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Jack

The warm glow of the motion lights lit the dogs as they sniffed the frosty grass. I bounced from one foot to the other, willing them to finish their business and let me warm up .

Who knew Willow had such a stubbornly competitive streak? Despite the niggling irritation at losing, my focus on was her enjoyment. With every win, squeals of joy erupted from her.

I couldn’t help but notice the way her body moved during Twister. Especially when her shoulder knocked my arm and I collapsed on top of her perfect body and especially when she wiggled around to try and get out from underneath me.

My dick noticed her too, waking up from his unintentional celibacy like he was ready to dive right in.

Once the dogs were in, I double checked the locks on the back and front doors, then pulled up the app that was connected to all the cameras I’d set up the day before.

They were all live and working, with good visuals.

They kept us safe, secure, and with Willow under my roof, I was quickly finding there wasn’t anything I’d stop at to ensure her safety.

Once ready for bed, I entered her room like normal. And like normal, butterflies set flight in my stomach as I found her cocooned under the duvet, huge chocolate eyes peering over the top as she lay on her side, watching me.

I pulled the duvet back, slid between the sheets, leaving them pooled at my waist, leaving my right foot laying on top of the bedding.

A deep sigh of appreciation escaped me, for the mattress Frannie had urged me to spend a little more on, and for the comfort said mattress was bringing my aching muscles after the workout that was games night.

“Thank you for tonight,” a quiet voice from my left. “It was great.”

“Special T-shirt great?” I asked with my eyes closed.

“I mean,” she stuttered. “I’d only used it for the good days before but—”

I felt the bedding shift, causing me to open my eyes to find it lifted up above her, and the T-shirt in question perfectly encasing her torso .

“Told you, it should be reserved for great days.” As I spoke, a shiver rippled through her. “Cold?”

“It’s fine, I’ll warm up.”

“Do you… want to cuddle?” That took her by surprise, as her eyes widened and her perfect mauve lips popped open to create an ‘o’.

“Uh, no it’s okay. But thank you.”

She wrapped herself in the bedding like she was in a cocoon, and I raised an eyebrow at her menial efforts to warm up.

“Willow, you’re shivering. Either snuggle up or grab an extra layer.” I closed my eyes, feeling guilty at my harsh tone.

I raised my left arm, predicting – hoping – the option she’d go for, because even if we couldn’t admit it, there was a pull for whatever contact we could allow ourselves.

I couldn’t believe I was about to cross another boundary with my assistant, even though we both knew this was no longer just a boss-assistant relationship.

As expected, she shuffled under my arm, resting her head on my chest and when I placed my arm around her back, everything clicked into place like it was the most natural thing in the world. Like I was home. And if I wasn’t mistaken, she felt the same given her contented sigh.

It didn’t matter that she provided more body heat that I’d struggle to sleep, and it didn’t matter that her mass of dark hair was tickling my neck, because this was exactly where I was meant to be. I could only dream the feeling was mutual.

“Can I ask you something?” she mumbled into my chest, and when I let out a curious grunt, she continued.

“When I first moved in, you gave me the biggest room in the house, which is very generous, but why don’t you have that room?

It’s your house, I’d expect you to have the primary bedroom, with its fancy en-suite and huge walk-in wardrobe. ”

I smiled at her honesty, despite the jolt of pain at the memories. I cleared my throat to speak.

“We did. Once.”

Willow stiffened under my arm. “Oh, I’m sorry—”

“Don’t be, you weren’t to know. We bought this house twelve years ago.

We had great plans to slowly renovate every room.

Frannie’s was the main priority, since she was our ten-year-old little girl and deserved a safe and comfortable space to grow up in.

We claimed the largest room, as you’d expect, and we started to decorate it and fill it with our life.

“Thirteen months later, I woke up to find Harrie next to me, and my life was flipped upside down.” Willow remained still under my arm as I paused to take a breath before I recounted the worst day of my life.

“A silent heart attack in the middle of the night. There’d never been any indication or heart problems, she just…

went. After a few months of struggling to sleep, waiting for her to walk out of the bathroom or wardrobe, desperate for her to crawl into bed and hold me, I snapped at Mike.

I just broke. He and Lu moved all of my belongings into the room next door, and I’ve never looked back.

“It stayed as a vacant space until last year after we completed the renovation of every other room, and it was the last room standing. I told Frannie to use her creative flair to make it a room her mum would be proud of, and she did. She used it towards her final year project and got the highest score of the year. She called it her decorative shrine to her mum.”

Willow squeezed my middle. “I’m sorry. Everything I’ve ever heard about her has been amazing.”

“She was. She still is. She’s everywhere still, in habits I continue to fulfil, in our daughter, in the decisions I make. But life moves on, and no matter how painful that is for me to accept, there is a life after loss.”

“There is.” Given her more recent traumas, it was easy to forget about her griefs, but like my own daughter, she’d lost both parents in different ways.

My heart hurt to think of the amount of pain she’d survived despite her age.

She deserved a live full of sunshine after the storm so far.

“Can I ask you a question?” It was my turn.

“Mhm,” she mumbled into my T-shirt.

“Why didn’t you tell me it was your birthday last week?”

She sighed at my question, the warm breath puffing through to my skin.

“It wasn’t important, there were bigger priorities. And honestly? I forgot.”

“There’s been big things going on, but if anything, you deserve to celebrate the good moments all the more.”

“I guess, I assumed you knew. It was on the HR systems.”

Another pang of guilt that I’d worked alongside Willow for six years and didn’t even know her birthday.

“Good job there’s more in store then, isn’t it?” She peered up at me with narrowed eyes, a grumpy frown between her brows. “More surprises I mean.”

“When?”

“You’ll have to wait and see.” I smirked and she huffed back to where she secretly belonged – head on my chest.

She started to weave her icy toes around mine. Clearly, we craved each other beyond the lustful desire, our bodies grounded each other, giving exactly what the other needed. “Do you know who else was born on January nineteenth?”

“No?” she croaked out sleepily.

“Harrie. ”

Her head snapped up, and her eyes filled with sadness, before she assessed the soft smile that had grown on my face. I hoped it reflected fondness, but inside I accepted I did feel sad.

Sadness for the love I’d lost and the love I’d never be allowed to express.