That had me up and out of my seat. Leaning against the wall by the bathroom door, I probed her almost gleefully, "Giving up already?"
Piper snorted, and the bathroom door opened abruptly. "Hell no. But I do have a surprise for you."
Her grin was contagious, and I found myself smiling despite myself. "A surprise?"
Nodding in a jerking motion, Piper grabbed my hand and pulled me toward the door. "Come on. We can grab something to eat afterward."
Unable or perhaps unwilling to argue with her, I allowed Piper to lead me out of the hotel room and down the hallway until we were out on the street. Out on the sidewalk, her hand slid down my arm and laced her fingers with mine.
I swallowed thickly. Too afraid to mention it in case Piper didn't mean to do it.
We walked hand in hand down the street with Piper a step ahead of me the whole time. Finally, we stopped.
I glanced away from Piper and realized we were in front of a house. I hadn't been paying any mind to where we were going, my attention had been completely absorbed with the woman before me.
"What do you think?" She released my hand, not at all self-conscious about it, going to stand in front of the house.
I turned toward her and scanned over the pale green house. It was quaint. Not even close to as big as the manor but still a good size all the same. There were bushes and big trees in the front yard. A picket fence surrounded the house, and a path led around the back toward the beach. The windows were big and full, allowing an abundance of natural light to filter into it when it was daytime. Right now, the evening light lay softly on the horizon.
Returning my gaze to Piper, I frowned. "It's nice. Why are we here?"
Piper practically vibrated as she beamed at me. "It's mine!"
My brows scrunched together. "Yours? How could it be-"
"I bought it," Piper interrupted, grabbing my hand again and bringing me over to the window. "Today. After work. I filled out the paperwork, and in thirty days, we'll move out of that drab hotel room and into a real house. No more having to eat out all the time. No more fighting for space." She wrapped her arms around me and squeezed tight. "Isn't it fantastic?"
Placing my arms around her, I found myself saying, "Yes, it is."
Piper lifted her head up, her eyes peering into mine. There was so much happiness there it made my chest tight. Her expression softened as we stared down at each other. Shifting in my arms, she pushed up closer to me, her eyes flickering to my lips.
I lowered my head to meet her.
"Why isn't this just a cozy situation?"