“You don’t need to settle,” Arlo says.
“That’s the thing.” I swing my legs off the lounger and face Arlo. “I don’t believe I am.” I glance at Pike again. “I’m leveling up, leveling up on happiness.”
When I look back at Arlo, I can see he’s not entirely happy, but he also knows when he can’t win the argument, so he reaches out and takes my hand. “Promise me you’ll tell me if you need help, if you need me to kick his ass again.”
“Again?” I quirk a singular brow. “Uh, I’m pretty sure he kicked yours.”
Arlo’s expression flattens. “Is that what he told you?” Not waiting for a response, Arlo stands from the lounger and calls out to Pike, “You told her you kicked my ass?”
“Didn’t have to. Evidence on your face speaks for itself.” Pike follows up the comment with a knowing smirk, which tells Arlo he’s offering an olive branch. I hold my breath, waiting to see if Arlo takes it.
He points his finger at Pike and says, “You better hope we don’t need a rematch.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it.” Pike walks up to me and takes my hand in his, helping me off the lounger. He presses a kiss to my knuckles and quietly asks, “Are you ready to go?”
“I am.” I turn to Arlo. “Unless you have anything else you want to say.”
Arlo looks between the two of us, his displeasure evident in the scrunch of his eyes. And this is typical Arlo. It’s going to take him a while to be okay with me and Pike. I’m not asking him to understand it right away, or even necessarily agree with it, but all I want is for him to be open, and I think after this conversation, he will be.
“No, I have nothing else to say, other than . . . maybe you two should get a bigger place. I can’t imagine sharing a studio apartment is ideal.”
Pike pushes his hand through his hair. “My flat is bigger, but I’m not sure she’s ready for that.”
“Aw, look at you saying flat instead of apartment. Does the British in you come out when you’re nervous?”
“That’s our cue to leave.” Pike sticks his hand out to Arlo and thankfully my brother takes it.
“I will end you if you hurt her.”
“Fair,” Pike says, breaking off their handshake.
There’s no doubt in my mind that Arlo would do just that. And that’s why I love him, because he’ll always have my back, no matter what.
Chapter Nineteen
PIKE
“Where are we going?” Cora asks, looking out the window and trying to gauge where we are.
I make a right down the quiet street I’ve grown to love. Three-story brick brownstones line the street, with wrought-iron, hip-height fencing blocking off the courtyards. Slowly, I maneuver my way past a few cars and then make another right, into a driveway and stop in front of a garage door.
“Where are we?” Cora asks as I put the car in park.
I look at her and say, “My place.”
Her eyes widen and then she scoots closer to the windscreen to get a better look. “This is where you live?”
“No. I live with you, but before I lived with you, this is where I stayed.”
She turns toward me, nostrils flared. “You mean to tell me, you’ve had a brownstone this entire time, yet we’ve been sharing a freaking studio apartment? How on earth can you even afford to live here? No offense, but I know teachers don’t make enough to afford a place like this.”
“No, they don’t. But my background is quite different than other teachers.” I open my car door and nod toward the building. “Come on.”
Cora hurries out of the car and joins me, taking my hand. Together, we walk up a flight of concrete stairs to the front door, and I unlock it for the both of us, letting her go in first.
“Oh my God,” she says as she explores the entryway. A sweeping staircase leads to the second floor, where the bedrooms are located, and a long hallway stretches to the kitchen, parlor, and living room. “I can’t believe you haven’t brought me here before now.”
“To be fair, you were trying to poison me at the start of our marriage. I didn’t really think bringing you to my place was a smart choice at that time.”
She chuckles. “Probably not, but, wow, Pike.” She travels down the hallway and into the combined living room and kitchen space. She pauses in the doorway and then whips around to look at me. “Pike, that kitchen is the size of our entire studio apartment.”