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As she watches the movie, laughing at the funny parts and sniffling at the sad, half of my attention is on the movie, but the other half is on her—on the way she fits perfectly into my side, the way she smells sweet like vanilla, how, when I massage her thigh, needing to touch her in some way, her skin is soft and smooth.
About halfway through the movie, Bree yawns, but when I ask her if she’s tired, she shakes her head. Less than twenty minutes later, though, her soft snores are heard over the movie, and I know she’s fallen asleep. I should probably wake her up and offer to take her home, but the idea of her sleeping in my home, in my bed, is too enticing, so I carefully lift her into my arms and carry her to bed, loving the way she looks there, like it’s where she belongs.
She barely stirs, and once she’s under my blankets, she nestles her face into one of my pillows, sighing contentedly before her breathing evens out. Once I know she’s asleep, I head back out to the kitchen to get the food cleaned up before I join her in bed.
I’m putting the last of the dishes into the dishwasher when I hear the elevator doors slide open, and Hayden walks in, looking worse for wear.
“Everything okay?” I ask, closing the dishwasher and then leaning against the sink.
“Yeah. One of the investors for the wellness center was threatening to pull his funding. They’re getting antsy.”
“So what are you going to do?”
He scrubs his hands over his face and sighs. “I put together a presentation of other options, properties that have better locations, are cheaper, and will bring in a higher profit. I’ve requested a meeting next week and hope that they’ll agree to let Bree’s building go.”
“And if they don’t?”
“Then I’ll have to flat out tell my dad it’s not happening. But regardless, I’m going to tell Bree the truth after this meeting. I just want to have all the information before I do, so I can be completely honest with her.”
I sigh in relief. “Good. The last thing we want is to push her away over this shit.”
“Where is she?” he asks, glancing into the living room. “Did she go home?”
“Nah.” I grin at the thought of where she is. “She fell asleep, so I carried her to my bed. She’s there now, and I’m about to join her.” I wink, knowing it will get a rise out of him.
He shakes his head and chuckles. “All right, well, I’m gonna go shower and get some sleep. You guys have a good night?”
“Yeah,” I tell him as we head toward our rooms. Originally, the place only had one master bedroom, as most homes do, so after we bought it, the first thing we did was turn the guest room into a second master bedroom and add an en suite bathroom since we have another two bedrooms upstairs.
“She confided in me that she was scared to date again because her mom and her mom’s boyfriends were always shitty and made her feel like she was unwanted and could never do anything right. She was scared whoever she dated would feel that way about her kids.”
Normally, I wouldn’t spill someone else’s business, but Hayden and I spoke, and since we’re in this together, we agreed we wouldn’t keep shit from each other where Bree’s concerned—we both want her to be happy.
“What about her husband?” Hayden asks tightly, assuming the worst.
“He put her at ease, refused to let her feel like that, but I think she’s afraid most guys won’t be like him. Especially since the one date she went on before us turned to shit after he found out she was a mom.”
“We’ll just have to prove her wrong,” he says with a shrug.
We stop in the doorway of my room, both of us looking in at a sleeping Bree. The city's lights shine through the blind slats, lighting up her face like a halo over an angel.
“She looks so sweet lying there,” Hayden says softly. “I want her here… her and her kids. I don’t even know them, and I want them here with her. I could never imagine having a family, didn’t want that shit…didn’t want to be anything like my parents. But fuck, she’s a goddamn game changer. I saw a pregnant woman walking down the street, and my first thought was what would Bree look like carrying our babies.” Hayden chuckles under his breath. “I think I’ve lost my mind.”
“Nah,” I say, looking over at him. “I think it’s called falling in love, and I’m pretty sure I’m right there with you.”
Hayden swallows thickly. “It’s too soon for that, though, right? I mean, it’s only been a few weeks. Shouldn’t it take months…even years to fall in love?”
