Page 96 of Room to Breathe

“Yes. Please.”

I snuggled my cheek into his chest. “I’m very happy.”

“Me too.”

“Everything isn’t solved with my dad. Is that going to change anything? If he gets more news coverage?”

“No, Indy. It changes nothing. Well, I mean, obviously that will be hard for you, so I hope I can be a good boyfriend through it.”

I gripped the side of his T-shirt and tugged him back and forth with it. “Are you asking to be my boyfriend?”

“I thought that was just assumed.”

“It’s not,” I said. “You have to ask.” Something Cody had never done. And I had assumed too much.

Beau pulled back, then jumped to his feet, spreading his arms wide.

“Be careful,” I said, holding my hand up as if I was going to catch him if he slipped.

“Sorry,” he said. “I didn’t mean to scare you. But I needed to stand for this.”

“Okay, you have the stage.”

“Indy! Will you be my girlfriend?”

I rolled onto my back and stared up at him. I squinted one eye. “I’ll need to think about it.”

He let out a loud laugh, dropped to his knees beside me, and kissed me again. “Take as long as you need.”

I pulled him down the rest of the way by the front of his shirt. “Yes,” I said softly. “Always.”

“I don’t have a lot of money right now,” I said, picking up a lip gloss and checking the price.

“I’ll buy it for you.”

“How is an apology gift from me, bought by you, an actual apology from me?”

“We’re a couple now.” Beau snaked his arms around my waist from behind and rested his chin on my shoulder.

“So you have to buy all my things?” I asked. “I don’t think so.”

He was quiet for a while, and I turned in his arms. “Did I say something wrong?” I asked.

“No, I just feel bad because I’m the one who made you quit your job. I’m the reason you don’t have any money.”

“No, it’s not your fault. I chose to quit. And I could’ve gotten another job at any time. I was too busy licking my wounds.”

“I get it. I would’ve been too. I was so surprised that day when I walked into Lana’s office and she told me you quit.”

“Why were you surprised? Weren’t you going in there to get me fired?”

He took a surprised breath, then pushed me out by my shoulders to look at me. “No. I wasn’t. I was going to ask if we could do alternating days.”

“That’s what I asked for at first.”

“I know, she told me. Then she told me you quit. I told her that I would quit, but she told me you were determined.”

“I was.”