“Right?” She scoops another bite for herself, her satisfaction clear as she lets the cold hit her tongue.
I watch her, smirking. “So this is your idea of a perfect morning?”
She grins. “Cuddles, kisses, ice cream? Pretty much.”
I shake my head, amused, and steal the spoon from her hand, scooping a bite for her this time. “Alright, but we need to lay down some ground rules.”
She raises an eyebrow. “Rules?”
"Well, one rule really. You can never, under any circumstances, let Lucy know I had ice cream for breakfast.”
She snorts. “Why?”
I sigh dramatically. “Because I’ve forbidden her from doing it, and if she found out, she’d never forgive me.”
She gasps in mock horror. “Theo! You hypocrite!”
I level her with a serious look. “I know. She wouldendme.”
She bursts into laughter, collapsing against me. “Okay, okay! I promise I won’t tell your tiny overlord.”
I exhale in relief. “Good. You might have just saved my life.”
She shakes her head, taking the spoon back from me and scooping another bite. “You’re a terrible influence.”
I smirk, pulling her into my lap. “Yet, you seem to love it. Besides I’m not the one that brought ice cream to the bedroom.”
She hums in agreement, letting me kiss the lingering taste of caramel from her lips.
Yeah. This is the perfect morning.
39
Bracing for Impact
Ivy
We’re still tangled upin each other, the ice cream tub nestled between us, trading bites in lazy contentment. Theo’s arms are loose around me, his fingers idly tracing patterns along my bare back, his warmth keeping me cocooned in this perfect little bubble.
But then…
"And yet, you seem to love it."
His words hang between us, light, teasing—just part of the banter.
But it’s the way he suddenly freezes that makes my stomach dip.
His fingers stop moving. His body tenses.
And when I glance up at him, I see it—the flicker of uncertainty in his eyes.
A beat of silence.
Then, quietly, he says, “Was the letter too much?”
I try to breath calmly. “What?”
He exhales, rubbing the back of his neck. “The letter I sent you. My very outdated declaration. Was it… too much?”
