Page 100 of Her Game Plan

“I want to have dinner with you every evening. To listen to you at night as you proofread your emails out loud before you send them. I want to hear every thought you have, in and out of the bedroom. I want to wine-and-dine you at fancy restaurants, and I want to eat pizza on the couch with you in our pajamas. I want to keep a secret stash of Nerds Clusters in my pockets for when you have a bad day, and I want to hold your hand as I drive down the road, listening to a perfectly curated playlist. I want all the little pieces of you, Princess. Because I love each and every one of them.”

I hadn’t meant to say that; all my plans running straight out of my head the moment I saw Charlotte.

She lets out a light chuckle before standing. “I brought you something.”

Okay, not exactly the response I’d imagined the first time I told a woman I love her. Though maybe I didn’t do that?

“It’s nothing big. Not a room full of candles and flowers and something delicious-smelling in the oven, but I do think you’ll like it.”

I rise, following her as she continues.

I’d follow her anywhere.

“So, I, too, might’ve realized how much I missed what we had, and I really wanted to do something to make it up to you, but the only thing I could think of was the chocolate chip cookies you like, so…” She holds up a paper plate wrapped with plastic wrap, a dozen or so cookies inside.

“Did you bake me cookies?” I ask, a warmth spreading throughout my body. Heating up Charmaine’s meals is the most cooking I’ve seen Charlotte do in the six months we’ve lived together.

She gives a cute, quick nod before shaking her head. “Well, technically, I helped. I wore a chicken apron and everything. But I wasn’t really sure what I was doing, and she had the…”

Charlotte continues, but my mind snagged on two words—chicken apron. The same one I’ve worn since I was a teenager.

I gently take the plate of cookies from her and set it down before wrapping her in a tight hug. “You saw Nan?” It comes out more shocked than it should, but after their first meeting, I’d resigned myself to spending months trying to convince Nan that Charlotte isn’t the enemy.

I can feel her nod against my chest. “I needed her cookie recipe.”

“I do like other types of cookies, you know.”

This time, she shakes her head. “Not good enough.”

“So you braved Nan for me?”

“Nan and the whole gang.”

I squeeze her. “Was she mean to you?”

Charlotte tilts her face up to look at me. “She’s very protective of you and your generous heart. Worried I’m like your parents. Selfish.”

I press a gentle kiss on her forehead. “You’re ambitious and caring. You’re nothing like my parents. And certainly not selfish.”

She lets out a little sigh. “You’re wrong. I am selfish. If I wasn’t, I would let you go. Let you find a woman who would put you first always. Who has a heart as big as the moon to reflect your sunshine back. But I’m not going to do that.”

“You aren’t?” I smile down at her.

She shakes her head. “No. Because I’m too selfish to let you go. But I promise I will never take advantage of your heart or your generosity, and I’ll protect you from the people in your life who will. I’ll buy you bags of Nerds Clusters, and I’ll make you a new playlist every time our lives change. Because I’ve realized that being with you isn’t picking one playlist, one flavor of ice cream for the rest of my life: It’s having someone to experience every song, every flavor with. And I want that person to be you.”

I think my heart is about to explode with the joy radiating through me. I lean down to kiss her, but she pulls back, startled.

“Oh! And I love everything about you, too. I’m not sure if that’s the same thing as you telling me you love me, but I love you, which maybe is a weird thing to say right now because we’re just getting back together, or I’m not sure if you can even call it that since we were fake dating that whole time, but—”

I press a kiss to her lips. “I love you too, Charlotte. And this hasn’t been fake in a very long time. Not for me, at least. Maybe not since the first time you slept in my bed, but certainly not since you pulled me out of that funk after the game in Vegas.”

“That was so long ago,” she whispers.

I kiss her nose. “True. Better start figuring out what you’re going to get me for our one-year anniversary now. It’s coming up fast in my book.”

“I’m going to get you a tour of the Nerds factory. We’re going to go on August 1st.” She’s clearly making it up on the spot, and it makes me smile.

I smile down at her. “The day you moved in?”