Page 53 of The Great Maple Mistake

He presses his lips to mine in a soft kiss. “Yes. And I know we haven’t seriously talked about this before, but I have to admit, I’ve thought about it. A lot. And I could leave my darkroom where it is and use it if I need it. Dad won’t mind.” He bites his lip and looks up at me through his beautiful lashes. “But Luke’s moving out too. At least temporarily.”

I pull back so I can see his whole face. “Really? Why?”

Alex nods. “He’s finally going to Portland to visit with our aunt, uncle, and cousins for a bit. Ever since the cook-off, he’s been talking about going out to the farm to help Uncle Callum and my cousin Gus with those renovations to the property. He’s now planning to visit in February and have a look at what Uncle Callum has planned so they can get a start on it in the spring.” He shrugs. “Supposedly he’ll only be there for two weeks, go back in April for the project, then be home a few months after that so he can be ready for construction season here. But I’m not so sure. Something in my gut says he might just find his niche there. And that would leave Dad all alone in that big house.”

I can hear the worry in Alex’s voice, so I pull him against my chest and wrap him in all the love I can. “Yeah, I get what you’re saying. I’ll be leaving Aunt Viv alone again too. And I feel bad about that. But they’re grown adults, and it’s not like we’d bemoving out of Maplewood. We’d be a few blocks away, give or take. We’d still see them all the time.”

“Hmm. Good point.” The tension in his body eases, and he snuggles against me. “I think I need a hot chocolate.”

That makes me chuckle. My fellow chocolate fiend. “I happen to know a place nearby that sells hot chocolate.” I jerk my thumb at the little hut.

“Perfect. And after the hot chocolate I’ll need more skating.” Laughing, I hold his hand as we glide to the edge of the lake, then take the few steps to the snack shed.

I order two hot chocolates with extra whipped cream, and we sit by the lake and watch our neighbors enjoying themselves on this chilly winter night. “So.” I nudge him with my shoulder. “What do you think of my idea?” Fascinated, I watch as Alex lowers his open mouth over the peak of whipped cream. “Fuck. Baby, you can’t do that to me in a public place.”

He sucks up the whipped cream and turns to look at me with such innocent confusion, I swear he really doesn’t know what he just did. “Huh?”

I lean closer so my voice doesn’t carry. “If you’re going to deep throat the whipped cream, I’m going to take you home right now.”

“Oh.” In this dim light I can’t see the blush on his cheeks, but I know it’s there. He grins wickedly and I’m tempted to take him home anyway. “Sorry.”

I growl playfully, then lean in and kiss him on the lips, tasting the whipped cream. “Answer my question.”

“About moving in with you?” I nod and try not to hold my breath. “Absolutely.” He sets down his hot chocolate and flings his arms around my neck. “Yes. I will move in with you. Definitely!” I hug him back, relieved and excited that this is going to happen. With a loud kiss to my cheek, he lets go and settles back on the bench, lifting his cup and taking a tentativesip of the hot beverage. “We should start looking for places immediately. And ask around. Though we probably don’t want to take on a move before the holidays are over.” He wrinkles his nose. “That might be a bit much.”

I watch him carefully. “You’ll be okay by yourself at home when I have to stay at the firehouse?”

He shrugs a shoulder. “I mean, it won’t be ideal. But I’ll have Tux. And let’s be honest, if it’s horrible, and I hate it, I can always go stay with Dad or Aunt Viv for the night.”

I actually hadn’t considered that. My boyfriend is a genius. “That’s a great idea. They’d love it.”

“And it would make me feel less guilty for moving out and leaving them both by themselves.”

I carefully kiss him so I don’t spill hot cocoa on either of us. “You are brilliant. That’s a fantastic idea.”

He’s practically bouncing in his seat. “Then it’s a plan. We’ll start looking now but plan to move out in January or February, after we find a place.”

“It’s perfect.”

Alex shakes his head. “You’re perfect.”

“Perfect for you, maybe.”

“Yes. You are. And I’m perfect for you too.”

I nod. “Without a doubt. I’m sure we’ll hit bumps in the road, and I don’t exactly have much practice living with a boyfriend.”

He puts a finger over my lips. “I don’t either. And we’ll make mistakes. But I love you. And you love me. And we’ll figure it out together.”