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“That’s good. I’ll get something ordered for all of us, and uh, I’ll just give you two a moment.”
“You shouldn’t be up. Go back to bed,” I said tersely, herding Justin like cattle in a pasture.
With a wicked grin, he grabbed my wrist and pulled me to him. “Did you hear what I said?”
“I don’t care what you said. You’re delirious. You need to rest.”
He wrapped his good arm around my neck. “I said you don’t need that apartment.”
“It’s part of the Ryder relocation package.”
“No, I mean you don’t need to leave.”
I blinked and opened my mouth but was rendered speechless by the butterflies that erupted in my stomach.
“Don’t leave,” Justin whispered. “Stay here while you—we—figure out our next steps.”
“The next step is for me to get a job.”
“Work for us.”
“Us?”
“Astor Stone. We’ll pay you to help investigate, behind the scenes. You have a unique skill set, trust me.”
“Meaning, I’m the daughter of the head of an internationally known evil militant organization?”
“Exactly.” He winked.
I shook my head. “I need a real,normaljob. I’m thinking about waitressing until I figure it all out. I was good at waitressing. I enjoyed it.”
“Okay, well, you won’t find better tips than in this area. People around here have more money than they know what to do with.”
“Tell me about it.” I gave him the side-eye.
He tilted his head. “You’re uncomfortable here?”
“No, your place is absolutely beautiful. It’s just ... I don’t know. I’m totally overwhelmed.”
“Then relax. Stay here. With me.” When I hesitated, he pressed. “Listen. You can think of it like a roommate scenario. You need a place to stay, right? We’ll just be roommates.”
He tucked a strand of hair behind my ear, cupped my face, leaned in, and brushed his lips over mine.
“Until you’re ready to become something more, that is. I’ll wait. I’ll wait forever. I’m not going anywhere, Sophia.”
Sophia.
There was something in the way he said the name. It felt real when he said it.
I knew then that with Justin, I was myself. Myrealself. Whether named Sophia, or Janet, or Karen, whatever, I was me. Authentic, emotional, toughme.
I dragged in a deep breath and decided, from that day forward, that listening to my heart would be the foundation ofme.
“I am ready, Justin. Since the moment I saw you, I’ve been ready.”
“Yeah?” He beamed down at me.
“But I want you to make one promise to me, okay?”
