“You mean that, Josie?”
She nodded, breathing rapidly. I touched her hand over the table. She was shaking slightly. I pulled my chair closer to the table, cradling her legs with mine.
“Baby, let’s get out of here. I want you all to myself.” We weren’t even halfway through dinner, but I just couldn’t wait to be alone with her.
She nodded. I headed straight to the waiter to pay. I didn’t even have the patience to wait for him to stop by our table.
The restaurant was only minutes away from home. I wasn’t even sure how or when we got there.
I only trusted myself to touch Josie once we were inside. She was still shaking slightly.
“Josie, is everything okay?”
“Yes.”
I touched her face with both hands, looking straight at her. “You’re shaking.”
“It’s just... What if it doesn’t work out? What if we just mess things up?” Her voice had dropped to a whisper. “I love you.” She pressed her lips together, then hid her face in my chest. “Did I just scare you away with my crazy talk? Lie quickly if I did.”
“No. I love you, Josie. So much.” She pulled back, enough that I could look straight at her. “And I’ll show you, every way I can. I won’t pretend that I know how to do this but trust me to figure this out next to you.”
She smiled, playing with the collar of my shirt, pulling me closer. “I do.”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Josie
When I woke up the next morning, Hunter wasn’t in bed. Where was he? His side of the mattress was cold, but I felt like being lazy for a few more minutes.
And speaking of last night... had it been real?
I hid my face in the pillow, grinning against the fabric. Yes, it had.
Hunter loved me.
I wanted to scream it at the top of my lungs, while also fearing that if I talked about it—or hell, even thought about it, I would lose it, somehow. Like I couldn’t possibly be so lucky.
I’d arrived in New York with big dreams—had imagined my life before it had started, but the reality had been different. Difficult. Becoming a lawyer had taken every ounce of will and energy. Dating turned out to be more like an exercise in lowering my hopes and expectations, nothing like the romantic, laid-back dates of my high school days.
But now... holy hell. I had to tamp down my enthusiasm, and this bubbly feeling that my heart was so full, it couldn’t fit into my chest. While showering, I pondered how I was going to spoil my man today. I could cook his favorite breakfast. Yeah, I could do that... and as a bonus, I could cook naked. I was sure he’d appreciate it, but I wasn’t so sure if I’d get to finish said breakfast... He was known to jump my bones when I wore no clothes. It was like tickling a bear, but I couldn’t help myself.
Still, I put on a robe. I’d drop it later, when I found an appropriate moment... for dramatic effect.
Hunter was walking around the living room, holding up his iPhone. I didn’t like the frown on his face at all.
“What are you doing?” I asked.
He smiled, but it lacked the usual spark. “Taking some photos.”
“I can see that, but why?”
“Just got a call from the case worker. Wants me to send her pictures of the house in the next ten minutes.”
The bubbly feeling in my chest vanished instantly.
“Oh God. Okay. Umm... let me just gather some of the clothes lying around, and my makeup... or, I don’t know. What should I do?”
“Nothing, I think. It’s best if I just send her real snapshots.”