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CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

W hen Doug strode into Jenn’s apartment, she was busy in the kitchen preparing a salad.

Now that her family and friends knew about their relationship, she had asked Brody to allow Doug’s handprint to unlock both the inside and outside doors to her apartment, using the scanners on the walls beside them.

Of course, Brody teased her about it, at first refusing to comply.

But then she threatened to ask Fancy to cut off the supply line of sinfully delicious pastries, cookies, pies, and cakes that she sent to the TS offices every few days, which caused him to cave immediately.

Fancy owned a bakery and pampered him with sugary confections whenever he wanted.

Where he put it all was beyond everyone’s comprehension because the man barely had an ounce of fat on him, despite the goodies and sitting in his war-room most days, monitoring the computer system in there and gathering intel.

While Fancy wouldn’t deny her Dom/husband the treats, a mutiny would occur at the TS offices if the rest of them had to suffer the loss, and Doug would lead the charge.

Fancy’s creations were worth the extra time he needed to spend at the gym.

“How was your day, dear?” Jenn asked in an overly sweet tone as he shut the door, dropped a duffel bag on the floor, and kicked off his shoes.

“Perfect, now that I get to see your pretty face.” He meant it. She was the balm that soothed him at the end of a hectic day.

They met each other halfway across the open floor plan of the apartment’s living, dining, and kitchen areas.

Ignoring his sweaty TS polo shirt, Jenn wrapped her arms around his neck as he cupped her ass with both hands and squeezed.

He leaned down and kissed her soundly on the mouth before tucking his face where her neck met her shoulder and nibbling on her skin. “I missed you. It’s been a long day.”

“Everything okay?” She pulled back and stared at him, her eyes narrowing. “My uncles didn’t do or say anything to you after I left, did they?”

He shook his head. “Nope. In fact, Ian added me to his twat-roster.”

A smile spread across her face before she burst out laughing. “Of course he did. So, what’s your nickname?”

“Tinsel-twat,” he replied, followed by a snort.

“What? Oh, my God. Where does he come up with some of these?”

“I have no clue, but I’m sure it could’ve been worse.”

“I’m sure too. One of these days, I’m going to search his office for the list. I want to see what other potential names are on it.

” She gestured to his duffel bag. “Do you want to take a quick shower? Dinner’s almost ready.

I have chicken and dumplings cooking with another ten minutes or so left on the timer. ”

“A shower is definitely needed.” He’d already taken two that day, one in the morning and another before he met with Lainey Hall, but with the temperature reaching a humid ninety-six earlier, just stepping outside had him drenched in sweat again.

The apartment’s air conditioning skated over his damp skin, making him shiver. “Want to join me?”

She ran a seductive finger down his arm, and her touch was like a direct line to his cock, which twitched. “As much as I want to say yes, I think once we’re both naked, we’d go over the ten-minute mark. Honestly, I’m starving. Raincheck?”

He kissed her cheek. “You’ve got it. I’ll be out in a few minutes.”

After washing away the sweat and grime from his body, he put on a pair of gray sweatpants and a faded blue T-shirt.

Their only plans for the evening were dinner and binge-watching a few episodes of Grey’s Anatomy .

While Jenn had been a fan of the show for years, Doug never watched it until she got him into it.

Now, they were on the third season, and he was hooked.

He liked the domesticity of their time together.

She still had another few weeks before she started her job in Tampa’s Department of Social Services.

While they did go out occasionally for dinner, a movie, or something else fun, staying in and relaxing was what they enjoyed most. Because their relationship had been a secret until yesterday, they’d spent their alone time at his place, but now he looked forward to nights at Jenn’s.

He’d only been in it a few times before.

His condo was sparsely decorated, featuring only the bare necessities.

The only things he’d splurged on were his recliner, TV, and bed.

The rest of the furniture was chosen for its practicality, rather than comfort.

However, Jenn’s place felt more like a home.

It was warm and inviting. While Ian and Devon had hired professional interior decorators to furnish their homes before they met their wives, Jenn had designed her own, personally choosing every item in it that wasn’t a gift from someone else.

A few decorative or functional pieces had belonged to her parents, like some of the artwork, knick-knacks, and kitchenware, and she cherished them.

He’d never realized it before, but Jenn was what his mother would call an extroverted introvert.

If she was out with friends or family, she enjoyed herself and chatted with everyone.

However, she preferred to be a homebody more often than not, staying in and reading, watching TV, or doing stuff on her computer.

With his wild oats days behind him, Doug was more than happy to spend quiet time at home with her.

While the sex was amazing and he was always up for it, he also liked just being with her, even if they each had a book in hand, not saying anything while they cuddled on the couch and quietly read.

Jenn had just put the food on the dining table when he strode into the great room. “Mmm. Smells delicious.”

She beamed at him as they both took a seat and filled their plates.

“Thanks. It’s my mom’s recipe. Actually, it was her mother’s, but my grandmother passed away before I was born.

Mom made it a lot because it was one of my dad’s favorites.

I used to watch her sometimes, but never really paid attention to every little thing she did.

After they died, it was a few years before I tried to make it.

” She shrugged. “It’s a part of her that I really missed.

I thought that if I could make it, it would bring back a lot of good memories, which it did, even though it took several tries before I finally got the dumplings right.

Now, I cook it about once a month. It’s comfort food, which with this cast making me itch like crazy and dealing with my insane uncles today, I could really use. ”

“It’s also delicious,” he said after swallowing a piece of chicken. “I’m glad you’ll always have those memories of your mom. And someday, you’ll pass the recipe down to your children.”

Her hand holding a fork froze in midair. “Um. Wow. That’s not something we’ve talked about yet. I love my nieces and nephews and hope to have kids of my own someday. Is that what you want too?”

He nodded and gave her a reassuring smile. “Yeah, it is. I love kids, but I was never sure I’d meet someone I would want to marry someday and have them with.”

“And now?”

Putting down his fork, he crossed his arms on the table and gazed into her beautiful blue eyes.

“I don’t want to jump the gun yet, but yeah, I think I finally found that someone.

I love you, Jenn. But I also don’t want to rush things.

We still have so much to learn about each other.

We’ve known each other for years, but there’s still so much about you that I don’t know. ”

She reached across the table and laid a hand on his arm.

“I love you, too, and you’re right—we still have a lot to learn about each other.

But I almost lost you once, and then I waited for what seemed like forever for you to come around and finally admit you had feelings for me.

I don’t want to pressure you, but I’ve known for a long time that you’re the man I want to build a life with.

Having said that, I can wait for you to catch up, even if it takes months or years.

As long as I’m with you, I’m happy. Just know that, if and when you’re ready to commit to a forever with me, my answer will be an immediate and emphatic yes.

Releasing his arm, she stabbed her fork into her salad. “Now, let’s move on to a lighter subject. I stopped in the office earlier, and Colleen said you went to interview a new client. Is it classified, or can you talk about it?”

If he weren’t already in love with her, he would’ve fallen right then.

He didn’t feel like she was demanding a formal commitment with the promise of a ring, a big wedding, a house with a picket fence, and enough kids to make their own baseball team.

She just wanted him to know that she considered him to be her soulmate.

Even though he wasn’t ready to voice it, he felt the same.

Someday, he’d get down on one knee and propose, of that he was certain now.

But until then, he wanted to become an expert in everything that made Jenn the woman she was.

Once again, he wanted to kick his own ass for fighting the attraction between them for as long as he had.

So much time lost that he could’ve spent in her loving arms, in just her presence.

He’d been a fool, but those days were gone, and he planned to spend the rest of his life making it up to her.