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When he finally turns, there’s a softness in his blue eyes that he’s always reserved just for me. It’s private, like the way he touches me when he thinks I’m asleep or how he watches me when he doesn’t think I’m looking. It’s the small things he does, that are louder than his words ever could be. His actions speak for him.
“Hey, Sleeping Beauty,” he says, holding up a mug. “I added a splash of cream. Hope it’s enough.”
I accept the cup with a soft smile.
He places a kiss on my forehead and grins. “Let me know if it tastes like jet fuel because that roast is dark as fuck.”
I act offended, cradling the mug in both hands, letting the heat soak into my fingers. “You’re cute.”
“Just cute?” he asks, sipping his own and leaning against the counter.
His eyes scan me—bare legs, messy hair, sleepy eyes—and something shifts in his gaze. Not hunger, not lust, just pure admiration. It’s the look that says he sees me. I don’t have to perform or be polished. I can just be.
I sit on the stool beside him and hold the cup tight. “You have plans today?”
He nods. “I’m meeting with Easton and Weston to discuss me leaving.”
“You’re serious?”
“Yeah. Guess it’s time to be a trust-fund baby,” he says with a smirk, tilting his head toward me. “About time, right?”
I laugh. “What will you do in your free time?”
“You,” he says, shooting me a wink. “I honestly haven’t thought much about it. Maybe I’ll volunteer for the Wounded Warrior Project. I just want to live for once in my life.” He moves toward me and dips down to kiss me. “I have you to thank for that.”
There’s a beat of quiet between us then. Not awkward. Not heavy. Just stillness. And in that stillness, I realize how easy this feels. How natural. Like our lives have already started folding into each other without either of us noticing.
“You’re welcome,” I tell him, waggling my brows. “I will keep you plenty busy.”
I sip my coffee and let the warmth settle low in my belly as my eyes slide over him. Strong and sexy.
Brody Calloway is a walking fantasy, and he’s mine. Forever.
His fingers brush a strand of hair away from my cheek. “You’re so pretty.”
“You are too,” I tell him.
Then he kisses me once, with certainty, and pulls back just enough to smile. “Let’s go house-hunting. Something that’s ours. That holds no memories of anything else. A place for our new beginning.”
“I’d love that,” I tell him, a grin taking over. “Moving kinda fast, huh, Calloway?”
His grin widens. “First comes love.”
I can’t help the smile that touches my lips, knowing this is true happiness.
“Now, I have to go meet my asshole cousins and let them make jokes for an hour,” he says.
“Going like that?” I look him up and down.
He tilts his head at me. “What do you think they’d say if I walked into Calloway Diamonds headquarters like this?”
“You’d better not. I don’t need my future husband being splashed around gossip magazines. Do you know how many spank banks you’d be added to? Absolutely not.”
Laughter roars out of him. “I always forget you were the jealous type.”
“Pfft, speak for yourself,” I tell him, standing to capture his lips again. “But I am jealous. You’re mine. And only mine. I’m willing to fight.”
“Fuck,” he whispers across my mouth. “Hot.”