Preparations for our move kicked into high gear. I wanted to think that Negan really didn't want to have to attend many more family dinners after my performance backfired so spectacularly during our last visit. If that was the case, you wouldn't hear me arguing. Those dinners were maddening before I knew my parents were sexual deviants. Now? Well, now they would be worse. They'd have to be.

Eric, Mary, and Steven all volunteered to help us pack. And when my two best friends saw my ring, I thought my ears would start bleeding from the squealing they did. Negan and Steven built the boxes, Eric sat on his ass and offered minimal help, but maximum suggestions, and Mary and I wrapped and packed. Then Negan and Steven stacked the filled boxes carefully out of the way.

I called Mom, telling her when the movers would be arriving so she'd expect us. She didn't seem surprised that we'd moved the date up, and I could have sworn she sounded relieved. Damn, one ball gag tossed on the table and suddenly no one wanted family dinners anymore.

Eric and Mary were driving up behind us, and the truck, to help us sort the boxes and to spend one last hurrah before school. Mary was heading to the west coast, Eric was going closer to home. Steven had to work, but he hoped, and I shared it, that we could try for one more group gathering before everyone truly parted. Since we couldn't be certain, my besties offered their services.

I got to say goodbye to my parents when we went over to supervise the movers. Mom and Dad, and the image of that damn ball gag hanging over us, still reminded me of how much they loved me. They had the keys to our new home, which they handed over with more willingness than I was prepared for. Maybe Mom, and to a lesser extent, Dad had finally come to real terms with Negan and me. I have a feeling the ring helped.

Negan was lording over the movers as they took apart my bed. Making sure not a scratch or God forbid a limb was broken on it. Then the rest of the bedroom furniture and my vanity were carefully tucked into the truck that already held Coach's apartment furniture. My mother's eyes met the more utilitarian choices Negan had made and I felt it coming, but it still made me laugh.

"Tell me you plan on upgrading that when you settle in," she kept her voice down, which made me smile since she clearly didn't want to hurt Negan's feelings. "Please, Amara, remember how you were raised." Yep, in a museum quality house, that's how I was raised.

"He wants to shop for things once we see the townhouse." I murmured, watching as Negan helped the movers with my boxes. "He's excited about this."

"You are too," she said, watching as my dad spoke with the driver and slid him a few extra bills. "We want you to be happy, honey."

"I am," I promised, hugging her again as they finished up.

When we pulled up in front of the address that Mom gave us, both of us piling out of our cars as we waited for the moving truck, Negan shot me a look. I was just as surprised.

"Townhouse, princess?" I knew my mouth was hanging open, so I also knew he could tell I was shocked.

I hadn't actually toured the house my parents bought for me. I'd assumed that they knew what a townhouse was, and when that's what she called it, I went along with the description. This. This was NOT a townhouse. It was a two story brick colonial. White trim stood out against the dark red bricks. A large front porch, and a privacy fenced backyard that we could see from our angle in front. A two car attached garage, matching the house perfectly, and a manicured lawn that I knew we'd have to provide the upkeep for, since the houses surrounding us matched perfectly. Shit.

"I think she meant that it's a house in town." I was shocked. Pure and simple. This was a house. A real fucking house.

"You never saw it before?" His arm wrapped around me and he kissed the top of my head when I shook it. "Surprise." We both chuckled.

The truck came soon after, followed closely by Eric and Mary. They looked as amazed as Coach and I had. But then the move got into full swing, Eric standing by the front door to direct traffic. Mary and I double checked boxes, while Negan followed the movers and helped one assemble our bed in the largest bedroom.

We worked until the movers left, then we ordered pizza and drinks, sat around the living room and laughed at the overkill of my mother's housing choices.

"It's fucking huge," Eric said, his voice echoing slightly because of the hardwoods and the fact that even with our combined furniture there was too much space. Only our bedroom seemed full. "Mama Kendall really spoils you, bitch."

I rolled my eyes, taking another slice of pizza. "Mama Kendall is insane." I offered, biting into the warm dough. "What the fuck are we supposed to do with all this fucking room?"

"Fill it with babies?" Mary asked, looking around. The house was beautiful, but seriously too much for a single college student that I was coming as before Negan and I got together. I glared at her and she grinned. "What do you think, Coach? Time to make, Amara, barefoot and pregnant?"

He shook his head and held me tighter on his lap where I'd sat down. "I think we're going fast enough, don't you, princess?" I smirked at my best friend and leaned back against his chest as he took a long drink from his beer. "We could practice though."

My smile grew as Eric rolled his eyes. "Practice DOES make perfect, baby." My hand covered his as I finished my slice.

"Then shouldn't you be a fucking professors in fucking by now? How much more practice do you need?" Eric groaned. We heard a knock on the front door and I got up to answer it. Negan gave me backside a playful swat and I giggled as I ran to see who came for a visit.

Neighbors. A husband and wife named Alice and Harry. Negan stood as they came into the living room, Eric and Mary waving from their seats around the pizza box. Harry shook Negan's hand and Alice took a discerning look around our moving mess.

"We saw you and your daughter arrive-" Harry was saying and I heard Eric choke on his drink. Fuck. "Thought we'd be neighborly and welcome you."

Negan looked like he'd like to rip Harry's arm off and hit him with it. "Thank you, but Amara isn't my daughter." His eyes were glittering and I saw the man swallow hard. "She and I are-"

"Shacked up," Mary snorted, and I shot her a look. "Sorry." She took a swig of her drink and I shook my head.

"We've been together for a year," almost, I added in my head. "Negan's going to be the new physical education teacher at the local high school, and I'm-"

"Starting her first year of college," Negan supplied, releasing Harry from his grip and coming over to wrap his arm around my waist. "Amara is going to teach English Literature when she's finished." He looked like he was bursting with pride. "These are our friends, Eric and Mary." They waved again, but I could tell that Alice and Harry knew their welcome was pretty well over. They begged off the offer of a drink or a slice of pizza and then they were gone.

"Fucking-" I started, but Eric, ever the wordsmith helped me diffuse what could have been a tense situation.

Rolling his eyes with a dramatic sigh, he looked up at us and grinned. "Don't know what the fucking issue was, I'd call Coach 'daddy' any day of the fucking week."