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I nod.

“Hayden, I can’t accept this.” She shoves the document at me.

“Baby, you have to. For me.”

“Why?” She looks like she’s on the verge of crying.

“Because I love being petty, and it brings me immense joy to see my dad lose.”

She laughs at that. “It’s definitely a petty move. But still, the money came from your fund, so it should be your house.”

“I was never going to use any of that money. And I don’t want the house. I want you to have it. You said it felt like your home, no? So it should stay your home.”

A tear runs down her cheek as she looks over the document again. “And just like that it’s mine?”

“You’ll have to sign the deed in front of a notary, but yes.”

“I don’t know what to say,” she chokes out.

“You don’t have to say anything. Although I’ll take a kiss.”

She barks out a laugh, more tears streaming down her cheeks. She shuffles closer to me and takes my face in her hands. “Thank you,” she whispers before she kisses me.

When we pull apart, I wipe the tears from her face.

“I also need you to know that whatever happens between us, it won’t affect this. This is your home, and if you were to get sick of me”––I swallow, not wanting to think about that––“if one day you don’t want to be with me anymore, it’s still yours.”

“I could never get sick of you.” She hiccups, and she leans into me, her head resting on my shoulder.

“I could never get sick of you either,” I say, wrapping my arms around her.

We sit like this for a while, the sky turning a deep purple around us, and I relax.

After a while, she says, “You’re the best thing that has ever happened to me.”

“Is Mortimer a joke to you?”

She elbows me in the stomach, and I wince. “You’re the best thing that has ever happened to me after Mortimer.”

“You’re the best thing that ever happened to me.” I kiss her temple.

She hums.

Suddenly, she bolts upright. “Oh, shit!”

“What?”

“I need to cancel the movers. And I need to cancel the lease on the apartment somehow. Shit, that will probably be difficult. They’ll charge me.”

My heartbeat picks up again. I almost forgot I didn’t tell her the most important part yet.

“About that,” I say slowly, running my fingers through my hair anxiously. “We’ll cancel the movers, but don’t cancel the lease.”

She frowns, confusion written all over her face. “Why wouldn’t I cancel the lease? I’m staying in this house, no?”

“Yes, you are, you are. But I need a place to stay.”

“You can always stay with me when you’re in Cottondale. Even if we’re not … No need to pay for a whole apartment.”