55. Sean
55
SEAN
I watched her walk through it all, marveling at the open space and the floor-to-ceiling windows.
She could see the city through it, and the sight made her stop and stare unabashedly.
“You’re going to love waking up to this view,” she said.
She tried to push the curtains aside and failed until I handed her the remote.
She raised her eyebrows but tapped a few buttons on the remote until the screens parted, letting the fiery sunshine in.
“Wow, this room faces west, so you’re going to have plenty of sunshine when you’re back home in the evening. I know how much you like seeing the sun set while having dinner.”
“Someone I know taught me that,” I teased, holding her hand in mine.
Warmth spread through me at the touch.
“I’ve seen you gaze at the sunset for far longer than can be good for your eyes.”
She nodded.
“I love how everything is dusted golden yellow at sunset. Though sunsets are orange and pink too. I never knew those colors were possible in a setting sky.”
Chloe was here, and I was a happy man.
My chest felt like it was swelling with joy.
She was the only person I’d ever wanted.
Her multihued skirt twirled as she walked round the penthouse, barefoot, but instead of excited, it looked like something troubled her.
The delight I’d expected to see didn’t show up in her eyes, and her smile never made an appearance.
I watched her for a minute while she pointed out various buildings in the distance and the sparkle of the ocean before I spoke.
“Move in with me, Chloe.”
“I bet you can even see the Bank of America Tower—” she said before she turned to me, her mouth falling open.
Her blue eyes searched mine.
“What did you just say?”
I took her hands in mine, looking at her with the sunny sky in the background.
For a second, I wished we were at the point in our relationship where I could even go down on my knee.
Heck, she deserved that.
But we’d been seeing each other for barely six months, and it would be too soon.
To be fair, all signs pointed to us going there eventually, but I also wanted to be careful.
To take my time and think things through.
To evaluate all the outcomes if I ever went down the Helen route with her and make sure I was okay with it.
I wasn’t there yet.
This was where I was.
“Let me show you another unit in this building,” I said, leading her back to the elevator and down to the first floor.
When we got out into the lobby, I walked up to the first unit on our right, opening the door slowly.
Chloe’s mouth dropped open as she gazed at the interior.
It was an accessible apartment unit.
“Do you see the wide entryways for all the rooms?”
She nodded, registering where I was going with this.
“Ditto for the entrance and the doorways to the individual rooms in the apartment. There are no steps in this unit; everything fits into one floor with an open floor plan. The bathroom has a roll-in shower with grab bars in multiple places near the shower and the toilet. It also has tons of space, enabling Henry to maneuver a wheelchair.”
The kitchen countertops were low.
Easy for Henry to access.
Including the cabinets at the lower level.
She ran her finger over the marble countertop.
“Are you serious?” she asked, sounding awed.
“You bought this place?”
I nodded.
“Henry can move in here and still be close to you. I knew it’s what you’d want.”
“Is it what you want?” she asked after a moment.
I breathed in deeply.
I needed to be honest with her.
“I want whatever makes you happy. If that means you will be with me while being the best sister to Henry, then so be it.”
She looked unconvinced, but I took her in my arms and kissed her deeply.
“Move in with me,” I repeated, looking at her for a sign of what she was thinking.
“I bought this building for us. If Henry doesn’t like this unit, he can always choose another one.”
She gaped and then looked away.
She turned back to me, the shock still evident on her face as I led her to the elevator and back to our penthouse.
I got her to sit on the cloud couch at the center of the living space while she continued to look dazed.
“I love you, Chloe. I want to move in here with you. I want to wake up every morning here with you and end my nights looking at you, staring at the setting sun and warning you not to look too hard at it. I want all of you, Chloe—the neurotic, the scatterbrained, the joyful, and the loving sides of you—to move in with me.”
It was painful, putting myself out there with an ask that could be turned down.
With Chloe, I could’ve been content to stay in status quo.
To date, to see each other in the evenings, and to occasionally take holidays together.
We could go on for years doing that, and I suspected Chloe wouldn’t complain.
She wasn’t going to ask me where this was heading or what my plans were.
So, here I was, doing the one thing she’d least expected me to.
Surprising her. Competing with the version she had in her mind of me.
I was risking it all.
“You can’t be serious,” she said at last.
I tilted my head to the side.
“I’m sorry. What’s strange about this? We’ve known each other for six months now.”
“We haven’t said I love you yet.”
“In case you haven’t been listening, I just did, Chloe. And I do,” I said, getting down on my knees to look at her.
“I love you. And I want you to be a part of my world. My day and my nights. Will you?”