“That I’m yours always?” I moved out of the way of a shopper and found a quiet corner to lean against the wall. My heart pounded. But I replied, “You’re the one, Callan. I know it. It’s always been you.”
“Fuck.” He exhaled heavily. “I wish you were here right now.”
“Where are you?”
“At the flat.”
“I’ll be there in fifteen.”
“Aren’t you working?”
“I can take a break to show my boyfriend how much I appreciate him.”
“Well then, hurry the fuck up,” he teased.
It was true. Since dating Callan, I’d gotten better at prioritizing my work/life balance. It didn’t feel so scary or overwhelming. I think having him and my parents reassure me that I hadn’t failed Amanda had affected me on every level. If my business failed, I knew with certainty that the people I loved would not see me as a failure. They’d be there for me. They’d encourage me. And I knew myself enough to know that I’d dust myself off and get back up again, no matter how hard it was, no matter how many panic attacks I had in the meantime.
Losing Social Queens wouldn’t be the end of the world. There were worse things to lose.
So yeah, I was getting better at prioritizing my personal life.
Striding hurriedly to Loverose Lane, however, my mood deflated somewhat as I found myself scrolling through the comments on Callan’s photo of us.
Who the fuck is she?
Another b*tch WAG wannabe
She ugly AF
There were girls dropping sobbing emojis all over the post. People saying they were disappointed in him because I was either ugly or too pretty. Other comments were sexual in nature, telling him to dump me because they’d be better in bed.
What was wrong with people?
As a social media manager, of course, I knew this was part of the territory, but sometimes people en masse were so disappointingly gross, it was hard to deal with. Then my eyes caught another comment. It was from Baird.
BairdMcMillOfficial:That girl is the best thing that’s ever happened to you. Happy for you, mate.
My heavy heart lightened. I loved Baird.
And beneath his comment were some sweet ones from strangers telling Callan he looked so happy and they were glad for him. One person wrote that she wished she could find someone to look at her the way he looked at me. My faith in humanity was a tad restored.
I let myself into Callan’s flat and strolled in to find him reading a book.
Why was that so sexy?
He dropped it, turning to smile at me. “Hi, princess.”
I put my handbag and phone on his island and then strutted toward the bedroom. “Are you coming, Captain?”
Laughter bubbled out of my lips at the sound of him stumbling over the coffee table in his rush to get to me.
“I have an hour break!” I called to him as I shrugged out of my coat. “Make it—” My squeal cut off my words as I found myself picked up and thrown onto the bed.
Callan grinned as he came down over me. “I can do a lot in an hour.”
I already knew that. Stretching my arms above my head and widening my legs, I whispered hotly, “Show me.”
He groaned, arousal darkening his eyes. “Have I mentioned lately that I love you?”
