“I love it,” Kristen whispered reverently as she ran her fingertips along the edge of his design. “What about the bathroom?”
“Here,” Garrett said, reaching over to turn to the next page.
“This isn’t from my books,” Kristen said as she took in the oversized shower in the corner, the clawfoot bathtub, the sink with an oversized counter and extra drawers, the antique vanity mirror, and the built-in bookshelves with dark wainscotting wrapped around the room.
“It’s your dream bathroom,” he said, knowing without a doubt that this was the bathroom of her dreams. He’d noticed a recurring theme from the stories she wrote when they were children, the same one that made its way into her books as an adult.
“Yes, it is,” Kristen said, tracing the tub with her fingertips. “What else?”
“This living room is from your third book,” Garrett said, turning to the next design.
“You just read my books two weeks ago,” Kristen pointed out, worrying her bottom lip between her teeth as she glanced back at him.
Never taking his eyes off her, he opened his bottom desk drawer and grabbed the sketchpad he’d started working on when he bought the house and handed it to her. After a slight hesitation, she took it.
“That’s the original living room,” Garrett said when she came to the first design.
“I like the new one better,” Kristen said as she glanced between the two.
Garrett reached around her and turned the page. “This was going to be my office until I read your description of Tristan’s office.”
Kristen didn’t say anything as she took her time going through the rest of his designs, pausing now and then to compare the old ones to the new ones and-
“Why?” she asked, staring down at the upstairs office that he’d designed with her in mind, the one that he had absolutely no idea why he found himself coming up with a week ago.
“Because I didn’t know how to let you go,” he admitted, because no matter how much he’d tried over the past six years, he’d never been able to let her go and he’d hated her for it.
God, he’d fucking hated this hold that she had over him.
But now…
He’d do anything to keep it.
“I don’t trust you,” Kristen said softly as she pushed his arm away so that she could climb off his lap.
“I know,” Garrett said after a slight hesitation as he forced himself to let her go.
“What do you want?” Kristen asked, glancing back at him.
“A chance,” he said, swallowing hard as he watched her absently nod as she made her way to the door and-
“You won’t get another one.”
CHAPTER 15
Easter Sunday
“No, I hate you,” Kristen grumbled sleepily as she grabbed her pillow and pulled it over her head, determined to ignore the annoying bastard, who’d spent the last week pissing her off.
She still had no idea what happened.
One minute, she was trying to wrap her mind around the fact that she’d decided to give him a chance and the next…
God, it was like she’d set down a challenge.
There was no other way to describe it.
He just…
