"I like it," I say softly. "When you take charge. When you handle things."
"I know you do." He lifts my hand, presses a kiss to my knuckles. "That's why we work."
My phone buzzes. I glance at it. It’s from Monica about our local chapter of the Naughty Girl’s Book Club.
Monica: We're meeting Thursday for book club if you're back by then.
Me: I'll be there. Might have some updates of my own.
Monica: Tell me EVERYTHING
Me: Thursday. I promise.
Monica: Brett says hi and also says to trust your instincts. Whatever that means.
Me: Tell him thank you. My instincts are doing pretty well so far.
I set the phone down and find Justin watching me. “Not the girls this time. The secretary of our local chapter.”
"Local chapter?" he asks.
"Yeah. Monica, she's the one who fell for her Daddy Dom last year. They run the orchard together now."
"And she's happy?"
"Deliriously." I tilt my head. "Why?"
"Because I want to know how this works. Long term. Not just in theory. My track record with Daddy Dom relationships isn’t the greatest. As I told you, my previous girlfriend decided these relationships were more fun in books and fantasies than in real life."
"I’m not your ex. It works if both people want it to work." I stand, move around the table to his side. "Do you want it to work?"
He pulls me into his lap, settling me across his thighs. "More than I've wanted anything in years."
"I want it to work too. Then it'll work."
He kisses me, slow and thorough, hands spanning my waist. When he pulls back, his expression is serious.
"I have something for you," he says.
"Oh?"
He reaches into his pocket, pulls out a small velvet box.
My breath catches. "Justin?—"
"It's not what you think." He opens it, revealing a delicate silver necklace with a small pendant, a snowflake with a tiny diamond in the center. "I had this made for the park's fiftieth anniversary. It was meant to be a promotional item for a social media drawing, but..." He lifts it from the box. "I want you to have it."
"Why?"
"Because you made me remember why this place matters. Because you turned a storm into something magical." He fastens it around my neck, his fingers gentle against my skin. "And because I want you to have something that reminds you of this weekend. Of us."
I touch the pendant, tears pricking my eyes. "It's beautiful."
"So are you."
I kiss him again, deeper this time, trying to pour everything I'm feeling into it. When we break apart, we're both breathing hard.
"We still have a few hours," I say. "What should we do?"
