Chapter 32
THIRTY-TWO
HOLT
One month later
The scent of freshly brewed coffee hits my nose the second I open the door, and while I’m craving caffeine, I’m craving something else more.
I find her sitting in the corner near the bookshelf littered with old, worn leatherbound books.
She’s sitting in the aged, light brown, leather armchair, with her laptop resting on the edge of the round, wooden table in front of her.
Her blonde hair is pulled into a high messy bun, and her pretty mouth is twisted in thought.
She’s resting one hand over her growing stomach.
This sight of her makes me fucking weak in the knees.
I place my hand over my heart, knowing if I was to die right now, I’d die happy knowing this was the last thing I’d get to see.
It’s been one month since the encounter with Rhys on my yacht and, as promised, he’s been silent.
So have I. Nearly losing Selene put a lot of my priorities into perspective.
At times, it’s been difficult to wrap my head around the truth and how I’ll never see justice served to Rhys’s father. But the thought is only momentary.
In the end, I guess Rhys’s father did get justice. He’s dead and long forgotten. Even Rhys doesn’t carry out the same desire for vengeance. At least not on the level of his father.
But knowing he’s dead has made it easier to move on.
Selene’s focus lifts from her laptop screen when she sees me approaching, and her mouth stretches into an effortless smile.
“Hey,” she greets in a sing song voice. “About time you showed up.”
“I’m so sorry, Wallflower.” I bend to plant a kiss on her mouth, stealing her smile. I wrap my hand gently on her jaw, tilting her face up. “I got stuck in a meeting with the anonymous column staff.”
“How’s that going?” she asks, sitting back in her chair.
I sit in the chair across from her, with the small, wooden table and her open laptop between us.
“Fine.” I sigh, pinching the bridge of my nose. “Now that I’ve hired a new copy editor whose sole job is to vet the articles submitted to be published.”
“Smart man.” Selene giggles.
I snort and toss her a smile. “Learned my lesson, Wallflower.”
“Sounds like you could use a cup of coffee, then.” She points to the service counter behind me. “Do you want to order one?”
I glance over my shoulder, eyeing the line of at least ten people waiting to place their order. I turn back to face Selene and rest both my arms on the chair and simply sit back and stare at my girl. My girl and our baby growing inside her. I still can’t believe they’re both mine.
Fuck, she owns me.
“Nah.” I wave her off. “I’d rather not waste my time standing in line. There are other things I need more than caffeine at this point.”
Her cheeks blush bright red. She knows exactly what I mean.
Selene’s phone vibrates on the table. My sister’s name pops up on the screen with a message, along with Charleigh and London’s.
“Girl chat?” I ask.
“Yeah,” she laughs, picking her phone up to read the message.
“Ever since I showed them the ultrasound pictures yesterday, they haven’t stopped gushing over the fact we’re having a baby.
Julianna is convinced it’s a girl, even though it’s impossible to know at this stage.
At least not by that ultrasound picture. ”
“Of course, she is.” I chuckle. “She’s been sending me messages, too. I’m pretty sure she’s already done a bunch of baby clothes shopping. She sent me a picture of some designer dress she picked up at a boutique. I didn’t even know they made designer dresses for babies.”
“Oh, my God.” Selene groans and rolls her eyes. “What if it’s a boy?”
“She’ll probably end up saving them for when someone else in our group has a baby,” I offer. “Then, if we find out we’re having a boy, she’ll go on a shopping spree for boy clothes.”
She nods then stares at me with this unwavering grin.
“What?” I chuckle.
“Nothing. I was just thinking how much I love you.”
My cheeks grow sore from how hard I’m smiling. “I love you, too.”
“Okay.” Selene sits forward, placing her hands gently on her knees. “I just need to finish up one more thing and then we can head out.”
I toss my gaze to her laptop. “What are you working on?”
Puffing her chest and raising her chin, she gives me the largest grin I think I’ve ever seen her wear. She’s fucking stunning, glowing with pride as she spins her laptop around to show me what’s on her screen.
“I submitted my manuscript to that agency I was telling you about.”
I read the email she just sent, along with her query letter.
My wide-eyed gaze bounces between the screen and Selene on the other side. “Holy shit, Wallflower.” I stand and move around the table before bending to kiss her again. I cup the sides of her face and pull her close. “You’re going to get it,” I tell her, crashing my mouth to hers.
She laughs against my mouth, and it sends a delightful shiver across my body. My dick twitches, aching to show her just how proud I am to have her in my life.
“We’ll see.” She giggles between kisses. “I’m trying not to get my hopes up.”
“You will,” I tell her again before reclaiming my seat.
Her smile fades, and she looks off to the side, distance and uncertainty in her eyes.
“I’m just glad I was able to gather the courage to put myself out there.
” Her gaze shifts back to me. “The romance market is flooded with incredible works that often go unnoticed. For a time, I thought I would go the self-publishing route, but I figure why not try this way first. If I don’t hear back from the agency, I’ll publish it myself. ”
“I think that’s a smart way to go about it,” I tell her, understanding the struggles of the publishing world. “Your story deserves to be told.”
“Thank you. I’ve spent so much of my adult life with this story, and I think when I was finished with it, I got scared. Like, in a way, I was holding myself back from taking the risk. Much like everything else in my life.”
“Selene…” I soften my voice.
“I know.” She blinks the tears threatening to build in her eyes. “I’m not saying I wouldn’t have ever gotten here on my own—I probably would have in my own time—but being with you has given me something I didn’t have before.”
“Oh?” I arch a brow, unable to hold back my smirk.
“A reason to be the best version of myself.” She grins. “And you were right.”
“About what?”
“The day you crashed my yoga class.” She closes her laptop and slips it back into her bag. Slinging it over her shoulder, she moves around the table and grabs my hand. “You said your kiss lit something inside me. You were right.”
No other woman has ever had this effect on me. I stand, keeping my hand wrapped around Selene’s. I close the gap between us and bring my mouth to the shell of her ear, breathing deeply.
“I love it when you tell me I’m right,” I whisper, my dick twitching, the thrill of playing this game of confessions with Selene reminding me that every bump along the way to get here has been worth it. “But I must tell you, Wallflower, you lit something inside me that day, too.”
Her breath hitches as she leans into me. We’re in a crowded café, but all we’re focused on is each other. All the heartbreak and loss it took to get here has been worth it.
She looks me dead in the eye, her nose touching the tip of mine. “Why don’t you show me then?”
I pop a brow and lower my voice. “You ready to go home?”
“Who said anything about going home?” She tugs on my hand and starts pulling me toward the darkened hallway near the back corner of the café.
I catch a glimpse of her sparkling green eyes once more before she’s leading me into what appears to be a storage room.
I’d follow this woman anywhere.
Once we’re out of sight from everyone inside the café, my hands and mouth are on her—the only woman they’ve ever belonged to, and the only one they will for the rest of my life.
It’s a promise.