“What?”
“I knew you’d put the pieces together far faster than I could.”
“They’re not fully together yet and anyway, you would have?—”
“No, I wouldn’t.” A kiss to my jaw. “Now, any other revelations?”
“Not at this moment.”
A grin. “Good.”
We sit there for a moment, cuddled up and content. Then he smooths my curls back and gently sets me to the side, gathering up the papers and tucking them into my bag. Then he stands and extends a hand.
“Let’s get out of here.”
A tug brings me to my feet.
“Your place or mine?” I ask.
He smiles, and I know that I’ll remember it forever.
Same as his next words sew themselves into my soul.
“It doesn’t matter, cookie. Because wherever you are feels like home.”
Thirty-Four
Jace
“I’ve been selfish,”she murmurs, early the next morning.
This is the first morning I’ve woken up beside her, so I’m just enjoying her body pressed to mine, enjoying the fact that she’s here, enjoying that we seem to be moving forward, fuckingfinally.
So her being selfish is pretty much the last thing on my mind.
“I think the fact that I had three orgasms last night is the antithesis of you being selfish, cookie.”
She smiles, swatting me lightly on my chest.
Then her expression goes serious.
“I’ve been so busy putting up walls that I don’t really know anything about you.” She pushes up on my front, quickly shaking her head. “No, that came out wrong. I know you’re kind and thoughtful. I know you’re persistent and a hard worker. I know you pay attention and that you have a good friend in Brooks and that you hate risotto.”
My lips quirk. “Well clearly, you pay attention too.”
Her expression goes soft. “And I know whatever was in the news,” she says softly. “I know that you started Genen-core after your mom died of complications from a blood clot and that you’re now the leading clot removal product in the world.”
“Then you know most of it,” I tell her. “My mom died from a pulmonary embolism; the clot broke off and caused a stroke and—” My throat goes tight.
“We don’t have to talk about this,” she whispers. “I know I sprang it on you and?—”
I touch her cheek. “It’s okay. She had a lot of health problems, so in a way it was a relief to see she was finally out of pain. It’s just…she was a single mom and did her best, but there wasn’t a lot of room for me with all of her illnesses, and I was resentful that they took up so much space…and then that, from the moment I was old enough, I was expected to step up and take care of her.”
“How old was old enough?” she asks softly.
“Twelve was the first time I called my mom’s doctor with a problem.”
“So young,” she whispers.
