“You like the dress, then?”
“I likeyouin the dress, Liv. You’re stunning no matter what you wear.”
She hums and presses a chaste kiss to my lips again.
The faint scent of something that smells suspiciously like my favorite dish drifts toward us.
“What’s all this?” I ask, smiling.
Her lips curve. “Just a welcome home, and if you’re lucky, you’ll get the whole show after dinner,” she purrs seductively, and my dick thickens at the thought. Her hands run up my chest, tracking the movement. “You’ve been working so hard, I wanted to do something nice.”
It hits me then, how much she pays attention, how much she cares. I don’t know how to tell her what that does to me, how it feels to walk into a space that finally feels like mine because she’s in it.
“Liv, this is—”
She waves me off. “You can thank me by eating before it gets cold.”
“Deal,” I say, following her to the table, seeing everything laid out inQueridapackaging. “You went to see Ana to get this for me?”
A flush lights up her face. “I did.”
The candlelight catches the faint line of her collarbone, her hair has come loose around her face, and that quiet certainty in my chest that’s been there since before I left makes my heart thump. I want to tell her everything. About the job, how real it suddenly feels. How every plan I’ve made in my head somehow still ends with her in it.
When she leans over the table, asking if I need anything else, I stop her and guide her to her chair.
“It’s perfect. Actually, there’s something I need to tell you.”
Her brows lift, curiosity lighting up her irises. “What’s up?”
“I, uh…” I exhale, wiping my palms on my jeans. “The trip, it wasn’t exactly for work. It was an interview, too.”
Her hand stills halfway to her glass. “An interview?”
“Yeah.” I huff a nervous laugh. “It was for a media position with a pro women’s rugby team.”
“In California?” Her voice rises, and the temperature in the room drops.
I nod. “I didn’t want to say anything until I knew for sure. It felt too soon to talk about, and honestly, I didn’t think I’d get it.”
The silence stretches long enough that the candle flicker fills the space between us. Reality is, I knew it was a risk not telling her, but my pride couldn’t take another hit. And if I’m honest, I didn’t want her looking at me like I was someone who couldn’t get it right. Not when she’s the one person I want to impress.
“Jay, that’s amazing,” she says, but there’s a slight pinch to her brow. “You got it, then?” she asks, smiling, though it doesn’t reach her eyes. She lifts her glass, taking a long drink.
I nod. “They called last night. I’m still kind of in disbelief after how the year’s gone.”
Setting her drink down, her eyes drop to her plate. “Yeah, no, I know.”
I reach across the table, but she tucks her hair behind her ear, moving deliberately out of reach.
“Wow, I mean this is…” she trails off, huffing sounds that aren’t words, as though she’s trying to figure out what to say next. When her eyes meet mine, they’re glossy. “I’m happy for you, Jay, this is everything you’ve wanted.” Her voice wavers on the wordeverything, and something pulls tight in my gut.
“Liv I—” I try, but she stops me.
“No, really.” Her throat works around a swallow. “You’ve been working so hard for this, and I’m glad it’s finally paying off.”
I know she means what she’s saying, but it sounds like she’s already started pulling away, making space for what comes next. My mind scrambles to try to think of anything that might get her back to me.
“Liv, baby, you get why I didn’t say anything, right? I was going to tell you tonight,” I say quickly. “I wanted to do it right. I just—” I sigh, dragging a hand through my hair. “I don’t know. I didn’t want to screw it up before it even started.” The same fear I’d felt before leaving clogs my throat, except this time it’s fear of losing something else here.
