Fiftysix - Seven Rue Page 0,118

he forgot. Have fun then. And tell Riggs I said hi.”

“Will do. Bye, Della.”

We were back to our usual selves, talking daily and telling each other about this and that without holding back details.

Della opened up after that night of their anniversary, and I was happy she accepted my relationship with Riggs now.

It seemed more and more people started to show their support, but one who had always had my back was Kennedy, whose name lit up on the touchscreen right after Della hung up.

I pressed the green button, smiling and focusing on the street. “Hey, girl,” I greeted.

“Hi! Does tonight still stand? Mason’s excited, and I can’t wait either,” she said, her voice filled with excitement.

We decided to go out on a double date, and after many hours of trying to convince Riggs, he finally agreed.

“Of course it’s still on. Did you pick out your prettiest dress?” I asked.

“Sure did! I’m wearing it right now, and I can’t wait for you to see it. I think I’ll look better than you tonight, and that’s hard to beat even when you’re wearing sweatpants,” she joked.

I laughed and shook my head. “I know you’ll look incredible. I can’t wait. I’ll text you when we leave, and I’ll see you later, okay?”

“Sounds good. See you later!”

I arrived at Riggs’s house and quickly got out to walk to his front door, pushing it open without knocking as this place felt like home anyway.

“It’s me!” I called out, closing the door behind me before walking down the hall.

“Bathroom!” he replied, and when I entered his bedroom, I already saw him standing there with a towel wrapped around his hips, his hair damp, and a beard trimmer in his right hand while he leaned over the sink with his left hand pressed against the mirror.

“You’re not ready yet?” I asked, placing my clutch on his bed and walking over to the bathroom door to get a better look at him.

“I just got back from golfing with your father,” he stated, keeping his eyes on his beard as he trimmed it just a little.

“Well, we gotta hurry. The restaurant is thirty minutes away and I don’t wanna make Kennedy and Mason wait.”

“Why do we have to go that far out of town anyway?” he asked, now looking at me for the first time ever since I arrived.

His eyes wandered down my deep red, velvet dress which matched my lipstick. “You look beautiful, baby. As always.”

I smiled at him, then I turned back to the conversation we were having. “Kennedy wants to avoid people she might know. Her relationship with Mason isn’t public yet, and she’s still trying to figure out how to tell her parents about him.”

“Sounds a little like you when we first dated,” he said, smirking.

“Yeah, but it’s different. Her parents are insanely strict, and they wouldn’t be okay with Mason. Or any other guy for that matter.”

Riggs nodded, and once he was done trimming his beard, he walked over to me and placed his hands on my hips. “Guess we’re lucky in a way. Your parents finding out could’ve ended far worse,” he said.

“Yeah, it could’ve. I’m glad we’re where we are now though. And I wouldn’t change it for the world.”

I reached up to wrap my arms around his shoulders, smiling up at my handsome man. “What’s wrong? You look like you want to tell me something. Is everything okay?” I asked, caressing the back of his head and wrapping his wavy hair around my fingers.

He kept looking at me, studying me closely until he finally spoke.

“Move in with me.”

I frowned. “I already live here, Riggs. Half of my clothes are here.”

“I’m not really giving you a choice here, Valley. Move in with me.”

He was dead serious, but how on earth could I move into his house?

“I’m literally here almost every single night. Besides…I don’t think—”

“As smart as you are, I want you to stop thinking for once. I want you here every day. Every night. I want to be able to come home and see your face. I wanna watch you do your homework and study, and later on I’ll fuck you so you can relax your brain. I want to go do all the shit couples do together. Groceries, shop for new furniture, change up a whole guest bedroom just for fun. I want you here, Valley. So move in with me.”

This side of him only shone through when he was desperate for something, and knowing him, that wasn’t often