Page 104 of A Matter of Fact

“What about them?”

“I’d like to talk about consolidation. Maybe a merger.”

Beckett snorted. “Are you business talking me?”

“My first inclination is we spend more time here, you should bring the plants here.”

“I like my apartment,” he whined.

“I know you do. And I’m not particularly attached to this place.”

“Are you asking if you can move in with me?” Beckett asked, some of the tension over the past with his sister melting away at the idea of sharing a space with Rhys in an official way. Though it shouldn’t come as such a surprise, considering Rhys had on at least two occasions tried to hint around the idea of getting married.

“I love you, and I can tolerate your plants, but I think your apartment is a little bit small.”

“So, are you askingmeto move inhere?” he tried.

“God, no.” Rhys shook his head. “I’m asking if you would like to move in with me somewhere else. If you would like to find a place of our own. It seems like…a nice…a good thing.”

Beckett swallowed. He knew the question had to be coming, considering how much time they spent together. But now that it was in the open between them, it felt like such a big and unreasonable thing. Rhys had so much more of everything than he did, and what could Beckett contribute that would make things fair?

“Stop it.” Rhys gave his face a shake.

“Stop what?” He looked away.

“You’re a better cook than I am,” Rhys said. “And you take better care of plants than I ever could.”

“What’s your point?” Beckett rolled his eyes and dipped his face down so their foreheads pressed together.

“You’re not less than me,” Rhys said. “You don’tcontributeless. We bring different things to the table, and that’s what makes this work so well.”

“Oh? We work well, do we?”

“Was that an innuendo?” Rhys smirked and moved his head so their breath mingled and their lips dragged together like feathers.

“It wasn’t.” Beckett kissed Rhys. “But you’re not wrong.”

“About the plants?”

“About it being a good idea,” he conceded.

Rhys smiled against his mouth. “Is that a yes?”

“It’s a yes.”

CHAPTERTHIRTY-ONE

RHYS TOASTS THE FUTURE

Rhys found a house he liked, but he knew there was no way he’d be able to talk Beckett into it. That was a new thing for him…needing to build consensus instead of demanding compliance.

“Beckett,” he called out, knowing his boyfriend was somewhere in the condo, and damn if thinking of Beckett as his boyfriend didn’t ever get tired. But if he were being honest, he barely thought of Beckett as his boyfriend. He thought of Beckett as his fiancé, his partner, his husband. But he would just have to keep that to himself until Beckett felt the same.

Beckett appeared in the doorway of Rhys’s office, obviously dressed for work in his black jeans and dress shirt. He fidgeted with something on his phone and stopped halfway into the office, looking up at Rhys expectantly.

“What’s up?” Beckett asked. “I was about to take off for work.”

“I just want you to look at this house.”