I study her for a beat, the truth dancing on the tip of my tongue.
“Your favorite place,” I confess, not wanting to give her anything extra to worry about right now.
Her breath catches, and a wide smile spreads across her lips. “We’re going to see the dogs?”
“Yeah, baby. We’re going to see our little buddies.”
She does a little happy dance before her expression falls.
“What if they follow us?”
“Then they’ll get images of us volunteering at a dog shelter and raise awareness of the place.”
She thinks for a moment before she nods in agreement.
“Yeah. You’re right. The dogs probably deserve for us to be followed.”
A laugh tumbles from my lips.
“The staff has been briefed, and they’ve put steps into place to ensure we can have our time alone.”
She reaches up, her small palm landing on my cheek. “Thank you. I…I really appreciate everything you’ve done for me. I need you to know that.”
“I wouldn’t have it any other way, baby.”
64
FREYA
My heart is in my throat as Cole pulls out of the parking garage. As soon as we turn the corner, my eyes are glued to the sidewalk, waiting to see if there is still a crowd.
To my surprise and delight, there isn’t.
Maybe hiding worked. Or maybe they’re being less obvious. We all know how sneaky they can be to snag the million-dollar picture.
“See, I told you everything is fine.”
“Was it like this earlier when you went to work?”
“There were a few people loitering around, but it’s fewer and fewer every day. If we’re not feeding the gossip, someone else out there will be.”
I mutter an agreement. It’s still probably Rowan. He didn’t get the reaction out of us that he wanted, so he’s probably trying a different angle.
If there was a single inch of me that cared, I might have a look online. But those days have long gone.
He is a part of my past that I would like to keep back there, where it belongs.
My future is right here, holding my hand as he drives effortlessly across town.
Cole is wearing a long-sleeved T-shirt pushed up to his elbows, showing off his corded forearms, and he’s wearing a dark, ripped pair of jeans that look like they were molded to his ass and thighs. He really is devastatingly hot. And he is all mine.
A shot of excitement goes through me, and I can’t stop my smile.
“Penny for your thoughts,” Cole rasps.
My cheeks blaze, but I refuse to hide behind my embarrassment.
“Thinking about you.”
