Bliss (Entangled Hearts Duet 2)

“Well, you’re doing great,” I say before taking another bite.

“Thank you.”

We eat our dinner with little tidbits of conversation here and there. The majority of the time, we’re both stuffing our faces. I feel like I can’t walk from the amount of food I consumed. Having had enough, I push my plate away from me. “I can’t finish it all. It was delicious, but I can’t eat another bite.”

“I’m glad you liked it,” he says, finishing off his last bite.

“How was your day?” I ask him. I’m fully aware of how domesticated this feels. Even more than that, is how right it feels. With him here.

“Good. I spent the morning on the phone with my agent going over my appearances. I also have a commercial I’m shooting in a couple of weeks.”

“Really?”

“Yeah,” he says, his cheeks turning pink. “It’s for an insurance agency.”

“I’m so proud of you, Coop.”

“Thanks, babe.” He reaches out and squeezes my hand lightly. “About my staying here,” he says.

“I think we’re going to need to get comfortable for this one,” I say, standing and rinsing off my plate and putting it in the dishwasher. Cooper puts the cheese away while I take care of his plate and a few other dishes before we head to the living room.

“You have the space,” he says, once we are both sitting facing one another on the couch.

“That’s not the point, Coop. We’re supposed to be taking this slow.”

“I don’t think you know how hard that is for me.”

“Do you not think that this is hard for me? That’s the reason I asked us to take some time with this. I was supposed to be marrying another man not even two weeks ago.”

“I know that.” His voice is low. “I don’t need you to remind me you were supposed to be his. I don’t need you to remind me this is my chance to show you what you mean to me. I can rent a place or stay in a hotel, but I only have a couple of months before I have to go back to Indy. To my job. I want to soak up as much time with you as I can between now and then. I only have a small window of time to show you what you mean to me. I want to be here, Reese. I promise you I will respect any boundaries that you put into place. Just… please let me be here with you.”

I replay his plea over and over in my mind. He’s right. He’s going to be leaving, heading back to his life and his career. I don’t know what’s happening between us, but I do know that the more time I get to be with him, the harder it’s going to be for me to let go. Knowing that, it doesn’t stop me from saying, “Okay.”

“Yeah?” He leans in close. “Thank you.” He kisses me softly, a simple press of his lips to mine, maybe a couple of seconds, but it leaves me wanting more.

“Yes. But we will have boundaries.”

“Anything.” He grins.

I have a feeling the next several weeks are going to be an adventure.Chapter 11CooperI’ve been staying at Reese’s apartment for two weeks. Two weeks of locking myself in the spare room at night, in a weak attempt to not sneak into her room and cuddle up with her. So far, I’m holding strong. It’s been difficult, but I’m trying to respect her boundaries. This queen size bed seems larger than life without her lying next to me.

It’s been two weeks of pure bliss, though. I don’t know of any other way to describe it. One little word sums up the reality of my life. I love her more today than I did yesterday and even the day before. I’m confident I will love her even more tomorrow.

We have dinner together each night, and then lounge on the couch. We’ve spent a lot of time in, but that’s fine by me. I know she’s worried about running into Hunter while the wounds are still healing, and I understand. I know that’s hard for her, and I don’t mind keeping her to myself. Sure, I want the world to know she’s mine, but right now, she’s just that. All mine. I don’t have to share my evenings or weekends with her with anyone else. I’m loving every minute of it.

This weekend, however, is a little different. Reese has an event for the county at the local children’s home. She described it as a mini carnival for the kids. Local businesses donated prizes for the games. I know she’s stressing over it being enough. She wants the kids to have a great time.

“How many kids are there?” I ask Reese. It’s Saturday morning, and she’s just finished getting ready to leave.

“Ten rowdy boys.” She smiles.