Chapter 14

The small townhouse was cute. Brick walls, a small fireplace that I imagined we would never have to use, dark wood flooring. It was just a one-bedroom, one bathroom, but it was all that we needed for now. And it had a small backyard for Layla. Charlie told me that she had specifically looked for a backyard for that reason. I smiled thinking about it. What if I hadn’t said yes? She would be paying for a yard that she would never use. I guess that was the risk she was willing to take.

The kitchen had a small island—it certainly wasn’t as big or as modern as my parents’, but it was charming. It had three dangling lights over the island and she had already placed two chairs next to it. Our refrigerator was small, but again, it was all we needed for now. She had a picture of our first date on the refrigerator door—us with our faces painted at a Diamondbacks baseball game. I grinned as I saw that she had bought a dog food mat for Layla. It had little paw prints all over it.