I woke up to sunlight streaming through unfamiliar curtains, momentarily disoriented until the events of last night came flooding back. Easton's memory box. The silver bracelet still circled my wrist. The way he looked at me when he confessed he'd kept every memento of our brief time together seven years ago.
The space beside me was empty, but I could hear movement in the kitchen—the quiet clink of mugs, the subtle hiss of the coffee maker. I stretched languidly, my body pleasantly sore in ways that reminded me of how thoroughly we'd reconnected last night.
Wrapping myself in Easton's discarded dress shirt from yesterday, I padded barefoot toward the kitchen, pausing in the doorway to take in the sight before me. Easton stood at the stove in sweatpants, his broad back to me as he flipped pancakes with the concentrated precision he brought to all things. Morning light caught the definition of his shoulders, highlighting the muscles that shifted beneath his skin as he moved.
"You're staring," he said without turning around, a smile clear in his voice.
"Can you blame me?" I replied, stepping into the kitchen. "The view is pretty spectacular."
He turned, spatula in hand, his eyes warming as he took in my appearance in his shirt. "Yours isn't so bad either."
I moved to the coffee pot, pouring myself a cup before hopping up to sit on the counter beside the stove. This felt strange, yet normal. We'd been living together for months, of course, but always as careful co-parents maintaining appropriate boundaries for Casey's sake. This morning was different. Like a beginning.
"Did you sleep okay?" Easton asked, sliding a plate of pancakes onto the counter.
"Better than I have in years," I admitted, accepting the fork he offered. "Though I'm not sure how much of that was actually sleeping."
His grin was boyish and smug all at once. "No complaints here."
We ate in comfortable silence for a few minutes, stealing glances at each other between bites. A silent conversation lingered between us, thick with unspoken words.
"Casey texted while you were asleep," Easton said, setting down his coffee mug. "Apparently, Lily's mom is taking them to the new indoor water park today. She wanted to know if it was okay."
"What did you tell her?"
"That she needed to check with you, too, but I thought it would be fine." He paused, watching my reaction. "I hope that was okay. I didn't want to overstep."
The consideration in his voice touched me. Despite everything between us, Easton was remarkably respectful of my role as Casey's primary parent, never trying to undermine my authority even as he built his own relationship with our daughter.
"It's more than okay," I assured him. "I'm glad she feels comfortable asking you for permission, too. That's… that's how it should be."
His expression shifted. His eyes softened around the edges. "I never thought I'd have this," he admitted, his voice low. "A daughter. A family. You."
The vulnerability in his voice took me by surprise. This was Easton Henley laying his heart bare over breakfast pancakes.
"I never thought I'd have this either," I replied, the truth heavy in the air. "After keeping Casey from you for so long, I didn't think forgiveness was possible, let alone… this."
Easton set his plate aside and moved to stand between my knees, where I still perched on the counter. His hands settled on my thighs, warm and steady.
"I meant what I said at the lookout," he told me, his eyes holding mine. "This is just the beginning. Forever, Sadie. That's what I want with you."
He traced small circles on my thigh through the shirt. "I know we said we'd take our time, and we will. But last night, showing you that box… I need you to understand that you were never just some girl I picked up at a bar seven years ago. You were never just anything to me."
"I know," I said, my hand covering his. "Last night showed me that. Moving in together, building this life has shown me that."
"Good," he said, leaning closer. "Because I'm going to marry you someday, Palisade Honors. Maybe not tomorrow, maybe not next month. But I'm going to ask, and when I do, I want you to know it's not because of Casey, or the media, or anything else. It's because I choose you. I've been choosing you since that first night, even when I didn't know it."
I studied his face, searching for any signs of doubt or obligation. Finding none, I placed my palm against his cheek, feeling the slight stubble beneath my fingers.
"I'm not saying no," I told him, my fingers threading through his hair. "I said yes to forever at the lookout, didn't I? This is… us continuing to build that foundation. Making sure Casey's secure, making sure we're solid. I want to do this right."
"We will," he promised, pressing a kiss to my forehead. "We already are."
As his lips found mine in a kiss that quickly deepened, I wrapped my legs around his waist, drawing him closer. The breakfast dishes were forgotten as he lifted me from the counter, my legs locked around him as he carried me back toward the bedroom.
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
Easton
