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I place my cup beside his and wrap my arms around his waist. “I’ll always love you.”

“I know.” He winks with a smirk.

I roll my eyes. “Always so cocky.”

He lowers his head, nipping at my bottom lip. “You love my cock.”

“Mmm, I do.”

“Okay, enough mushy-mushy stuff. Let’s talk wedding!” Emma declares, and I spin in Silas’s arms just as he hands me back my coffee. “So, do you guys have a date? Ideas?”

“Not an official date, but we would like mid-June. We haven’t really talked about what we would like yet, but I was hoping you two would help me out with it all.

At the office, we don’t do weddings. But since you and I know how to make amazing events, I figured it shouldn’t be too complicated.

” Then I turn my attention to Morgan. “And Morg, you’ve already had a wedding, so you’ll know the dos and don’ts.

And if you could help out with decor tips and ideas, that would be really great. ”

“Of course, we’ll help! As long as I get to be a bridesmaid,” Morgan says with a bright smile. I was already planning on having her as my bridesmaid, but with that smile, how could I refuse her?

“There was never any doubt in you being my bridesmaid,” I tell her, returning the look. “But I did have one favor to ask.”

“Ask away, I love favors,” Morgan says cheerfully.

“Well, you all know we’re moving into our house at the end of the month, and Silas said I could redecorate and change whatever I’d like. So I was wondering if we could do it together? I’ll pay you for your time, of course. It’s a big house, which means big project. ”

“Oh my God, yes! Absolutely! And no need to pay me, you’re my friend and I want to help. I’ll move things around in my schedule to make sure I have free spaces that we can work with.”

“Hey! What about me?” Emma jumps in like a child in need of affection, making us all giggle.

“Don’t worry, Em. There’s going to be a lot of shopping, so your input will be appreciated as well,” I say.

“Good, because even if you said no, I would’ve tagged along regardless. You know how much I’ve always wanted to see Morg at work! Don’t take this moment away from me, woman.” Always so dramatic, she’s lucky I love her.

Who am I kidding, I’m the lucky one to have her as my friend.

“I thought this was my moment?” I arch a brow.

She waves her hand around, dismissing my question. “You know what I mean.”

Oh, this girl. The fella who ends up stealing her heart better have the patience of a saint.

“I can’t believe Amanda was right,” Emma says out of the blue, gaining a confused look from everyone.

“Who’s Amanda?” Clay asks.

“Our boss,” I tell him, then turn my gaze back to Em. “Right about what?”

“She said you’d have a ring on your finger within four months. It doesn’t even make four,” she says with a sly grin.

I burst out laughing. I had completely forgotten about that. “Yeah, seems she was right.” I bite my lip with a smile and nestle deeper against Silas.

Barely four months and we’re already engaged and moving into our new home together. Jesus, we really are moving fast. But like Silas said, it all feels right. And I wouldn’t change a thing about it.

~ One Month Later / February ~

It’s finally moving day, and the exhilaration is buzzing through my veins. Silas made sure to choose a date where they didn’t have practice or a game, so most of the team came out to help.

I didn’t have much to take from the condo other than my personal belongings. And since we decided to keep the penthouse for now, it was the same for Sy. But all the furniture Morg, Em, and I ordered is arriving today, so there’s a lot to do. It’s going to be a long day.

Morgan’s friend Violet, the former owner, ended up vacating the place right after New Year. So, it gave us a little less than a month to make all the changes we wanted. Structurally, everything was perfect. But we did change the colors in every room, and the kitchen cabinets and countertops.

The house is now in full swing with the girls and I putting up curtains and unpacking kitchenware, while the boys bring in all the furniture and place them with our guide.

Greyson walks in with an armchair as if it weighs nothing and sets it down in the living room. “Wow, this place is really nice. Love the changes you girls made. It’s gonna look sick when everything’s set up,” he says, looking around.

“Seriously, it’s making me want to buy a house,” Gabriel says as he walks in carrying one end of a gray couch.

“We aren’t ready for that yet.” Noah carries the other end.

Emma, Morgan, and I all laugh at the same time. “Do you two really do everything together?” Em asks with a raised brow. From what I’ve seen so far, I’d say the answer is yes.

“Of course, we do. And you, darling, know that firsthand.” Gabe winks, which makes Emma roll her eyes, but she’s still smiling.

I don’t think there’s any real potential between any of them, but from the stories I’ve heard, they do have a lot of fun together.

Although, I think that fun may be over for Emma.

She’s been on a couple of dates these last few weeks with a guy she met two months ago, and they seem to be hitting it off.

Good for her, she deserves some love too.

A couple of hours later, once everything has been brought in and we’ve gotten a lot unpacked, I walk around my new home. The guys are installing the TV and getting the Xbox hooked up to play a game of NHL. Beers and pizza are being passed around while we ladies drink wine.

We decided to go with a similar feel to the penthouse. But instead of looking like a bachelor’s place with dark tones, we went with light gray and white tones, giving the home a warm and inviting vibe.

Everything on the first level is mostly open space, except for the home gym we’re going to make in one of the back rooms for Silas. Another room will serve as an office for me for when I have research and prepping to do for work at home.

We also have a wine cellar and a second living room that’s more private. Upstairs holds the master bedroom and four additional rooms, each with their own en suite. One is already dedicated to Emma, but the rest I’m not sure what we’ll do with them yet.

Milo has been running wild from room to room since the moment we let him loose. I think he likes his new home. I walk over to the huge wall of windows that showcase the backyard. Since we’re at the end of the lot, we have a lot more greenspace than most of the homes here.

Even covered with snow, it’s beautiful. Tall hedges form a huge square around the house, making it look like a private oasis. I can’t wait to tackle the backyard once the cold weather has passed.

I open the patio doors to let Milo out and watch him run around and roll in the snow, his happy place. It’s our new happy place.

Silas comes up behind me, wrapping his arms around my chest and resting his chin on the top of my head. “Are you happy, baby?”

“More than happy,” I tell him, feeling whole.

As I look out the window, a thought forms in my mind.

“Let’s do it here,” I say, turning in his arms. He looks down at me with a confused expression.

“The wedding, we want something small and intimate with only close friends, family, and the team. So why not do it here in the back? It’s already pretty secluded, and once the snow melts, I’ll start working on it to make it perfect. ”

“I love it, let’s do it.” He beams at me and lowers for a kiss.

“Hey, so what are you guys doing with the penthouse now that it’s empty?” Noah asks, interrupting our moment from his seat on the couch, controller in hand as he stays fixated on the TV.

“Not sure yet, maybe rent it out. Make some extra revenue until we decide to let it go or come up with a better option.” Silas shrugs a shoulder as he picks up a towel I had set aside to wipe our little guy’s paws when he comes in.

“Ellis and I could take it, it’s much bigger than the condo we have at the moment, and we could do with extra space. Just tell us your monthly rate, and we have ourselves a deal,” Noah offers while my man rubs away at our dog’s paws.

He stands once he’s satisfied with Milo’s state and looks over at Gabe and Noah. “You guys really want the place? It wouldn’t have anything to do with the fact that Emma lives in the building, would it?” Silas asks with an astute smirk.

Gabe turns from the couch with a mischievous look. “The fact that the beautiful Miss Mackenzie will only be a few floors down is an added bonus. But yes, we want the penthouse.”

“All right then, it’s yours. But if you two idiots fuck something up, you pay for it! I’ll think on a price and get back to you during the week.” Silas kisses my forehead and heads back to the guys while I wander back to the girls in the kitchen.

Later that night, once everyone has left and the only ones remaining are Silas and me, we take Milo out for his last stroll of the day, then head up to our room.

I take a quick shower before Silas, then go to our walk-in closet to put on a little PJ set, even though I know they’ll only stay on temporarily.

I’ve just returned from the linen closet in the hallway with sheets and pillowcases when Silas exits the bathroom, looking sexy as sin. His muscles are on full display, with water droplets running down his well-sculpted abs. A small white towel hangs around his waist, his wet hair falling forward.

He raises his left arm and grabs onto the doorframe from the top. His right hand holds the towel right above his growing erection that tries to poke through the towel. He wears an arrogant smirk along his lips and winks. “Like what you see?”

I drop the sheets to the floor and stroll over to him, swaying my hips just the way he likes.

He doesn’t move from his spot as I come to rest my back against the doorjamb.

I place my hand on his right forearm and press my tongue to the bottom of his tattoo.

Leisurely licking all the way up to his shoulder, collecting a few droplets along the way.

I love his ink. It only amplifies that boyish bad boy look that he sports.

His pupils dilate as he watches me. Leaning in, he bites down on my lower lip, pulling it back before letting go and whispering, “Tell me what you’d like, Minnie.”

I raise my hand to his chest and pass the tip of my tongue over his lips. “You want to know what I’d like, Big Guy?”

“Yeah.” His eyes hood at the sound of my sultry voice.

I lift onto the tip of my toes and come to his ear as he lowers his head closer. Using an even more seductive voice, I purr into his ear, “What I’d really like… is for you to help me put the sheets on the bed.” I kiss his cheek quickly and skip away.

He growls behind me. “That wasn’t nice.”

I turn around and pout at him. “I know... maybe you can spank me later for it.”

He groans and walks over to the closet, pulling on a pair of tight black boxers and returning to me. “Give me the damn sheets.” I pick them up and pass them to him with a victorious smile.

He turns and heads to the bed, unfolding the fabric to place one corner around the mattress. “Yeah, yeah. Keep smiling, that ass will be red soon.”

I giggle as I pick up a pillow and pull on the pillowcase while Milo lies peacefully on his doggy bed in the corner of the room, watching our exchange.

When I’m finishing off the last pillow out of the six we have, I look over at Silas adjusting the comforter over the bed, his back to me. I take the pillow by one end and swing it at him, hitting him at the back of the head.

“Oh shit.” I place my hands over my mouth, suppressing my giggles.

He turns around slowly. “Oh, you are gonna pay for that.” He prowls over to me as I take a step back.

Quickly, he picks up a pillow from the end of the bed where I had stacked them and throws it at me. I squeal and jump into action, running away from the flying pillow. I jump onto the bed and pick up the one I had thrown, launching it back at him, but he catches it as it hits his chest.

I shriek and try to jump off the bed just as he flings the pillow with all his strength, hitting me right in the back. The blow is so hard it knocks me off balance. I fall off the bed and land hard on the floor, face first.

“OH FUCK!” Silas yells.

“Ow...” I roll onto my back, rubbing the side of my face that took the impact.

I hear him jump onto the bed and then see his head pop out from the side, hands grasping the edge of the mattress. “Shit, Minnie! Are you okay? I’m so fucking sorry! What hurts?” He looks horrified, all blood drained from his face.

“My face,” I tell him, scrunching it up like that might help.

“Oh, baby. Fuck, I’m so sorry. I didn’t realize how much force I put into that.” He leans down slightly but stays on the bed as if he’s examining me from above.

“Yeah, you have one hell of a right arm. You sure you’re in the right sport?”

He chuckles at that. “Who knows, maybe I should try out for football instead.” He’s smiling, but then his face turns serious as he looks over the redness I’m sure is on the left side of my face. “Tell me what I can do? Do you need ice? Should we go to the hospital?”

“No, no. Just help me up.” I lift my hand in his direction. As expected, he reaches for it and starts to pull. But I yank on it hard, causing him to tip over the bed and fall right on top of me.

“Oof.” He grunts as the air leaves his lungs from the fall. He lifts his body slightly, putting his weight on his hands that are placed on either side of my head and smiles down at me. “You did that on purpose.”

I smile back at him playfully. “I did.”

“Bad girl.”

“The baddest, maybe you should punish me for it.” I nip at his jaw, then his neck.

“Oh, I plan to.” He lowers and captures my lips.