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The sound sent his heart soaring. He grinned and held out the brush to her. “You try now.”
True blinked at him, her light blue-green eyes wide and startled. “Oh, I can’t... I mean...”
“Nonsense,” Ellie interrupted, sweeping over to the couch and hauling True to her feet. “You’re a Summers. Dancing like a fool is in your blood.”
True’s face flushed a lovely shade of rose, but she took the hairbrush-mic with a shaky hand and started bobbing awkwardly to the music. A few bars in, she relaxed, a tiny smile teasing the corners of her lips. Soon enough, she was twirling around the room, her dark curls bouncing with each step.
Cal watched, his heart feeling like it might burst with affection for them both. Ellie met his gaze and beamed with pride before joining True in a wildly uncoordinated dance-off that had Puzzle barking in delight.
The three of them danced and sang until they were all breathless. Ellie laughed so hard she doubled over, clutching her stomach while True collapsed onto the couch, giggling uncontrollably. Puzzle flopped down at Ellie’s feet, tongue lolling out, tail thumping against the floor in exhausted delight.
Eventually, they all ended up on the couch, with Cal sandwiched between Ellie and True, more content than he’d ever felt in his life. He glanced over at Ellie to find her watching him, an unreadable expression in her bright blue eyes.
He knew then that he wanted this. He wanted them—this family. Ellie and True, and even Puzzle. He wanted the chaos and the laughter and the unexpected dance parties. He wanted the raw, real moments that came with being part of a family. Being part of this family.
“We’re gonna teach you how to break it down 90s style next,” Ellie said, her voice soft and warm, her blue eyes twinkling with joy.
“Absolutely,” Cal agreed. “Just wait until you see me do the Macarena. It’s a sight to behold.”
“I just bet,” Ellie said dryly.
True blinked at him, surprise etching across her young face. “What’s a Macarena?”
Cal glanced at Ellie, and they both burst out laughing. “Oh, you’re in for a treat.”
And that’s how they spent the rest of the day— dancing and singing and laughing until their stomachs hurt. When night fell, they ate pizza at the coffee table and introduced True to Ellie’s favorite movie, The Princess Bride.
Puzzle tried at various points to steal pizza from the box when they weren’t looking. He finally gave up, but only because he found a stray sock to steal.
Ellie quoted lines from the movie, making True laugh with her impressions until True eventually drifted to sleep. Not wanting to disturb her, they shut off the TV and covered her with a blanket before Ellie took his hand and pulled him toward the bedroom.
Neither of them spoke.
Neither of them had to.
They just moved, coming together in a clash of bodies and lips.
It was primal, passionate, and yet somehow tender—the rush of their breaths mixing in the quiet room, hands exploring familiar paths of soft skin and hardened muscle.
Cal pressed kisses up the side of her neck to her jaw until he found her lips again. His name tumbled from her like a prayer—one he’d happily answer a thousand times over, one he wanted to hear every night for the rest of his life. He loved how she felt in his arms. Loved that he could make her feel this way.
His hand slid up her shirt, fingers tracing paths of fire along her ribs. She arched against him, a soft mewl of desire spilling from her lips. And Cal... He could only think about how much he wanted more. More of her, more with her, more everything.
Finally, he pulled back, breath ragged as he looked down at Ellie. Her blue eyes were dark with desire, glasses perched precariously on the tip of her nose, and he found himself laughing softly. She was so awkwardly adorable. He loved that about her, too.
“Ellie,” he said softly, cupping her face with both hands. I need you to understand something.”
“What’s that?” she whispered.
“I have never, never before wanted someone the way I want you. You’re it for me. And it’s not just physical,” he added, pressing a kiss to her jaw. “Though that’s pretty great, too. It’s... it’s in the way you laugh, the way you tilt your head when you’re thinking, the way your glasses slide off your nose...” He gently took her glasses off and set them on the bedside table, replacing them with a kiss on the tip of her nose. “It’s the way your freckles cluster like constellations. The way you blush when you lie, or when you get drunk, or when you come... it’s every look, every gesture, every detail about you, Ellie. It’s... it’s everything. You have completely, irrevocably enthralled me.”
Ellie felt a heat spread across her cheeks. She watched as a flicker of vulnerability flashed through his eyes.
God.
Nobody had ever said anything like that to her before, and the way he was looking at her… it was magnetic, pulling her in like gravity.
She reached up, brushing a thumb against his stubbled jaw, her heart pounding in her chest like a drum.
