door open just as I finished my makeup.

“I’m ready, I’m ready!” I exclaimed, running to the foyer.

“I’m a little late, so you’d better be ready.”

I checked the time on the wall clock. “Holy shit, you’re a lot late.”

“Had an errand to run,” he said vaguely. “I see you’re in a great mood.”

“Well, yes I am. I’m super happy with the way the article is coming along. Danielle also said I’m getting my bonus earlier as well.” And since things had settled for him at the office and I was handling things with my landlord, I decided to share that with him too. “I was a little stressed out when they’d told me they weren’t going to publish the piece, because I knew I’d be evicted without that additional money. But now I can send him confirmation of my income so that should put his mind at ease. Anyway, I’m sure it’ll all work out.”

Ryker looked at me with a confused and dark expression.

“Why didn’t you tell me this before?” He actually sounded a bit hurt that I didn’t share it with him, and it made me feel a little uneasy. I should have told him before now, it was silly of me really, but I hadn’t wanted to burden him with everything else he had going on.

“Well, I thought you had enough to deal with already, and anyway, now it’s all cleared up.”

If I thought this was going to appease him, damn was I wrong. If anything, his expression turned even darker. He stalked toward me until he was right in front of me, nearly pressing me into the shelves.

“Heather, we need to talk.”

“Okay.”

“I don’t want you to do this. Doesn’t matter if I have a deadline, shit hits the fan in the family, or anything else. You still tell me, okay? We’re in this together. I want to be there for you to help you whenever I can.”

“O-okay.”

“You and Avery are... you’re family. But I can’t be there for you if I don’t know what’s happening.”

I nodded, because he made perfect sense, of course.

“Move in with me. Cancel the lease.”

“Oh!”

I swallowed hard, trying to find the right words. I’d clung so much to the idea of providing a stable home to my girl in our apartment, that I hadn’t even dared to dream about what it would be like living with Ryker as a family.

“Trust me, Heather. To make you and Avery happy. Make this a home with me.”

My heart swelled; I swear I could feel it expanding in my chest. I couldn’t find any words at all, let alone the right ones, so I simply nodded.

Ryker’s smile widened even more. I calmed down just from feeling the warmth of his body, the possessive way he touched my face. I felt centered again. He was my center.

“I’ll call my whole family to help with packing... and we’ll bring your stuff to my place.”

Oh my God. I fought the silly impulse to press my palms against my chest, but I really felt as if I might just burst from so much joy.

I couldn’t believe that he wanted to intertwine our lives so deeply, that he wanted both of us to be such an integral part of his life.

“Between you and me, I think Avery’s going to be psyched. She loves my place.”

I scoffed, playfully rolling my eyes. Duh, of course Avery loved it. I was psyched too.

“Shouldn’t we go to the ballroom? Otherwise we’ll miss the moderator,” I said.

“Yes, you’re right.” He straightened up, as if he’d suddenly remembered something. Dropping his hand from my face, he took a step back. “Let’s go.”

“I don’t think I’ll ever have enough of these events,” I said once we arrived at the venue, looking around with a smile. A wedding had taken place over the weekend, and a group of men were rearranging the tables. The moderator of the next event, a woman in her forties, waved to Ryker. After he introduced me to her, they started talking about the order of speeches. I volunteered to guide the men setting things up according to the chart lying