Just love. Honest and open and real.
And it's perfect.
Better than perfect.
It's ours.
I fall asleep with his heartbeat under my ear and his arms around me and the absolute certainty that this is exactly where I'm supposed to be.
No doubts.
Not anymore.
10
ETHAN
Iwake up to the smell of coffee and Callie moving around the apartment.
The bed is empty beside me. I check my phone. It’s five thirty in the morning and she's already up, probably getting ready for the shop.
I find her in the kitchen, hair pulled back, wearing jeans and a Morning Star Donuts t-shirt. She's pouring coffee into a travel mug.
"Morning," I say.
She turns and smiles. "Morning, I tried to be quiet."
"You were, I'm just used to waking up early."
"Coffee's fresh, help yourself."
I pour a cup and lean against the counter. Watch her move through her routine. Checking her phone. Making a list. Gathering keys.
"What time are you opening?" I ask.
"Six. The morning rush waits for no one."
"Need help?"
She looks at me. "You don't have to do that."
"I know. But I want to."
"You have work."
"Nothing until nine, I can spare a few hours."
She considers this. "Okay. But I'm putting you on fryer duty."
"Wouldn't expect anything else."
We drive to the shop in her car. The streets are empty. Sky still dark. Everything quiet except the radio playing low.
She parks in the alley and unlocks the back door. Inside, she flips on lights and starts the ovens. I pour us both fresh coffee from the shop pot.
"Okay," she says, tying on an apron. "Glazed first. Then chocolate. Then whatever feels right."
"You really just wing it?"
