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However, Imightbe the kind of man who cuts his run short in order to have more time with said woman before work. I’m blaming it on seeing her in my clothes. She usually comes out once I’m already running, but it’s like she was tempting me on purpose this morning, walking out early to wave to me before I went down to the lake.
I jog up the slight hill toward her house after only two laps instead of my usual four. Her messy bun pokes out of the large comforter she’s under and the sleepy little smile she’s wearing does something to my heart I wouldn’t admit out loud in front of my brothers.
“Good morning, beautiful,” I say and dip down to press a kiss to her pink lips.
When I go to pull back, she surprises me by grabbing the front of my shirt and holding me in place for a longer kiss.
“I missed you,” she says against my lips.
A small, logical part of me says I saw her yesterday at lunch. A much bigger part of me doesn’t care because…
“I missed you too.”
I sit next to her on the patio couch and she snuggles into my side, fanning her blanket out so it’s over me too.
“We can go inside, you know,” I tell her as I wrap an arm around her.
“I want to watch the sunrise,” she murmurs with closed eyes.
I press a kiss to her temple and settle in. It’s not long before her breathing deepens and it’s clear she’s asleep. There’s a carafe on the table in front of me and two floral teacups beside it, but I don’t dare move to pour myself a cup.
Warm pinks and pale yellows paint the sky as the sun’s rays peek over the tree line. The glittering lake ripples as a family of ducks paddles across it. It’s serene, something MJ would love to paint. But none of it compares to the woman next to me.
Her mouth is slightly parted, the sweet pink color rivaling the cotton candy clouds dotting the sky above. I brush wisps of her blonde hair away from her face, the golden color of the strands making the sun itself pale in comparison.
My phone alarm begins to go off in my pocket, and I quickly silence it so it doesn’t wake her. She stirs, burrowing further into my side but not waking. I slowly shift so that I can lift her. I’ll lay her on her bed so she can rest, then write her a note and slip out the door for work.
Her head rests on my shoulder as I carry her inside and down the hall to her room. It takes a little effort to open the door, but thankfully her bed is unmade so I don’t have to deal with the covers too. I’m tucking her in when her eyes blink open.
“You fell asleep,” I tell her in a low voice, brushing my thumb over her cheekbone. “I thought you’d be more comfortable here.”
“You’re leaving?”
“I have to get ready for work.”
“You can’t stay? Just for a little while?”
I rake a hand through my hair. I’m not sure I’ve ever willingly taken a day off since starting this company with Grayson. And I know that if I lay down with Juliette right now, there’s no way I’m going to have the willpower to go to work.
“What about you? Don’t you have to work today?”
“I can take off. Perks of owning your own business,” she says and I chuckle.
I’ve never been one to take advantage of that aspect of my title at Carter Security, but maybe just this once wouldn’t be so bad…
“And you don’t care that I’m sweaty from my run?”
I’m not sweaty at all. Not only was the morning chilly, but I didn’t run long enough to break a sweat. Trying to come up with reasons not to do this is becoming more and more difficult though.
“I’m too tired to take any more questions,” she says with her eyes closed as if she’s famous and I’m some paparazzi trying to interview her.
I slide off my shoes and climb into her bed next to her. It smells like fresh laundry with a hint of baked goods. I send a text to Grayson telling him I won’t be in today, then turn my phone off because he’s bound to call upon seeing my vague message. Once my phone is on the nightstand, I wrap an arm around Juliette’s waist and pull her back against my chest. She lets out a happy sigh and silence settles over the room.
I breathe in Juliette’s cinnamon sugar scent as my eyelids begin to feel heavy. Everything is warm and peaceful. The last time I was this comfortable was when Juliette was inmybed. I fall asleep thinking of a life where I spend every morning this way.
“I’m capable of cooking much more than this, just so you know,” I say to Juliette as I place another sandwich on the pan.
We slept most of the morning–I don’t think I’ve done that since I was a teenager–and then had tea and croissants from Peaches and Cream. Now, I’m making grilled cheese at my house, per Juliette’s request.
