She’s still reeling from what we just did, and it takes a second for her brain to catch up with her body. I reach out and grab her face, forcing her to look at me.
There must be a warning on my face, because her eyes widen when she looks at me.
I lean down until the tips of our noses are just barely touching and growl, “That is the last time you’ll ever call Evan your boyfriend.”
CHAPTER 43
ESSENCE
ONE WEEK LATER
“Good morning, beautiful.”
I turn over sleepily, rubbing my eyes and yawning, and snuggle into Dante’s chest.
“Good morning,” I say with a smile on my face.
It’s been a week since Dante chased me in the woods. That night was intense, to say the least, but it made me realize just how strong our bond is.
We were made for each other. I hate that it took so long for me to realize it, but it’s okay. We’re together now, and that’s all that matters.
I’ve since moved in with Dante officially, so now I have my own space in his closet and drawers, and part of our bedroom has been fixed up to make Lunchbox as comfortable as possible. He’s still a puppy, and he’s still very much attached to both Dante and me, so he had no problem giving Lunchbox a space in our room.
Evan always hated Lunchbox being in our room, but Dante is the complete opposite. He wants Lunchbox to feel just as athome here as he does me, and I’ll always be grateful for how sweet he is to my little fur baby.
And speaking of Lunchbox being comfortable here, he seems to have healed from Evan’s trauma pretty quickly. I was prepared to deal with it for as long as I needed to, to get him the help he needed. But he gets so much love and compassion from Dante, and it’s done so much for his mental health.
Living with Dante has been nothing short of a dream. He cooks for me, helps me clean the house, takes care of Lunchbox and his needs, takes care of me and my needs…
He’s everything that Evan wasn’t, and every day I fall more and more in love with him.
To be loved so deeply by someone is something I’m not used to, but being called beautiful every day, having someone listen to me when I speak instead of getting mad and telling me to go away or screaming at me, getting as many orgasms as I can take…
Yeah, I can definitely get used to that.
“Do you want to take your new car for a ride today?” Dante asks, nuzzling his face into my hair.
Excitement and gratitude fill me at that. Yesterday, he surprised me with a car of my own.
“I’m sorry it’s not brand new,” he’d said, smiling sheepishly and rubbing the back of his neck. “But it’s only five years old, and my friend assured me it’s been very well taken care of.”
I rounded the car and stood on my tiptoes to press a soft kiss to his lips. He wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me close, sliding his tongue in my mouth and deepening the kiss.
When we pulled away, breathless and red-faced, I tapped his nose playfully. “You bought me a new car and you’re apologizing because it’s not new?”
He chuckled. “Yeah, I guess I am.”
I spent last night showing him how appreciative I was of his gift.
Heis probably the best gift I could have asked for.
Dante and I reluctantly get out of bed and get dressed, then he takes Lunchbox outside to run around and go potty while I make breakfast. Dante wants to start training him to follow commands and stay in the front yard off-leash until he finishes putting the fence up. I have no idea how to train a dog, so he can take the lead on that.
As I’m setting breakfast on the table and Lunchbox’s in his silver bowl with his name engraved in it—a gift from Dante—I look out the kitchen window. Dante is playing catch with Lunchbox and chasing him around the yard with the biggest smile on his face. He’s smiled a lot since Leo died, but this is the first time I’ve seen him truly happy. At peace, even.
We’re both still on the path to healing, and I can’t imagine going on this journey with anyone else but him.
I giggle excitedly as Dante and I cruise down the highway, singing obnoxiously loud to a song on the radio. Despite the chill, the back window is down just enough for Lunchbox to poke his head through and bite at the wind as it whips in his face.
