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I laugh. “Can you get a hangover from champagne?”
“I’m sure you can! But we’re not going to find out!” She laughs with me. We eatthe rest of the meal and have comfortable conversations about our day until we are finished.
“I’ll clean up, you go change. I’m sure you’re tired,” I tell her and she looks at me with a shy smile.
“Thank you,” She says as she gets up and goes upstairs.
It doesn’t take long to clean up, and once I am done, she still hasn’t come downstairs so I go up to change myself.I walk into our room and find her sitting cross legged on our bed. She looks up at me, a little nervously, when I walk in. I don’t understand why at first, or why she is in here since she still uses the guest bathroom and bedroom.
But then I realize she is wrapped only in a towel.My heart stutters and I feel the oxygen leave my lungs in an instant.
“Are you okay?” I ask quickly, uncertainly.
“With everything that happened today…all of the good things…everything…” She starts and I wait patiently for her to continue. “With every single thing that happened today, I thought about how I was so excited to come home and tell you about it.”
My lips part and I try not to smile but fail, relief sweeping through my body that she’s okay. “That makes me so happy, Mads.”
“I thought about you all day,” She breathes, as she scoots herself to the edge of the bed and stands up. I hold my breath as she walks closer to me.
“I think about you every second…of every day.” I whisper back. She is so close now, my heart is reacting ridiculously, like it’s never been this close to her before.
“I haven’t showered yet…because…I wanted to wait for you,” She says, her voice barely a whisper. She looks up at me under her long lashes. My eyes go wide. I stare at her, feeling like a teenager again when I couldn’t think of anything to say that would be worthy of her. “Do you want to take a shower with me?” She whispers so softly.
“Are you sure, Mads?” I ask and she smiles. “I’m serious, we don’t have to do this,” I continue.
“I want to,” She says, stepping closer so our bodies are just barely touching.
“Are you sure?” I ask again, my voice barely audible. My heart is racing, my chest feels tight.
“Yes, Elliot,” She says, reaching up to kiss my jaw. “Take a shower with me.”
I curse under my breath which makes her giggle, but I nod wordlessly. She grabsmy hand and leads me to the shower.I take my tie off on the way, throwing it to the ground. I start unbuttoning my shirt, my hands shaking. She notices.
“Are you okay?” She asks unsure.
“Yes, baby. I want…I want this so bad but only if you’re ready. Please, it’s okay if you’re not.” She smiles softly and drops her towel to the floor.
My mouth falls open and I curse again. I lift my hand to my mouth to bite my knuckles and curse…again. I slowly bring my hand down and reach out to touch her face. I cradle it between my hands. “You are so damn beautiful. Oh my God,” I whisper before leaningdown to kiss her.
She kisses me back, reaching up to hold my face in her hands. “Elliot.”
“Yes?” I ask.
“You make me feel so safe. And cherished. And happy. The last few weeks have been amazing,” She says, our foreheads touching. “I…” She swallows before continuing, “I love you.”
I pull my head away from hers to look into her eyes fully. “Say it again,” I whisper.
“I love you. I know it. I do. I know it in my heart, I love you,” She says with a small smile, her eyes lined with silver.
I close my eyes tight, trying to shove the cry threatening to erupt back down into my chest. My tears betray me as they break through.“I love you, too. Always. Always, baby,” I whisper and bring her head to my chest then wrap my arms around her, needing to just hold her close. She hugs me back, tight.
All of the pain, the tension, the agony that has been living in my heart for months disappears. The tiny seed of hope that I never let go of blooms. I’ve never loved any words more than the “I love you” she just said.
“Make love to me,” She whispers into my chest and I gently tilt her head back to look down at her. She looks up at me with the most beautiful smile. She looks so peaceful and sure as she looks at me the way she used to look at me. With love…joy…adoration. My heart can’t handle this.
I wrap my arms around her waist and lift her up. She wraps her bare legs around me and I carry her into the shower and tell her over and over again how much I love her.
THIRTY-FIVE
