Page 70 of The Truths We Find

I laugh. “Yeah, I realize how that sounds. But I promise this isn’t me trying to get in your pants… yet.” I wink.

She gives me a little push, but there’s a big grin on her face, so I can’t be in that much trouble. “Dork. Lead the way.”

I take her hand, guiding her upstairs. So far, the master bedroom is the only room I’ve fixed up since moving in. I wanted to have a place I could really call mine. A safe haven so to speak. Plus, it’s not really the bedroom itself that I love about the space, it’s what comes with it.

When we make it to the double doors, I open them and quickly move out of the way to let Dani take in the sight. The small gasp that escapes her is music to my ears.

“Oh, Gavin. This is stunning.”

Directly across from us sit wide glass doors leading to a huge balcony, with an unobstructed view of the ocean. I decided not to go with standard curtains and instead have motorized blackout shades I can control with a remote. They roll down from a hidden compartment above the doorframes.

The king bed sits center against an off-white wall, and has a dark tan upholstered headboard, with simple shades of light green and ivory linens. When I was at the store trying to find sheets, the salesperson kept trying to sell me on a set with ten tiny pillows in it. Why do people need that many pillows on their bed? Especially little ones. I just don’t get it. I’m very happy with my four regular human-sized pillows, thank you very much. And even then, I only use two of them. The other two are… just in case.

Across from the bed, a television hangs on the wall between two doors. The one on the right leads to a walk-in closet, while the one on the left is an en-suite bathroom that I swear is larger than my first studio apartment. It has a deep freestanding soaking tub with its own view of the ocean, and a spacious walk-in shower taking over an entire wall. The vanity and twin sinks sit along a long counter made from white stone, with dark wood cabinets.

As Dani finishes moving around the room, taking in each detail with care, she turns to me, softness in her eyes. “I forgot how talented you were.”

God, I want to kiss her. But I can’t. Not yet. I smile. “Thank you. I still need to show you my favorite part.”

Her eyes go wide. “There’s more?”

I tilt my head to get her to follow me across the room and lead her out the balcony doors. Luckily, it’s beautiful out today. We make our way to the edge and it’s obvious when Dani realizes the giant balcony practically sits out over the water.

There’s a large patio set, complete with a couch and lounge chairs. With the angles and high side walls, there’s complete privacy out here when you’re sitting down.

“This is incredible,” Dani whispers.

I can’t stop watching her. “I spend as much time as possible out here.”

She’s still staring out over the horizon. “I can see why.”

“Want to sit?”

She relaxes into the soft light blue material, a moan escaping her throat. “What heaven is this?”

“Nice, right?” I sit on one of the chairs nearby. “I figured with a view like this, good furniture was a requirement. This is where I work if I’m doing anything from home.”

“I would be too distracted by this view. Hell, I would just fall asleep. It’s so relaxing out here.” She sinks further into the couch, stretching out so she’s lying flat on her back.

Oh, the things I want to do to her when she’s like that.

As she closes her eyes, I can’t keep mine off her. I could watch her for hours. Days. Weeks. Years. The rest of my life. I don’t care if it sounds creepy.

“Stop watching me, you weirdo.” Her eyes are still closed.

I can’t help but smile, despite the flutter of nerves in my chest. “You don’t know what I’m doing. You’re basically asleep over there.”

She scoffs softly, but her voice carries a teasing edge. “You really think I need to be looking at you to know what you’re doing, or thinking?”

“Well… it has been ten years.”

She opens one eye and tilts her head toward me, that smug little smirk I’ve never been able to resist. “Not my fault.”

The words hit harder than I expected. My face drops, all the air seemingly sucked out of the space between us. Impressive, considering we’re outside.

A pang of regret twists in my chest. I hate that she’s right.

“Shit, Gavin. That was a low blow. I’m sorry.”