Chapter 24
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
B unny jumped as the door slammed shut behind Preston and Grant. Teddy Carter’s office door was never closed. For as long as she’d worked here, his open-door policy had driven her crazy. There were always people in his office—constituents, staff, neighbors popping in for a chat—and when she actually needed to find him to finalize paperwork or go over a speech, he wasn’t there. Half the time, he was out in the town somewhere, charming people into liking him more than they already did.
But now he was here. The door was closed. No one else was in the office. It was just the two of them.
The change in atmosphere hit her immediately. The space, usually alive with the hum of voices and the shuffle of footsteps, was silent save for the low buzz of the heater. The familiar chaos was gone, replaced by a stillness that made her hyper-aware of every sound: the faint rustle of her clothes as she adjusted her skirt, the quiet creak of the floor beneath her feet, the steady hum of her own heartbeat in her ears.
She was still wearing his sweater. She hadn't taken it off once they'd come back inside. He hadn't asked for it back. She'd been prepared to turn in her resignation, but she had decided she was not giving the sweater back. It was the only severance package she was taking with her.
Except he hadn't asked her to go.
Teddy sat behind his desk, his fingers steepled and his elbows resting on the polished wood. He wasn’t leaning back, as he often did during their casual banter. He was leaning forward, his dark eyes locked on her with an intensity that made her pulse quicken. He looked calm and composed, but there was a tension that thickened with each passing second.
“What do you think?” he asked.
“About what? The job offer, the marriage proposal, or my giant screw-up with the after-school funding?”
“We both messed up on the funding. And we’re going to fix it. Together.”
Bunny swallowed hard, pushing away the knot of guilt in her stomach. “I still think the grant is better. But I’m going to do everything in my power to save the after-school program.”
“Are you going to do that because it’s what I want?”
She hesitated, then squared her shoulders and met his gaze. “If I were your campaign manager, I’d remind you that kids don’t vote. Business owners do. They need those funds.”
He dipped his head, his expression one of patient consideration.
“If I were your girlfriend?—”
“Wife,” Teddy interrupted. “Or fiancée. Girlfriend implies no commitment. You should know I'm very committed to this cause.”
Bunny's throat tightened, and she cleared it before continuing. “If we were discussing this as intimate partners—” She paused, and his smile widened at the phrase. “Then I’d say go with the after-school program.”
“Why?” Teddy rested his elbows on the desk, watching her like a hawk toying with something sparkly.
“Because it’s what’s in your heart. Taking care of people is what you do best. And you take care of those kids—the ones who don’t always have someone looking out for them.”
Teddy’s smile grew. It wasn’t his usual lopsided grin. It was something softer. He stood slowly, walking around the desk to stand in front of her. “What about you? Are you going to let me take care of you?”
“I'm going to try. I’m not always going to be good at that. But I’m going to make an excellent campaign manager.”
“I'm going to kiss you now.”
Bunny stood, holding her hands out in front of her like a Supreme. "Shouldn't we sign some HR paperwork or something? This is going to be a power imbalance."
Teddy took her outstretched hands and pressed them against his heart. "The entire world knows you run my life, Bunny Chou. My heart wouldn't just break if you left me. It would stop. I don't have to think anything over. I don't need anything signed. I'm yours."
He stepped closer, his hands coming up to cradle her face as he lowered his head. When their lips met, Bunny felt the doors to her heart open wide. His kiss was warm, sure, and entirely focused on her, like she was the only thing that mattered. Not rumors. Not paperwork. Not town politics. Just Teddy and the steady, heady rhythm of their kiss.
Teddy broke the kiss. "This means you accept, right?"
“I do. I accept.” Bunny reached for him again.
Teddy held her at bay, stepping into her role as a Supreme. “Which one? Fiancée? Wife? Or just campaign manager?”
Bunny rolled her eyes but couldn’t hide her smile. “Let’s start with a second date, Mr. Mayor.”
“And work our way up to wife? Deal.”
His lips crashed into hers again. She opened to him, knowing she was going to give Teddy Carter everything he asked for.
Eventually.
Okay, sooner rather than later.
But just as her hands slid up to his chest, grounding herself in the feel of him, a sudden creak of the door shattered the moment. Bunny stiffened, and they broke apart, both turning to the doorway like kids caught sneaking cookies before dinner. The baby’s wail followed an instant later, loud and piercing, and there stood Teddy’s mother, holding the crying infant on her hip.
“Good,” she declared with a triumphant smile, as if she’d orchestrated the entire thing. “The two of you have made up. Now”—she jostled the baby slightly, patting her back—“can someone tell me why this social worker is trying to take my grandbaby away?”
Want to know what happens with Baby…
Dang, we still haven't named her yet!
Well, if you want to find out her name and where she lands,
stay tuned for "Betrothal Blitz."