27. ZARA
ZARA
Research Study
For a second, when I wake up, I’m disoriented.
The mattress is softer, the sheets are white instead of gray, and even the light feels different, softer somehow, filtering through curtains that aren’t mine.
Then I remember.
I’m in Jaxon’s bed. Yesterday happened. The evaluation went well.
And then Jaxon told me he’s in love with me.
Since then, I’ve felt like I might burst from happiness.
My breath catches as I turn my head.
He’s there.
On his back, one arm thrown over his head, the other resting loosely across his stomach. His hair is slightly messy, his face relaxed in sleep in a way I’ve never really seen before. No tension in his jaw. No crease between his brows. Just… him.
Soft.
Real.
Mine.
My heart does something ridiculous in my chest.
Oh my God.
We’re actually—
I press my lips together, trying to keep the smile from spreading too wide across my face.
We’re together. Not fake-together. Actually together.
Actually in love.
Actually married.
I let out a quiet, breathless laugh that I quickly muffle with my hand.
This is insane.
A few weeks ago, I was his nanny. Then I was his fake wife.
Now I’m waking up in his bed, watching him sleep, trying to process that the man next to me is in love with me.
I squeeze my eyes shut for a second.
It’s the best, most overwhelming thing that’s ever happened to me.
When I open my eyes again, he’s looking at me.
I freeze.
He doesn’t say anything at first. Just watches me with that slow, knowing awareness that makes me feel like he’s already clocked every thought I just had.
“Good morning,” he murmurs, his voice rough with sleep.
My stomach flips.
“Morning,” I whisper back, suddenly hyper-aware of the fact that I am in his bed, in his shirt, with my hair probably doing something chaotic.
He tilts his head slightly, studying me. “You’ve been staring at me.”
I immediately sit up a little straighter. “I was not staring.”
“You were definitely staring.”
“I was observing,” I correct.
His mouth twitches. “That makes me feel like a scientific project.”
I tilt my head, letting my gaze drift over him in a way that is very much not subtle anymore. “You say that like it’s a bad thing.”
His brow lifts. “Depends on the experiment.”
“Oh, it’s a very thorough one,” I say lightly, shifting onto my side so I’m facing him more fully. “Extensive research. Long-term study. Possibly multiple… hands-on trials.”
There’s a beat.
Then his eyes darken just slightly.
“Hands-on trials,” he repeats slowly.
I shrug, trying for nonchalance and landing somewhere closer to blatant flirting. “You know. For accuracy.”
He lets out a low huff of amusement, but there’s something else underneath it now. Something warmer. He shifts closer, closing a little more of the space between us.
“And what exactly are you planning to research?” he asks.
My pulse picks up, but I don’t back down.
“Your… general composition,” I say, gesturing vaguely. “Structure. Reactions. Durability under pressure.”
His mouth curves. “Durability.”
I bite back a smile, suddenly very aware of how close he is now.
“And I assume this research is purely for academic purposes,” he adds.
“Obviously,” I say. “I’m a professional.”
“Right.”
His hand slides a little higher on my arm, slow, deliberate, like he’s testing something of his own.
“And what makes you think I’m volunteering for this study?” he asks.
I meet his gaze, my voice softening just a fraction.
“You already did,” I say.
He studies me for a second, then leans in just slightly, his voice dropping.
“And what did you think of the preliminary findings?” he murmurs.
I shrug, my heart racing now. “Yesterday’s findings were… compelling.”
That earns me a quiet laugh, but his eyes stay on mine.
“Careful,” he says. “You keep talking like that, I might start thinking this study isn’t entirely objective.”
I lean in just enough that our breaths brush.
“It’s not objective at all,” I admit softly.
Something in his expression shifts then. Less teasing. More intent.
“Yeah?” he asks.
“Yeah.”
There’s a moment where neither of us moves.
Then his hand comes up, fingers brushing lightly along my jaw, and my breath catches.
“For the record,” he murmurs, “I’m not opposed to further research.”
My stomach flips.
“No?”
“No.”
We kiss, slow and like we have all the time in the world.
All my lady parts come alive in an instant and a soft sound slips out of me before I can stop it, and his lips curve just slightly against mine.
He shifts closer, the space between us disappearing completely, and I’m very aware of everything at once. The warmth of him. The weight of his hand. The way his breath mixes with mine.
“Zara,” he murmurs, and there’s something different in his voice now. Something deeper.
I’m about to go for it and put my hand down his boxer briefs when—
“Daaaaaad?”
We freeze.
My eyes fly open.
Jaxon goes still against me, his hand tightening slightly at my waist like he’s not entirely sure if he imagined that.
“Daaaaaad!” Lily’s voice echoes again from down the hallway, louder this time. “Where are you?”
I clamp my lips together to keep from laughing, because the situation is so absurd I might actually lose it.
Jaxon drops his forehead to mine with a quiet groan. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”
“Incredible timing,” I whisper back, trying not to giggle.
“Not helping,” he mutters.
“DAD!”
“Yeah!” he calls back, his voice instantly shifting. “We’re—uh—here!”
I bury my face in his shoulder for a second, laughing silently.
“We are absolutely not getting out of this gracefully,” I whisper.
“Define gracefully,” he mutters back.
I lift my head just in time as the bedroom door swings open.
Lily stands there.
She looks at him.
Then at me.
Then at the fact that we are very obviously both still in bed.
Together.
There’s a pause.
A long, assessing pause.
“Hi,” she says.
“Hey, bug,” Jaxon answers, way too calm.
I attempt a smile. “Hi.”
Lily squints at us slightly.
“What are you doing?”
I open my mouth.
Nothing comes out.
Jaxon tries. “We were just—uh—talking.”
“In bed?” she asks.
I choke on a laugh and immediately turn it into a cough.
“Yes,” he says. “People… talk in bed.”
She considers that.
Then shrugs.
“Okay.”
Just… okay.
I blink at her. “You’re not surprised?”
She frowns like that’s a weird question. “Why would I be surprised?”
I glance at Jaxon. He looks just as thrown as I feel.
“Because we—” I start, then stop, because how do I even phrase this.
Lily gestures between us like it’s obvious. “You’re married.”
My face heats instantly.
“That’s true,” Jaxon says.
“And you like each other,” she adds.
I make a small, strangled sound.
“We do,” he says, a little less steady now.
“So sometimes you’re together,” she concludes.
I hide my face in the blanket for a second.
Jaxon rubs a hand over his face. “Yeah. That’s—accurate.”
She nods, satisfied. “Okay.”
Another pause. Then— “I’m hungry.”
I lower the blanket just enough to look at her. “You’re always hungry.”
“Yes,” she agrees easily. “Can I have pancakes?”
Jaxon lets out a breath that sounds suspiciously like a laugh. “We just had pancakes yesterday.”
“That was yesterday,” she says.
Fair point.
She turns and starts walking out like this conversation is completely finished.
Then pauses in the doorway.
“And next time,” she adds casually, “you should lock the door.”
Then she disappears down the hall.
I slowly turn my head to look at Jaxon. He looks at me.
And then we both start laughing. Full, helpless laughter that we can’t even try to stop.
“Oh my God,” I manage between breaths.
“Yeah,” he says, shaking his head. “Yeah.”
I fall back against the pillows, covering my face. “She just gave us relationship advice.”
He exhales, still smiling. “I’m going to pretend that didn’t happen.”
“Good plan.”
The laughter fades into something softer and Jaxon is still looking at me. It’s that same look from before. Warm. Sure. A little amused.
“Ahem,” I say, trying to recover some dignity. “Where were we?”
His mouth curves slowly.
“Research,” he says.
My stomach flips again.
“Right,” I murmur.
A pause.
Then, from down the hall—
“DAD! PANCAKES!”
I let out a soft laugh.
“Your study has been… postponed.”
He pushes himself up, running a hand through his hair.
“Come on,” he says, glancing back at me. “Let’s go feed the tiny dictator.”
***
After we survive breakfast with an entirely too-cool Lily, I take her to school. The past few days have been so hectic I’ve barely had her to myself, and I savor the time we get.
After a quick hug, she’s off, disappearing through the doors, and I head back home.
Home. It still feels strange to think of it that way.
Back at the apartment, I keep myself busy with chores. Jaxon’s at the rink, back to his practice schedule. His team won against Chicago last night, putting them at the top going into the playoffs.
It’s all working out even better than we could have hoped.
Now all that’s left is to wait for the judge’s decision.