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Because the truth is, I’m not worried. Nothing about Caleb’s behavior or presence in the past three weeks has made me question our relationship or the future we’re going to have together.
“I’ve got one more week,” he murmurs, stroking my cheek with his knuckles. “You gave me a month.”
I sniff. “Oh. Fine. Maybe I was hoping you wouldn’t need a full month to know you want to be with me forever.”
“Hey.” He puts his knife down again and takes my face in both his hands. They smell like garlic, but I don’t care.
“I was teasing,” I tell him since he seems to have taken it seriously.
“I know you were.” He holds my gaze soberly. “But you should already know that I want to be with you forever.”
“I do know,” I whisper, strangely touched by his earnestness. “You were worried that I didn’t really want to be with you.”
“I was worried.”
My eyes widen. “Was that past tense?”
He drops his hands and gives me a teasing smile. “I’ve got another week left.”
“Oh, you’re being a jerk.” I give him a light push, and he retaliates by trying to tickle me. We have a little scuffle until I fall into his arms, gasping with laughter.
He squeezes me and then kisses me and then lets me go. “Stop trying to distract me from making our dinner.”
“Fine. You get back to work, and I’ll go wash up. Then we can eat, and then we’ll find something to amuse ourselves for the rest of the evening.”
I hear him chuckling in response as I walk down the hall.
* * *
The stir-fry Caleb made is delicious. As we’re cleaning up after we eat, Caleb starts to get handsy. We end up having sex up against the wall in the kitchen and then again on the living room couch.
Afterward, I go to the bathroom to clean up and then change into cozy pajamas. I come back out to the living room to find Caleb changed into his pajama pants and sprawled out on the couch.
He gives me a smile that’s tender and sated and sleepy and loving all at the same time.
It makes me gulp with a surge of emotion. I really can’t believe I get to have him in my life like this. I get to love him and have him love me.
I never believed the universe would offer me such a gift.
“You feeling sappy?” he asks in a husky voice.
“A little. Nothing too cringe-worthy though.”
“Good.”
I walk over and move his head out of the way so I can sit on the couch. Then I draw him back down so his head is in my lap.
He gives me a quick look like he’s checking my expression, but he doesn’t object to the arrangement.
I stroke his hair. Massage his scalp. Rub his neck. Love how his breathing slows and deepens, his big body relaxes.
I love him so much. I never knew my heart was big enough to hold this amount of feeling.
“This feels really good, baby,” he murmurs thickly as I return to kneading his head. “But I’ve had a good day and didn’t really need extra attention this evening.”
“I know. I just wanted to do it.”
His eyes have been closed, but they open slightly again. He peers at me through the slits. “Why did you want to?”
