Page 34 of Claimed

“Do you want to see my dolls?”

She chatters away for a while before Laurelyn takes the phone from her. She goes back to the kitchen, telling me she wants to talk to me about something.

“Raven, I was wondering...if you’d like to come out for a visit.”

“Maybe. I’ll think about it.”

“Please. If you like it, maybe you’d consider...moving in?”

“You want me to live with you?” I ask, astonished.

“I do. I was planning on asking you when I came to Georgia but with everything that happened, I decided to give you some time.”

“I mean...I love Miami and I miss it sometimes, but my life is here now.”

Or maybe it isn’t such a bad idea. I could have a fresh start, remove myself and my drama out of Gage’s life. I could give him a fresh start, too.Could I do it? Could I leave him?

“Just think about it,” Laurelyn urges.

“I will.”

She gives me an optimistic smile before I say my goodbyes and end the call.

“Would you go back?”

“I don’t know,” I answer Chrissy’s question. “Maybe.”

“Do you think Gage would let you leave?”

“Honestly, I think he’d try to stop me. But it’s my decision.”

“Yeah. Keep telling yourself that. Even if you managed to leave, he’d probably drag your ass back.”

“You’re right. It can’t hurt to visit, though. Besides, if I wanted to move back, I have Daddy’s house. That way, I can be close to them but still have my own space.”

“True.” She looks around the room then back at me with a deep frown. “Is that your stuff?” She points to my two suitcases leaning on the wall.

Gage said he was leaving the unpacking to me, but I never got past underwear. Chrissy jumps up and starts going through the cases.

“I’ll unpack, you make space in the closet.”

“I don’t know. Gage has a lot of clothes. I have two drawers that are pretty empty. We could put some stuff in those.”

“Closet,” she says in a stern voice.

“Okay. Jeez.”

I open the closet, and just like I expected, there’s not much room for anything. I push his clothes to one side and consider the space.

“Maybe we can a fit a few dresses in here. The rest we’ll have to put in the drawers.”

“Shoes?”

Dropping to my knees, I start re-arranging his shoes to make room. That’s when I see the gift-wrapped box in the far corner. I wonder what it is. Could it be the birthday present he told me he was going to pick up the day of my party? If it was for me, he would have given it to me already, right? Even though curiosity is killing me, I leave it alone. I’m not going to snoop in his stuff.

We put away as much of my belongings as we can and fall back into bed. Before I can get comfortable, Chrissy grabs my hand and pulls me up and into the bathroom.

“In.” She points to the bath. “Sit.”