He couldn't remember how it happened but one day he looked up and her stuff was all over his house. Most guys would start to get nervous about the woman in their life moving in but he didn't. He loved it. He loved finding her clothes in his closet and in the laundry. He smirked whenever he saw her baseball and tennis gear sticking out from under the bed or propped up in the corner by the door. The sweetest thing he witnessed was the time she accidentally dropped a large stuffed bear from her travel bag onto the floor of the bedroom when she was unpacking something. When he inquired about it, she blushed and tried to stuff it back in to the bag, muttering about having it since she was a kid and how it was stupid to bring it along but she loved it and couldn't part with it. He smiled; reassured her that she could bring whatever she wanted and told her to put the bear anywhere she liked. Next time he saw it, she had propped it up on the pillows on the bed like it had always been there. Her stuff accumulating in his home made the place feel cozier and made him feel like they were really a family. Then one night he worked up the nerve to formally ask her. They had a nice dinner after work, watched a cheesy movie then went up to bed.
She was already under the covers, reading her latest book when he crawled on top of her and peeked around the top of the book so she could see his goofy smile.
"What?" she giggled, loving his playfulness.
"I have something for you," he said holding up a tiny white cardboard box.
Her heart pounded nervously in her chest, dreading that this could somehow be possible proposal that she wasn't ready for and had told him so many times. She set the book down, marking her page with the slip of paper off the nightstand, gently took the box from him and opened it.
To her surprise and relief, inside there was a gold key on a chain linked to a small round metal charm of a casino chip.
"What's this?" she asked unsure.
"That is a key to this place," Nick explained "I want you to have it and-"
He paused, slowing down to choose his words carefully.
"Move in with me," he said boldly.
She stared at him, shocked but not completely surprised.
"Are you sure?" she stammered the first words she could think of.
"Of course I'm sure," he said "you practically live here already."
He nodded at her clothes hanging in the open closet, the stuffed bear on the pillow beside her, and the baseball uniform in the laundry basket near the door.
"I didn't mean to," she blurted out, feeling like she had overcrowded him "if it's too much stuff I can take it back to my place."
"What? No." he said horrified at the thought but she was already squirming under the covers, anxious to get out of the bed and away from him. She jumped out of bed and started to gather up all the things that had accumulated on the floor, in the corner and on the nightstand.
He sighed, hating that she was reacting this way to what was supposed to be a nice gesture. He followed her as she maneuvered around the room, gathering up her things and trying to carry them all at once but couldn't hold everything and was dropping several items onto the floor. She snarled in frustration as he went to her and said "Babe come on, stop it, you don't have to do that."
"Yes I do," she snapped stubbornly at him "it's my mess."
"It's not a mess," he assured her "just stop and listen to me for a second."
He stepped in front of her as she was heading towards the door with her clothes and random items spilling out of her arms.
"I love this stuff," he said gently prying the pile from her hands and dropping it onto the small arm chair that sat in the corner of his room "more importantly I love you, I want you here, that's all I was trying to tell you."
She met his gaze at last, knowing he was sincere and hating her own insecurities for making her think negatively.
"Really?" she asked swaying tentatively.
"Yes," he said stepping closer to kiss her forehead, relieved that she was calming down.
She didn't have time to think of what to say to tell him sorry for overacting because he was scooping her up in his arms, making her squeal in delight, then carrying her back to the bed. He set her down gently on it then presented her with the box and key again and that goofy pout that melted her heart.
"Yes," she said giggling "yes I will move in with you."
Her laughter echoed through the entire room as he hugged her, happy that she had agreed and excited for what this meant for them.
Two Weeks Later
It didn't take long for her officially move in, ending her lease on her condo and boxing up what remained of her belongings. They spent a long weekend together unpacking her things and setting them up in the house however she wanted to make this house the best of both of them. Soon they fell into a routine of going to work, coming home, making meals together or alone if their shifts ended at different times, setting aside time to relax and cuddle, watch football on TV and just enjoy each others company.
He was late one day which annoyed her but didn't overly concern her. She made dinner and was rinsing a few dishes in the sink when she heard him come in the front door.
"Jules?" he called for her.
"Kitchen," she called back letting him know where she was.
A funny clicking sound made her turn around and see Nick holding on to a leash that was hooked to the collar of a large German Shepherd.
"You got me a dog!?" she exclaimed happily upon seeing him.
Nick smiled at her happiness and said "Yeah I guess I did."
The dog bounded right up to her when Nick unhooked the leash. Julie dropped to her knees on the floor and held her arms out to the dog who started sniffing around her.
"He's adorable," she gushed "where did you find him?"
"A case," Nick said "Officer Nelson was killed in the line of duty and this dog was his partner, he needed a home so I decided to take him."
"That is so incredibly sweet of you," Julie said petting the dog gently. "What's his name?"
"Sam," Nick told her.
"Hi Sam," Julie said as the dog circled her, sniffing at her clothes and her hair before promptly knocking her over with one bump of his shoulder against her.
"Easy," Nick warned Sam but Julie laughed as Sam kept sniffing around her face, his fur tickling, making her laugh harder.
"Come on," Nick said ushering Sam away from Julie so she could sit up but unable to hide his smile at their bonding moment.
"I love him!" Julie gushed ruffling Sam's ears "let's take him outside to play."
Julie's energy level was equal to Sam's and the three of them played wildly in the grass, tossing a tennis ball back and forth to Sam for a good hour before finally settling down on the patio. Julie sat cross legged on the ground letting Sam rest beside her. Nick noticed how calm Sam was when Julie was petting him and how Sam nuzzled right up to her. She was immersed in petting him and whispering to him softly.
"He's so cute," she gushed over him "and he's all ours."
"Ours," he thought loving how nice that word sounded from both of them, of how wonderful their life was becoming and how when Julie ruffled Sam's ears again, he lifted his head to sniff at her face again making her dissolve into giggles once more.