Chapter 52
FIFTY-TWO
Austin
Three Months Later
OUR STORY ISN’T PERFECT, BUT it’s perfect for us, I thought, hitting snooze on the alarm clock on my nightstand like I hadn’t already been awake for hours.
I looked over at Elle, whose constant smile, even when she slept, told me that relaxation had followed her into her dreams. Three months had passed since she had come back to me. Admiring her never got old.
Sure, I was up, but my day didn’t start before she touched me. She stirred, her leg resting over mine. Our sheets tightened with her soft movements.
“Morning, babe. Did you sleep well?” A fake yawn left my lips, my attempt to counter the anticipation of the day ahead.
“I slept sweet, if that’s what you meant.” She beamed.
A feeling of knowing hugged my heart like a mitten. I loved it when Elle pulled words from our letters into the real world. It meant she’d come to love them as much as I had.
“Shit, does that say seven? I’ve got a session at eight fifteen! I gotta go, like now!” Panic stole her calm.
She stood far too quickly and rushed around the room, struggling to compose herself.
“What can I do?” I offered, slightly guilty that my schedule was shaping up to be less demanding than hers.
It was okay though; every ounce of stress she felt would leave her in the next few hours when she learned what I had in store. There was so much to do to set my plan into motion. The longtime, award-winning poker face I’d earned in my downtime with the recruits served me well.
“A coffee to go would be amazing. Can’t taint our weekend by starting a Friday morning without caffeine.
” One leg at a time, Elle hopped into her dress pants—a tantalizing view I looked forward to drooling over for the rest of my days.
“Are your clients still coming over for dinner tonight?” she asked.
Even while scrambling to get her shit together, she still found time to remember mine. Her half-naked body continued gathering clothing from multiple drawers simultaneously, like a breathtaking, disarranged tornado.
She still blew me the fuck away.
“Yeah, they are. I tried to cancel, but they insisted on meeting with me while they were in town,” I lied. I’d sworn I’d never lie to her again, but this time was the exception. I knew she’d agree.
“No worries. I only have four sessions today. I’ll bring a change of clothes and my makeup bag to freshen up after lunch. They’ll never know I came straight from work,” she said.
I knew she only had four sessions scheduled for the day because I’d discussed them in detail with her boss, who promised to give her an extra-long afternoon break so she’d have plenty of time to change and feel refreshed before the big surprise.
Twenty minutes later, my girl hurried through the house with a to-go coffee in hand. She kissed my lips tenderly and ran out the door I held open for her, never forgetting the meaningful gesture, no matter how busy she was.
“See you later, Chief. Can’t wait to meet your new clients tonight and tell them how gifted you are with your hands …” She winked.
“Oh, I’m counting on it. You’re good for business.” It was true.
With Elle’s help, I was already championing a hobby group for disabled veterans at the hospital and working on my latest top-secret commission.
One she would see when the time was right.
Leaning into a post on my front porch, I waved and said, “I love you.”
“I love you more.” Elle blew me another kiss before hopping in the front seat of my Jeep.
I hated seeing her go, but loved watching her climb into my car. The Ol’ Green Goddess never looked sexier than with my dream girl in the driver’s seat.
The engine sprang to life, leaving me closer than ever to the most important day of my life.
God, my grandparents would have been proud. They’d have loved her like they’d loved me.
Like they’d loved each other.