Livia turned on the radio to fill the silence of the drive. She was delighted when Corvin sang along to the lyrics without her prompting. She got happy chills each time Corvin pulled off a fantastic display of vocal acrobatics.

“You’re so good,” she said. “I love hearing you sing.”

“Thank you,” Corvin said. “It’s nice to sing again. Just for fun. Not for anyone else.”

“Well, you can sing around me anytime. I won’t complain,” Livia said.

“Sing with me, Liv,” Corvin urged.

“I don’t have an impressive voice,” she said. “It’s just normal.”

“I don’t want you to impress me. I just want you to have fun with me,” he said.

So Livia sang along as best she could. Their voices sounded good together. Obviously, his was better, but Livia liked the sound when they blended.

“You have a pretty voice, Liv,” Corvin said.

Livia shook her head in disbelief.

“No, really,” he insisted.

“Not like Cassia,” Livia said.

“Cassia was one of a kind,” Corvin said. “But I don’t want you to be Cassia.”

Corvin took her hand and intertwined their fingers. He pressed a kiss to the back of her hand. “I like you for you, Livia. I’m excited about the future we’ll create together.”

The affectionate words warmed Livia. She gave Corvin a shy smile and squeezed his hand gently. “I love you, Corvin.”

When they arrived at Corvin’s house, the pathway to the door was blocked with waist-high snow drifts. They’d need to shovel the snow to get the suitcases inside. Corvin climbed through the snow to reach the front door. He pulled out his keys, disappeared inside, and returned a moment later with two snow shovels.

Livia’s shovel disappeared beneath the snow with a satisfying crunch. She lifted, and a pile of snow broke away. She tossed the snow to the side and repeated the process. She worked a pathway up the driveway for thirty minutes until she met Corvin, who had cleared the front porch.

He stood, leaning on his shovel, breath making white clouds in the cold air. “Let’s go in for a warm drink. We can get the rest of the yard tomorrow.”

“Sure,” Livia agreed. She was so cold that it didn’t feel refreshing or pleasant anymore. They went to her car and retrieved their suitcases. They carried them up the path they dug out and straight into Corvin’s room.

All the breath left Livia’s lungs upon seeing his king bed. The idea of sleeping with him in his house, in his bed, became real. Marriage wasn’t just a special evening in his relatives’ cabin but an unending sleepover. How would Livia ever get used to that? What if she never did?

Would she miss staying at Hyrum’s? Catching him early to chat in the morning while Caecilia was still asleep and he hadn’t left for work yet? She found Hyrum annoying sometimes, but she would miss those early morning talks with her brother.

“Does everything look good?” Corvin asked, looking around the room.

“Yes,” Livia said, because that was the only correct answer, wasn’t it? Even if Livia had the urge to freeze time somehow.

“Are you alright?” Corvin asked. “Are you hungry? It’s close to dinner now.”

Maybe that was what Livia’s problem was…if she ate something, it might feel easier to process all these thoughts. “Let’s eat,” she agreed.

That would be the closest Livia would get to freezing time.

***

Corvin’s house was charming. Livia had lived in many places, and his townhouse would definitely top the list in quality, comfort, and amenities. He gave her a brief tour while they waited for the kettle to heat on the stove. The kitchen had quartz countertops, a spacious pantry, and new appliances that all matched. Corvin grabbed some grilled chicken from the freezer to reheat. He pulled an apple from one of the drawers in the fridge.

“Here you go, Hun.” He offered her the apple. “Sorry about the wait. Most of the stuff in the fridge went bad.”

Corvin made sandwiches as Livia devoured the apple. Livia could feel his concern, and she hoped the apple would resolve her mood probably as much as he did. They looked at each other when Livia placed the apple core in the trash.

“Do you dislike the house?” Corvin asked, placing a sandwich in front of her.

“No,” Livia answered honestly. “It’s perfect.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

“What’s wrong, then?” he asked.

Livia’s eyes filled with tears. “I’m going to miss Hyrum.”

“Come here, Liv,” Corvin gestured for her to enter his arms.

Livia took a hesitant step forward. Corvin gestured again, and she went running. She crashed into him with a little more force than she intended. But Corvin had braced himself and withstood the impact, undoubtedly aided by his Taurus strength.

He chuckled a little as he wrapped her in his arms. He pressed his face into her hair. “It’s a lot of change all at once.”

“I’m so overwhelmed,” Livia cried. “I’m so sorry!”

“It’s all right, Liv,” Corvin said. “This is normal.”

“Aren’t I supposed to be incredibly happy and relieved and—” Livia started crying in earnest, hot tears pouring onto her cheeks.

“Getting married doesn’t suddenly transform you into a higher being that only experiences positive feelings,” Corvin drawled.

Livia laughed despite her tears. “That wouldn’t make sense—”

“No, it wouldn’t,” Corvin agreed.

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be,” he said. “It’s fine. You know you can invite Hyrum over any time you want?”

“Even for breakfast?” Livia whispered.

Corvin lowered his forehead to hers. “Even for breakfast, Liv. This is your house, so you can invite your family anytime. I only ask if we’ve made previous plans that you inform me they’ve changed.”

“Thank you, Corvin.” Livia’s tears dried up.

The tea kettle screamed, and Corvin busied himself making tea. Livia did feel more settled after a warm drink and a full belly.

“Thank you, Corvin,” she said.

He looked at the time displayed on the oven. “How do you think the vote went?” Corvin asked.

“Will it already be over?” Livia asked.

He nodded. “But the news won’t air for fifteen more minutes.”

“Wouldn’t your Dad text?” Livia asked.

“He’s not allowed to until the Senate makes it public.”

“We could shovel more snow to pass the time,” Livia said.

Corvin laughed. “Or we could cuddle?”

Livia looked around. “Where?”

Which was a stupid question to ask. There were couches and a big cozy armchair in front of the fireplace. There were plenty of places to cuddle Corvin. She felt heat rush to her cheeks.

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

“Why don’t we go upstairs to the bed so you can get used to it before we sleep tonight?” Corvin asked.

It was a reasonable suggestion, and Livia agreed. As they climbed the stairs, nerves churned in her stomach. She really couldn’t pinpoint why. There was a lot to be nervous about—new beds, Senate results, figuring out where she would put her stuff now. She would need to arrange to move her things out of Hyrum’s house. Would Corvin have enough space here for her things? She didn’t have as much as most people, but what she did, she wasn’t willing to throw away.

Livia wondered if she would need to do laundry to have clothes for tomorrow. Was there enough food in the house for them to eat in the morning? What if she didn’t like the laundry detergent Corvin used? She should go shopping tonight to fix these potential problems. Would Corvin be offended by her leaving? Would he insist on coming with her? Livia really had no idea. She wouldn’t mind Corvin coming with her, but she did not want to offend him.

Hadn’t Livia gotten past thinking Corvin would get angry at her over the slightest thing? She married him because she was sure he wasn’t like that. Now, the worry had returned? The discouragement that filled her mind made her limbs heavy and slow. She wondered if she’d make it up the stairs.

Corvin turned back at the top of the stairs. “You tired, Liv?”

“Maybe we should go to the store tonight?” she said, defying her fear by being direct with Corvin.

“We can,” he said. “I was going to wait until morning, but I’d shove a waffle in a toaster and be fine.”

“I’d rather…there be food in the house,” Livia said anxiously.

“Then we’ll go tonight,” he said easily.

Livia felt a relief that was spoiled by the thought that Mom and Hyrum had often made similar assurances to her about food that never materialized. Livia was gutted at that memory, even a little angry that this was the moment she had to remember it. She’d really prefer to be happy right now.

Corvin entered the room and sprawled across the bed first thing. Naturally, Livia wanted to be relaxed and carefree enough to sprawl next to him without a worry in the world. That, however, was not the gift that reality presented her.

She tried to smile.

Corvin sat up. “What is wrong, Liv?”

“I’m sorry, Corvin.” She took a step back from the bed.

“Don’t be sorry. Just communicate instead,” he insisted.

“I am so stressed out—”

“About what?”

“I don’t think I have clean clothes to wear tomorrow—”

A look of realization crossed Corvin’s face. “You only have the things Hyrum packed for you. Do you want to run to his house when we pick up the food?”

“You’re okay with that?” Livia asked.

“Yeah,” Corvin said. “You need your stuff. Is there anything else you need to pick up?”

“What type of laundry detergent do you have here?” she asked.

“Do you want to wash some clothes, Liv?” Corvin asked.

“That would be nice, Corvin.”

“Garnet put the detergent we used yesterday with the things we carried in. Would that be okay?” Corvin asked.

Livia closed her eyes. “I’d be grateful but… I’m sorry to make you change detergents….”

“It’s fine, Liv,” Corvin said. “I’ll give what I have left to someone in the family. It’ll get used.”

“Okay,” she said. “I don’t mean to be demanding.”

“You’re not being demanding at all,” Corvin said. “I’d be pissed if I’d been given a suitcase of clothes for a weekend and expected to make that work for ten days. You’re being extremely reasonable about an inconvenient set of circumstances.”

Livia was tempted to apologize again, but instead, she said, “Can we put in that load of wash? I can sleep in clean pajamas tonight if we start it now.”

Corvin slid off the bed. “I’ll go down and get the detergent. You sort out what you want cleaned. The washer is in the closet.”

The wave of relief that poured over Livia was mood-lifting. She went to her suit, pulled out all the clothes, and put them into a pile. Livia went into the hallway to find the closet Corvin mentioned, but there wasn’t one there. She looked in the hall bathroom, thinking a closet was in there.

She was just coming out as Corvin came back up the stairs with the detergent. “What are you looking for in there?”

“The laundry room closet?”

He laughed. “No, it’s in our room.”

Livia frowned. “What?”

“Come see, Hun,” Corvin said.

Livia followed him, and he led her into his bedroom closet, which was really another set of rooms. She was so shocked she put her hand over her mouth.

“What?” Corvin asked.

“I’ve never seen a closet this big,” Livia laughed. “Corvin, this is like…another room! I don’t think you can call it a closet.”

“Fine.” He grinned. “It’s the housekeeping wing.”

Livia snorted. “Wing? I live in a house with a separate wing? That’s—”

“Obviously an exaggeration,” Corvin teased. “It’s a large closet.”

Livia laughed. She’d seen large closets. The entire room was lined with shelves to store and hang clothing. She was grateful to see that half of the room was empty except for some boxes of papers. The other half of the room was full of clothes, more than Livia thought a man should own.

It was ridiculous, but it was highly organized. There was a space for several variations of Corvin’s TARP uniforms. Hiking gear, casual jeans, and t-shirts came next. Though she found it weird, he hung up his t-shirts. Why not throw them in a drawer? Maybe the point was to not have drawers? Then there were suits and formal wear which was the biggest section. Then there were various coats and snow gear. Finally, Corvin had installed a particular space to display his Roman armor and toga.

“I know you’re thinking that’s a lot of clothing, but that’s the bare minimum for a patrician man.”

Livia was horrified. “How much clothing am I expected to have?”

“I’m assuming we’ll have to build your wardrobe,” Corvin mused.

“How do people have the money?” Livia demanded.

“I actually inherited a lot of suits from my grandfather,” Corvin said. “We’ll find you pieces that are meaningful to you. We don’t have to do it all at once. It’ll take a few years.”

Livia exhaled with relief. At least Corvin wasn’t recommending a massive shopping spree. But the problem of finding the washer remained. Livia didn’t see it anywhere.

“Corvin, where is the washer?” she asked.

He smiled, put his hand on the island in the middle of the room, and slid open the door on the side to reveal the washer. A fancy hidden washer had yet to make the list of Livia’s life aspirations, but she was impressed. Livia carried her clothes over and loaded them. Corvin showed her the rest of the controls and poured in the detergent. Just like that, Livia had one less thing to worry about.

“Thank you,” she said.

“No problem, Hun. Come rest before we go out. Try out the bed. We can delay the snuggling part until you are more settled.”

Livia did her thing and settled into the bed as far apart from Corvin as she could. She was frustrated with herself, but old habits die hard. Marriage didn’t magically turn her into a new person.

Corvin was smiling at her from the other side of the bed.

“You’re happy?” Liv asked him, skeptical.

“Liv,” he said, voice low. “I’d let you wear my clothes to bed.”

Livia knew her cheeks turned bright pink when Corvin laughed. “I like having my own clothes,” she said.

“I know,” he flirted. “But I wouldn’t have minded sharing.”

Livia looked away from him, trying to hide how the reiterated offer flustered her further.

“Have I offended you, Hun?” Corvin asked.

She looked at him again, surprised. “No.”

“No? Why are you looking away then and hiding over there?”

Livia sighed. “I’m just this way.”

“Are you happy being ‘this way’?” Corvin asked, curious. “I never could discern if you played rough around the edges because you found it fun or if you were afraid.”

“I’m not having fun right now,” Livia said.

“So, every moment doesn’t have to be fun between us, but is there anything I can do to make you more comfortable?” he asked.

“I don’t know. This is not an ideal situation,” Livia pouted.

“If the situation were ideal, what would it look like?” Corvin asked.

“I’d know we had enough food for the week and what we would eat for all our meals. I’d have my own clothes. I’d have a choice to wear your clothes or not—”

Corvin just listened and didn’t get offended by her comments, though she knew it’d be easy for him to take it wrong.

“And everything feels so…uncertain. Is Gaius going to be mad? Are they going to find a way to force us to divorce?” Livia’s voice shook.

“Oh, Liv,” Corvin said. “No, they can’t do that.”

“Can’t they?” Livia asked.

Corvin was honest. “They can try, but it’ll be hard for them to succeed.”

Corvin looked at his phone.

“Is there news on the vote?” Livia asked.

“Do you want to come downstairs with me and watch it?”

Livia nodded.

They both slid off the bed and went downstairs to turn on the TV. Neither one of them sat down, too agitated to sit.

“It was a productive Senate session—” the anchorman reported. “The Senate would like to announce that we passed the budget. After years of gridlock, a functional welfare budget was agreed upon and passed for Lupus House. Lars declined to comment this evening but agreed to make a statement tomorrow. Other—”

“It passed,” Livia said.

Corvin pressed his hands through his hair. “It passed,” he whispered.

They turned to each other. Livia took two steps and hugged him to express her relief and support. Corvin held her, burying her face into her hair. It took her a moment before she realized that he was emotional.

“Thank you,” he sniffled.

“Why are you thanking me?” Livia asked, bewildered.

“You and Hyrum made this pass.” Corvin wiped tears from his cheeks with the heel of his hand. “Justin helped, but you and Hyrum also managed what I couldn’t. Thank you, Livia. I am so grateful.”

“I feel like I didn’t do much—” Livia admitted.

“Sometimes it only takes one other person in a community saying something is the right thing to get people to agree. You and Hyrum were those people, and it made a difference, Liv.”

It was sweet that Corvin gave her that much credit, but Livia was relieved that people would have access to the food and supplies needed to survive. She was also relieved that Gaius no longer held the vote as leverage over her. She felt free from his manipulations, and she could only describe the relief that came over her as healing.

Corvin stepped back. “I’m going to call my family. Then we’ll go out and get your things and food.”

Hyrum was elated to see them. He chatted excitedly about the success of the budget vote as he helped them pack Livia’s things into garbage sacks and load them into her car. Then Corvin and Livia went grocery shopping. Corvin told Livia they would switch off paying for groceries each week until they’d arranged their finances. He insisted on taking the bill this week. Livia was a little anxious about that, but it sounded reasonable and fair to her, so she agreed.

Corvin asked Livia to drop him off at his parents on the way home so he could pick up his car. They drove home, unloaded the groceries, switched the laundry, and started arranging Livia’s side of the closet. By the time they finished, Livia was exhausted but peaceful.

“We did it,” she said.

“You feel better, love?” Corvin asked.

She nodded.

It was late now, and they both got ready for bed. This time when Livia crawled into Corvin’s bed, she snuggled up to his side without a thought. Corvin lifted his arm and curled it around her.

“Much better,” he mused. “I’m sorry it was so stressful this afternoon, Liv.”

“It’s fixed now,” she said sleepily. “And no one knows we’re married, so they can’t get mad at us yet.”

Corvin chuckled. He kissed her forehead. “I love you, Liv.”

“I love you too, Corvin,” Livia whispered. “Thank you for listening to me.”

They held each other close and relaxed. Livia wondered if Corvin would want to try something together at least. “Corvin?”

“Hm?”

“Do you want…”

A heavy sigh interrupted her question. “Please, don’t think I don’t love you, Liv.”

“You don’t want—”

“I’m sorry. Holding you right now is good, but….”

“I understand,” Livia said, not needing an explanation. She knew there was a limit to how much sensation you could stand in one day. “Thank you for everything you did to help me today.”

“Thank you for understanding,” Corvin whispered.

Livia settled against Corvin, enjoyed being in his arms without any expectations, and drifted into a peaceful sleep.