“JuJu has acrush?” I gape at my boyfriend. “No way! Onwho?And how come you didn’t tell me this before?”
Rowan laughs and kisses my cheek. “She’s a nurse. She took care of him when he had to get those stitches—moved into town a few months ago apparently.”
“Oh, sothat’s her.”
His brow arches. “You know her?”
I squint at my gorgeous boyfriend. “Is her name Selena?”
“Yeah.”
“I met her in passing when she came into the bakeryonce,” I say. “We didn’t talk much. I only got her name, really. She seems nice.”
“Well,” Rowan says, “he seems quite smitten.”
“Holy shit.” I laugh. “Julian Rivera. Who would have thought.”
Rowan rolls his eyes. “Enough about them,” he says. “I wantyourattention now.”
“You have my attention, Rowan,” I tease and kiss his jaw. “You havealwayshad my attention.”
“Saranghae,” he whispers on my lips.
“Saranghae,Rowan,” I whisper back, nudging my nose with his. “Are we still having lunch arond twelve thirty?”
“Yes.” He grins. “I’m making your favorite.”
“Mozzarella sticks with ketchup?” I ask. “Okay.”
Rowan’s hand slides up my spine until he’s cupping my nape of my neck and pulling my face to his. He kisses me hard, until I’m dizzy and can’t breathe. Whenever he kisses me like this, I momentarily go blind. Sometimes, it feels like I’m living in a dream—floating on a cloud.
SaranghaeSaranghaeSaranghae
IloveyouIloveyouIloveyou
Regretfully, I pull away, my heart somewhere between my legs. I’ve got to get a hold of myself before my usual customers come in for their morning coffees and breakfast pastries. But I hold onto him because my knees are weak and wobbly, and I’m still seeing stars.
“Unfortunately, I have to go,” he whispers. “I wish you could just sit in the kitchen with me.”
“Just sit?”
“As long as I know you’re there, whatever you do is fine,” he says before placing a softer kiss on the corner of my mouth.
Rowan’s hand releases my body, and I hate it as soon as it happens. He sighs like he hates it too. “Don’t forget your breakfast,” I say, and hold out his usual.
He grabs his breakfast and kisses the apple of my cheek.
“I’ll see you at twelve thirty.” Rowan reassures me at the door, flashing me those pearly whites behind his grin and those sparkling ocean eyes my way.
“Yes,” I say.
“I love you, Natalia.”
“I love you too.”
Rowan
EPILOGUE
