Chapter 23 #2
I check my word count, realizing I only have six chapters left to write. A little over twenty thousand words, and I’ll be finished.
Emotions overtake me as I think about how close I am to finishing, right on time, just as I planned.
My stomach growls, pulling me away, and then I remember Ezra invited me for dinner.
I grab my phone and text him.
Scarlett
Hi! Checking in. I wrote 8500 words!
Ezra
So fucking proud of you, Scarlett.
My heart gives a leap when I see he’s calling me.
I pick up on the second ring, aiming for casual. “Hey.”
“You sound suspiciously guilty,” Ezra says, clearly amused. “Should I ask?”
“No. Just nervous. Didn’t realize I was in the company of a celebrity.”
“Says The New York Times best-selling author,” he says. “Just pretend like you don’t know.”
“Maybe I will,” I say.
He chuckles, and I love the sound of it. “Good. Now come over here, beautiful. I made you my famous carbonara.”
“Famous? According to who?” My heart stutters as I remember what I read about him today.
“According to anyone who matters,” Ezra replies. “Trust me, you’ll be moaning by the end of it.”
“I can only hope,” I say.
“Well, hurry up.” His warm laughter sends another flutter through me.
“Ten minutes,” I say. “I need a shower and a change of clothes.”
“I can’t wait to see you,” he admits, and I can hear the sincerity in his tone.
“I’ve been looking forward to it all day,” I tell him.
“I’m setting an alarm. Ten minutes,” he tells me.
“Okay, okay! Bye!”
I quickly end the call and save my document.
I’m giddy as I move to the bathroom, stripping off my clothes as I step into the shower. Usually, after a long day of writing, I’d stand under the stream for a minimum of fifteen minutes, but there is no time for that. I quickly wash my body and hair, then step out and dry myself quickly.
After a brief pause in front of the mirror, I run my fingers through my wet hair, then put on some jeans and a silk blouse.
Anticipation streams through me as I head outside into the fading evening.
The sky is painted in deep shades of violet and indigo, and stars begin to appear one by one. I cross the yard toward Ezra’s house, almost nervous.
As I approach the porch, the door swings open, revealing Ezra waiting with a grin that makes my heart rate increase.
“Did you sprint over here?” he teases, leaning against the doorway.
I playfully roll my eyes. “Maybe. Your carbonara had better live up to its reputation.”
He reaches out, gently tugging me inside by my waist until I’m flush against him, the warmth of his body radiating into mine. “Have I disappointed you yet?”
My breath catches slightly, heart tumbling into a faster rhythm. “Not even a little.”
“Good,” he whispers. “Because I’m not planning to start now.”
As Ezra leads me into the kitchen, the savory aroma of freshly cooked pasta greets me, and my stomach growls embarrassingly loud.
Ezra chuckles. “You weren’t kidding about being hungry.”
“I was busy being a best-selling writer,” I tease as he pulls garlic bread from the oven.
He pauses, glancing over his shoulder, eyes dancing playfully. “Why are you looking at me like that?”
I breathe in. “I googled you.”
“Ah,” he says, like that explains it all. “You were concerned about me being able to handle all the things that came with being with you. Can you handle mine?”
I swallow hard. “It’s next-level, Ezra.”
“I know,” he says, pulling a ceramic bowl from the cabinet.
I grin. “Did you make these?”
“Mom loved making bowls and plates. These were all hers,” he tells me. I look at the dishes in the cabinet, amazed by the different colors, shapes, and sizes.
“And the mugs?”
He smirks. “All me, babe.”
Ezra shaves parmesan on top of our pasta, and my mouth waters instantly.
We move to the table, where there are empty wineglasses, and Ezra fills them nearly to the brim.
“The only thing we’re missing is candlelight,” I say with a cheerful laugh.
Ezra walks away briefly, then returns with a vanilla cupcake candle. He lights it and places it in the middle of the table, then lowers the lights. “There you go, ma’am. Your wish is my command.”
I meet his eyes. “To answer your earlier question, I do think I can handle the shit you put up with, as long as you’re beside me. If we went public with this and things ended, our lives would be hell. That’s my only hang-up.”
“You’re right. It’s something I’ve thought about deeply,” he says, taking a drink of his wine. “That’s why I don’t ever plan on letting you go.”
“Please don’t,” I whisper.
He reaches his hand across the table and grabs my hand. “I’m falling for you, Scarlett.”
My heart pauses, suspended for just a beat. Those words settle deep inside me, spreading calm certainty through every nerve ending.
“I’m falling for you, too,” I say, feeling our connection solidify in that single, vulnerable moment.
Ezra smiles, and it’s genuine, the one he reserves for me. “What are we going to do about this?” he asks, his thumb brushing softly against my knuckles.
“I don’t know,” I admit.
“What would the heroine in your book do?” he asks.
I laugh. “Easy. They eloped.”
“Thanks for the spoiler warning,” Ezra says with a chuckle. “That’s a big step for them.”
“Yeah, but Helena and Jordan couldn’t take it any longer.
They had a soul connection that they’ve never felt with anyone else in their lives.
The amount of time they knew each other didn’t matter, either, because Helena had been waiting for a man like him all of her life.
Jordan had been waiting to find a woman like Helena, too.
When you know, you know,” I say, repeating the words back to him. “So Jordan proposed.”
“And Helena said yes?”
“Without a single doubt.”