And singing to her was the ticket.

“Come on, baby, dance with me. Sing the chick part,” he urged and she shook her head, her face twisting in horror.

“This is not High School Musical!” she complained as he slowly humped her leg, getting catcalls from the guys while she tried to shake him off.

“You’re right, because the things I’m gonna do to you as soon as we leave are definitely NC-17,” he said and her eyes widened, but her mouth curved before she started laughing.

Then finally, she stopped fighting it and moved with him to the music. As she smiled, her eyes twinkling while their bodies became one, he knew that their story was just beginning.

And he couldn’t wait to fill the pages with their adventures.

Especially the NC-17 parts.

“Babe, come on, this is it.”

Kacey looked around the living room. The high ceilings were appealing, and she did like the floor-to-ceiling windows, but it didn’t have a fenced-in backyard, and the driveway was on a slant because the house was on a hill. The winters in Tennessee were so unpredictable, so no telling if she’d be able to leave the house. Also, it just felt so large.

“I don’t know. It’s big,” she said to him, looking through the kitchen once more. It was huge like she wanted, almost like Karson’s, and an open floor plan like theirs, but it seemed so much bigger and not theirs. She always imagined when she walked into a house, it would be hers, and this did not seem like hers.

“It’s empty, Kace. Once we get some furniture in here, a dog or two, it’ll be perfect,” he said, coming to stand by her, looking out the windows she was staring out of.

“There is no fence,” she said, pointing outside.

“I’ll make sure they put one in. It’s a new build, so that won’t be a problem,” their Realtor Jamie said in her thick, happy, country accent. She was always so chipper and ready to sell. It should have made Kacey happy, but she was a bit annoyed. She wanted to do this with only Jordie so they could talk and discuss it without someone trying to sell to them.

“I don’t know. It just doesn’t seem like us,” she admitted, looking up at him.

“Really? I think it does. I like it,” he said simply as he looked down at her.

“You like anything to get out of Karson’s,” she accused and he shrugged.

“I mean, an apartment would be fine too, baby. Whatever, as long as I’m waking up beside you.”

She sent him a smile because she did feel the same, but still. This wasn’t it. “But I think a house would be a better idea. And also we can be close to Lacey and Karson so I’m not lonely while you’re gone,” she protested and he nodded.

“I got you. That’s why we’ve spent the last two weeks looking at houses, and I really like this one.”

“It’s nice and, yeah, it would give us everything we need. But it’s really far out from where my family is. For the longest time, we’ve always had hundreds, almost thousands of miles, between us. Now that we live in the same city, I’d like to be close.”

“Yeah, I get that. But it’s only a twenty-minute drive to them, and also the price is killer good. They are selling it twenty thousand under the value for a quick sale. It’s move-in ready, babe.”

She shrugged. “I know, but I don’t want to move in to a house that isn’t us.”

“But what doesn’t make it us? I think it’s us,” he said, getting annoyed. He had a short attention span when it came to things other than sex and hockey. She knew this, but she wouldn’t rush into something as big as buying a house.

“I mean, it’s nice, yes, but I don’t like that it’s on a hill or that the backyard looks so shitty.”

He looked out and shrugged. “Okay, then what do you want to do?” he snapped, and she glared.

“It doesn’t matter what I want, and it’s your money. Do what you want,” she said dismissively, and when she glanced over at him, she could tell she’d just pissed him off.

“Don’t be like that.”

“Don’t be all pissy with me because I don’t want to rush into this.”

Letting his head fall back, he let out a long breath. “Sugar thighs, it’s a house. It’s not choosing a name for a kid.”

“I understand that, but if I am going to live here, make a life here, it better be what I want.”

He pulled in a long breath through his nose and she glanced over at him. The annoyance was very apparent on his face, but his eyes had humor in them. As much as they picked and argued about stuff, he still loved her difficult ass.

“Do you want this house?” he asked. “Because it will be our house, both our names, and you will live in it with me. Probably forever.”

Her heart skipped a beat at his words. She hadn’t expected that. She thought it would be his house; she didn’t think he’d want her to be on the paperwork. She knew moving in meant she wasn’t going anywhere, but it would have her name too? “Really?”

“Yes, we are making a life together. So everything will be fifty-fifty.”

She glanced over at him. “Are you trying to tell me I don’t need a prenup so you can steal all my money?”

He laughed, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her to his chest. “No prenup. Do you want this house?”

She shook her head, smiling against his jaw. “No.”