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“You’re going to take it, right?” I asked. “It’s what you’ve been working toward your whole life.”
She was quiet for a long moment. I waited, not wanting to push, even though my curiosity was eating me alive.
“I’m thinking of taking a few weeks off first,” she said finally. “I want to really think about it. I need to make sure I’m choosing it for the right reasons and not just because it’s what I’ve always assumed I wanted.”
“That sounds smart.”
“Plus, I think it’s time for the board to start kissing my ass instead of the other way around. Let them sweat a little. I want them to wonder if I’m going to walk away and take all my brilliant ideas to a competitor.”
I grinned at the ceiling. “There she is. The woman who told her father to fuck their doubts.”
“She’s been hiding for a while. Turns out she has opinions.”
“I like her opinions.”
Darcy tilted her head up to look at me. “You’re really okay with this? Me taking time off? Not knowing what I’m going to decide?”
I shifted so I could meet her eyes properly. “I’m proud of you. Seriously. People have been deciding what your worth was and who you should be or shouldn’t be. You’re finally putting yourself first. That takes guts.”
“It doesn’t feel brave. It feels terrifying.”
“Same thing sometimes.” I brushed my thumb across her cheekbone. “I’ll support whatever you decide. If you want to take the CEO job, I’ll be there cheering you on. If you want to start your own company, I’ll help you find office space. If you want to become a full-time gardener and sell tomatoes at the farmers market, I’ll build you more raised beds.”
She laughed. “Million-dollar tomatoes.”
“You have options.” I pulled her closer, pressing a kiss to her forehead. “The point is I don’t care what you choose. I care that you’re making the choice you want. Not the choice everyone expects. Not the choice that looks good on paper. Only the one that makes you happy.”
She sighed. “No one’s ever said that to me before.”
“Then everyone else has been doing it wrong.”
“Thank you,” she whispered against my lips.
“For what?”
“For seeing the real me and introducing me to her.”
“That’s kind of my thing now. Seeing you. Supporting you.”
We lay there for a while longer, wrapped up in each other, letting the morning slip away. At some point, my stomach growled loud enough to break the spell.
“Breakfast?” I asked.
“God, yes. I’m starving.”
“I think I have eggs. Maybe bacon.”
“Let’s just order in. I don’t want to move.”
Neither of us moved to grab a phone. The bed was too comfortable. She was too soft against me. I could wait a little longer to eat.
I pulled her closer, breathing in the scent of her hair, feeling her heartbeat against my ribs. I realized how lucky I was. I found someone that loved me as much as I loved her. Darcy was someone willing to do things that weren’t easy. She’d go toe-to-toe with whoever challenged her.
“Beau?”
“Yeah?”
“I’m glad you didn’t give up on me.”
