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I sigh, restless, and grab my phone off the bedside table. It’s just past one in the morning, and I don’t think I’m going to settle anytime soon. I push up on my elbows and glance out the window, wondering if some fresh air would do me some good.
Tossing the sheets off my legs, I stand and pull on a pair of socks. The apartment is quiet when I open my bedroom door and walk down the hall, but something tells me I’m not the only one awake.
I make a pit stop at June’s room. I peek inside and find her on her back. Her pink sheets are pulled up to her chin, and her favorite stuffed animal, Mr. Bear, is tucked safely against her chest. I watch her breathe deeply, lost to a child’s dream, and an enormous wave of love hits me.
Before starting as her nanny, I was never sure I wanted children. When I’m around JB, though, it makes me want to be a parent. It makes me want to have someone to look after and care for, helping to mold them into a human who might change the world.
Three months with June, and I can’t imagine my life without her in it. Dallas and I haven’t talked about what the future looks like or how often he’ll need orwantme after this season, but I’m already dreading the day I have to walk away from their family.
“Sleep well, June Bug,” I whisper, and head to the kitchen.
The light above the stove is on, and I smell coffee. My eyes catch on a Post-it note stuck to the cabinet, and I smile when I see an empty mug beneath it.
On the balcony if you want to join.
My secret spot is yours too.
-D
I pour myself a cup and make my way toward the balcony doors. A gust of wind greets me when I step outside, and the faintest October chill hangs in the air. I take a deep breath when my feet hit the concrete, and it’s like my brain turns off for the first time all day.
My eyes find Dallas on instinct, and I’m drawn to him.
He’s impossible to miss, shirtless and leaning over the railing of the balcony with a steaming mug in his hand, but I know I’d find him even in a crowd of people.
“Been waiting for you,” he says. He looks at me over his shoulder, and his mouth curves into a double-dimpled smile. There’s a crease on his cheek from his pillow, and his hair is sticking up in six different directions. “Come here.”
I’m a weak woman, and there’s nothing this man could ask that I wouldn’t do.
Our arms touch when I stand next to him. Our shoulders brush, and the heat from his body wraps me in a warm embrace.
“Hi,” I say.
“Hey, sunshine. How was your night?”
I rest my elbows on the metal ledge, mirroring him, and stare out at the city below. “It was good. I’m glad I got to see Isabella.”
“How do y’all know each other?”
“We played at Georgetown together. She’s the first person I met on campus my freshman year, and we just kind of clicked.”
“It’s good to have friends like that. They’re harder to find the older you get, so keep the good ones around.”
“You have lots of friends. Are they all good?”
“I know lots of people,” he counters. “There’s a big difference. I would only consider a few to be friends.”
“I’m honored to make the cut.”
“Who says you’re on the list?” Dallas teases, and I roll my eyes.
“I must’ve imagined you calling me your best friend, then.”
“You know you take the top spot, Maven.”
We settle into silence and bask in the stillness around us. The rest of the world is asleep but we’re wide awake and brimming with the comfortability of being around a person you adore.
There’s always so much laughter when I’m with Dallas. So many jokes and stories, an endless supply of humor and good things, but I like when it all gives way to gentle quiet. When we can justbe, without all the worries and responsibilities that come with being us.
