Page 50 of Heal You (The Study You #3)

Roused from a deep sleep by the sound of the coffee machine, Jan cracked one eye open and groaned.

She hadn’t moved from this very position all night, and now she had a dead arm and pins and needles in her shoulder.

The moment they’d locked up the bar and headed up here last night, Jan and Morgan had crashed.

It had been an emotional evening, so it was to be expected, but now Jan felt refreshed and ready for whatever this day threw at her.

She stretched herself out in Morgan’s bed, smiling when she heard Morgan humming along to the radio in the kitchen.

God, she’d missed this. She’d missed her .

Everything that Morgan was…Jan had craved.

There had been moments when she’d lay in bed just staring at the ceiling all night, and there had been moments when she’d woken up on the couch the next morning because the bed had felt too lonely to even climb into.

But she was here, and she had been all night. Safely in Morgan’s arms.

Jan brought the material of Morgan’s T-shirt up to her nose and inhaled as she smiled.

There was something incredibly pleasing about waking up in Morgan’s washed-out Ramones T-shirt.

It reminded Jan of not only the moments they’d already had together but everything that was to come.

Happiness, excitement, something different.

But for now, Jan simply wanted to snuggle into Morgan’s bed and leave the world outside.

“Morning, babe.”

Jan brought the material away from her face and grinned when she saw Morgan standing in the bedroom doorway holding two coffee cups. “Hi.”

“Coffee?”

“Yes, thank you.” Jan sat up and took a cup from Morgan, then slouched back against the headboard. She brought it to her lips, moaning as she inhaled the scent of fresh coffee. “Smells amazing.”

“I thought it might wake you up a bit. I barely got two words out of you last night once we’d got into bed.”

Jan pulled the cover back and cocked her head towards the empty space. “Come and keep me warm for a bit longer.”

Morgan rounded the foot of the bed and climbed in on her side. Jan had to smile at that. She had a side of the bed here. As Morgan faced her, she frowned. “What are you grinning at?”

Jan cast her gaze on the cup in her hands and shook her head. “Oh, nothing.”

“No, tell me.”

Clearing her throat as she set her coffee down on the bedside table, Jan shifted closer to Morgan and sighed.

Usually, she would try to find the right words without putting pressure on this, but she didn’t care this morning.

She took Morgan’s hand and brought it to her lips. “I…have a side of the bed here.”

“Of course you do. You’ll always have a side of the bed here, babe.

” Morgan’s gorgeous brown eyes gazed back at Jan, making her heart jump and her pulse race.

She felt so many things when it came to Morgan, but wasn’t it too soon to say them out loud?

Jan…didn’t know. “And anything else you want to have here.”

Jan hummed when Morgan pressed a kiss to the tip of her nose. “And the same goes for you when it comes to my place.”

“I’m just really happy you got to keep your place. The rest doesn’t matter.”

Jan sensed a hint of apprehension in Morgan’s voice.

She understood. Jan had walked away just two weeks ago, but she was here, and she was staying in Morgan’s life.

Nothing in this world could change her mind on that, especially now that Jan had support from Gillian and Finn.

“I know this has been a lot, and I’m so deeply sorry for losing my head, but I’m in this with you, Morgan. All of it…I want, okay?”

“W-what are you saying?” Morgan’s brows drew together as she searched Jan’s eyes.

“I’m saying that I don’t just want to date you. I want to be with you. Exclusively. I want to wake up with you every morning if I can, and I want to share all of me with all of you .”

Morgan blinked back tears. “You mean that?”

“Every last word of it.” Jan wrapped herself around Morgan and nuzzled into her chest. Nowhere had ever felt safer.

Nowhere would ever feel better. “I’ve signed the divorce papers, I’m back at work, and I’m here.

I have everything I want, Morgan. I feel…

happier than I have in a long time, and that’s because of you. ”

Morgan sniffled when she pressed a kiss to Jan’s hair and held her close. “I’ve missed you so much.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Please, don’t apologise.” Morgan drew back and brought a hand to Jan’s cheek.

“I understand why you needed to step back, but it didn’t make me miss you any less.

” Tears slid down Morgan’s face, but her smile was something to be admired in this moment.

“The longer I went without hearing from you, the more I wondered if I’d ever see you again.

” As Morgan’s voice broke, the floodgates opened.

Oh, God. Jan’s heart broke when Morgan lowered her head and sobbed against her shoulder. “I can’t believe you showed up for me.”

“Hey,” Jan whispered as she soothed a palm up and down Morgan’s back. “I’ll always show up for you.” Jan squeezed her eyes shut when her own tears threatened to surface. “I made a mistake asking for space. I should have thought about what you needed in that moment, and not just myself.”

Morgan shook her head against Jan’s shoulder. “You know I only care about what’s best for you. I’ve always been honest about that.”

“And I now realise what’s best for me.”

Morgan lifted her head and brushed the back of her hand against her cheeks. Her bottom lip continued to tremble, but Jan appreciated Morgan’s vulnerability in this moment.

“You, baby. You are what’s best for me.”

“I don’t know how you ended up in my life, and I don’t know what you see in me that could possibly make you happier than you’ve been in the past, but I’m so fucking in, Jan. Every last piece of me is entirely in where you’re concerned.”

“I know.” Jan stroked her thumbs beneath Morgan’s eyes and regarded her with a smile. “I don’t like seeing you cry.”

Morgan scoffed as she lifted a shoulder. “I rarely cry.”

“I hope that I’ll never be the reason you cry again.” Jan drew her into a kiss, one hand wrapped around Morgan’s neck when she pressed herself to Morgan’s warm body. “From this moment on, we go back to what we had before I stupidly sent that message to you. Only this time…without hiding.”

Morgan relaxed and touched her forehead to Jan’s. “I’m so ready.”

“And…I was hoping I could spend the weekend here with you while you’re working.”

“Ben took the promotion. I asked him last week, and he didn’t even have to think about it.”

Jan was thrilled to hear that. Ben was such an integral part of Morgan’s team, and he was a lovely guy. “That’s brilliant news.”

“So, I have every other weekend off now. As well as a few nights a week.”

Jan beamed a smile. “Please tell me this weekend is your weekend off…”

“It is.” Morgan pulled Jan into her lap and wrapped her arms around her waist. “And I don’t want to spend it here with you.”

“Maybe my place?” Jan quirked a brow. “We haven’t had the chance to spend much time there together.”

“I’d love to spend the weekend with you at your place, but could I take you out for dinner tomorrow night?”

“It’s a date,” Jan said as she smiled into another kiss. “With the most beautiful woman in the world.”

Morgan blushed and cleared her throat. “You uh…you said you’re back at work.”

“We can talk about that later. Once we’re back at my place…maybe with a takeout.”

“Perfect.” Morgan practically lifted Jan out of her lap and sat her in the middle of the bed. She got to her feet and opened her wardrobe. “Guess I’d better sort a weekend bag out for myself.”

“Mm. Maybe you should just pick out some clothes that you can leave at my place. After all, you’ll be spending a lot of time there when you’re not working.”

Morgan spun around and grinned. “Seriously?”

“As serious as a heart attack, gorgeous.”

* * *

Watching Jan from the archway that separated the kitchen from the dining room, Morgan smiled to herself.

She’d spent the entire day with Jan—something that wasn’t often possible—and now they were about to sit down in the living room with takeout.

Moments like this were something Morgan rarely afforded herself, but with Jan, she wanted so many more of them.

Taking life at their own pace, lounging around if they felt like it, just being with one another.

Tonight, this was all Morgan could have dreamed of.

She stepped towards Jan and wrapped her arms around her waist from behind. “Something smells good, and it’s not the food.”

Jan glanced back over her shoulder and smirked. “That was something I missed. The way you smell.”

Morgan lifted a brow. “Oh, really?”

“Mmhmm. Your perfume always reminds me of the first night we slept together.” Jan relaxed back and settled her hands over Morgan’s. “Down in the bar…with you pressed against me. It’s something I remember vividly.”

Dropping a kiss below Jan’s neck, Morgan inched a hand lower and slipped it just past the waistband of the sweatpants Jan wore. “I’ve had dreams about that night on several occasions now.”

“It’s good to know I’m not the only one.” Jan turned in Morgan’s arms and drew her into a kiss. She tasted of everything Morgan had craved over the years. Safety and promise. Contentment and love. “Ready to eat?”

“Yeah, come on. I’ll get the food.” Morgan stepped away from Jan and gathered everything they needed onto a tray.

Once they were in the living room, the coffee table cleared so they had space to lay everything out, Morgan lowered herself to her knees and started to plate up.

“I’ve had a great day with you, by the way.

I didn’t realise how much I wanted to do these things with you until it wasn’t happening anymore. ”