Page 221 of A Song for You

Warmth spreads in my belly, and I smile. “Yeah, I think she’ll like that.”

Jay nods, but his eyes flit back and forth like his mind is working overtime. Pushing my chair back, I stand and round my desk. I take the boxes from him and place them down, then settle on his lap. His heartbroken expression makes my heart pinch. Running my hands against his clean-shaven face, I smooth away the tension in his jaw.

“What did Sophie mean when she asked about your date tonight?”

“Your plan,” I chide.

Dropping his forehead to mine, he closes his eyes. “Fuck,” he mutters.

I flatten my palms against his cheeks and pull his head back so I can kiss him softly. “It’s fake.”

“Doesn’t make it any easier,” he grumbles. “But the sooner we get it over with, the quicker I can have breakfast in the kitchen with my family every morning instead of having to bring it to the office, right?” He eyes me hopefully.

Family. Squeezing my eyes shut, I make a wish that this will last forever. The way he looks at me. Our easy banter. His openness. The joy I feel now that I have the two most important people back in my life. “Right.”

Once his expression relaxes, I settle in the seat beside him and dig into my waffle.

“Did Chloe say anything about the song this morning?” Jay’s voice is soft, unsure.

“It was perfect.”

“Had a chance to listen to yours yet?”

“You sent me a song?” My heart skitters at the thought.

His forehead creases, and he mutters something unintelligible under his breath. “Is your iPod there?” he asks, nodding to my desk.

“Left it at home.”

With a humph, he slides his phone from his pocket and unlocks the screen. After a moment, he settles it between us as Coldplay’s “Clocks” plays quietly.

I watch him and he watches me. Neither of us speaks, but we say so much. Music. Jay gives me music. And in this moment, I realize that I’ve been living in silence for years.

He sings along softly, the gravel in his voice stealing another piece of my heart. As much as I want to close my eyes and feel everything, I’m mesmerized by the way his lips move. With nothing but honesty in his expression, he sings about how nothing compares to us, and he tells me I’m his home. Confesses that he wants to come home.

The song ends, but our song continues. The music still plays vividly between us.

Our story.

Our future plays out in front of me. I can picture every second of it. Like him, I want to skip past the fake dates. I yearn for the day I can tell the world that this man is mine. That I’m his and I always have been.

“Isn’t this cozy?” A harsh voice snaps me from my daydream.

When I turn, I find Carter standing at my door, wearing a scowl.

“Already perfecting the act, I see,” he sneers. “Having breakfast together? What’s next, waking up in her apartment?”

Jay doesn’t turn around. He keeps his focus locked on me as he smiles. “Probably.”

I huff. “Carter, what are you doing here?”

“I thought maybe I could talk to my sister, but considering you’re hanging out with the enemy by choice, I suppose that means you’re against us now.”

Dropping my fork, I glare at my brother. But before I can respond to his tantrum, Carter pushes in and grabs Jay’s shoulder. “Where’s my child?”

Jay runs his tongue over his lip slowly. “Apologize to your sister, and I’ll tell you whatever you want to know.”

Carter grunts. “Get over yourself. You don’t care about her. You don’t care about anything except your dick, so she must be fucking you again.”