She looks lost in thought for a moment. “Honestly, all I ever think about are my books. I get to create worlds on paper where I can make anything happen. What else could I possibly want?” She sighs, but it’s a happy sigh. “I think if I were to make a change, it would have to be for something better than my imagination.”
Tilting her head, she looks at the shelves in the farcorner. I’ve checked them out before—they’re filled with photographs of Ella over the years. Some with her parents, some with just her dad, one of her holding her first book, beaming at the camera. A lifetime of memories, and I’m so jealous she has them.
And for a fleeting, bright moment, I wonder if I’ll be on her shelves one day.
Our photos. Dates. Vacations.
More than that.
Fuck.
Fuck, this cannot be happening.
I cannot be picturing a life with this woman—not after only a week.
This kind of shit doesn’t happen in real life, and it certainly doesn’t happen to me.
I should be using this time to ask about the hard drive, but instead I’m getting to know her, wasting valuable time.
I just can’t help myself around her.
“You suddenly look terrified.” Ella laughs and takes my hand. “What’s up?”
I brush her hair back, burying my fear beneath soft touches.
“Just thinking about things that I never thought I’d think about.”
“Like what?”
Her eyes are lit up in the candlelight, and a warm glow flickers across her cheeks as she waits for my answer.
“My future.”
Moving closer, she rests her head on the back of the couch and watches me. “You’ve never thought about it before?”
Not really. Not like this. The plan Gable and I had was simple: save our money and get out. Have life on our termsfor once. But beyond that? It was all open space, endless possibilities, and I loved that.
Now, I’m thinking about what I can fill that space with.
A normal job.
Friends.
Ella.
A family.
“You have me wondering,” I admit, and she smiles.
It’s so soft, so genuine, that I can’t help but touch her cheek. She gently cups my hand and closes her eyes, dark lashes resting against creamy skin, that smile remaining. A smile for me.
“You have me wondering, too,” she says.
I pull her to me, and she cuddles into my chest, her head resting against my shoulder. We sit for a while in the dark. In the quiet.
And we wonder.
Chapter 11
