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That stops me.
“What?”
“She asked if we had really been faking it,” he repeats, studying my face, looking for a reaction.
I stare out the window, watching as a few snowflakes fall as I try to think over what she could mean.
I’ve been so busy with opening the bakery that I haven’t really thought about what Eli and I are doing. We’ve been spending time together every single day. Sleeping with each other and kissing, even though the deal was over days ago.
“She says that we’re in love with each other,” Eli says when I haven’t said anything for a few minutes.
“Yeah?” I choke out, trying to wrap my head around all of it.
“Yeah. And she’s right. At least about me being in love with you.”
I gape at Eli as he steps forward and takes my hands in his. He looks into my eyes, searching them, and I hold my breath, wondering what he’ll say or do next.
“I love you, Hartley. I don’t know when it happened or how, but it did. I know that we said no relationships when we first started this, and that hasn’t changed for me. I don’t want relationships. I just want one. With you.”
He seems to be holding his breath too now as he waits for me to say something. My mind is so scrambled with thoughts though that I can’t think clearly. I don’t know what to say.
“Hartley?” Eli tries, but I can’t look at him right now.
“Sweets. Do you love me? Because I love you. With my whole heart.”
That snaps me out of it.
“You’re right,” I say on an exhale as the answer suddenly becomes so clear. “I don’t know when things changed either, but I love you. You’re such a good man, so handsome and kind. I don’t know how other women couldn’t see that, but their loss is my gain. I love you, Eli, and I want to be with you too.”
His lips land on mine once more and I get lost in him. My hands sneak under his coat and start to pull at his shirt buttons. I’ve got the top two undone and am working on the third when a voice clears behind us.
I jump, jerking around to see Susan standing there with a smug smile.
“Ready for dinner?” she asks before she turns to head back down the stairs.
Eli groans behind me, tugging my back against his chest, and I squirm when I feel his stiff cock rub against my ass.
“We could be quick?” he suggests and I laugh.
“You could sneak back over here tonight and we could be slow?”
“Yeah, I like that idea more,” he says as he threads his fingers with mine and leads me down the stairs and over to his truck.
“Just one more day and they’ll be headed back to Florida,” he whispers as he helps me into the back seat.
I wink at him as he closes the door shut behind me.
TWENTY-EIGHT
Elijah
Four Months Later…
I never thought that this day would come.
I’m moving Hartley in with me. I’m going to be living with my girlfriend. That’s something that I never thought would happen either.
“Can you grab that box by the door next? It’s too heavy for me I think,” Hartley asks, peeking over the top of the box that she has in her own hands.
