She nibbles on her bottom lip for a second before she smiles and says the words that I will never tire of hearing. “I love you, Cal.”
“I love you too,” I say as I place my forehead against hers. “It’s us forever, baby.”
“Forever,” she whispers before a grunt from behind me has us moving apart.
“Good morning,” Sullivan says as he strides into the kitchen and grabs a mug from the cupboard.
“Morning,” Lucy replies before she turns back to her breakfast.
I nod my head at him and pick up my mug of coffee.
“So, you two finally gave in then?” Sullivan says as he sits in the seat that I occupied not too long ago and starts to eat my breakfast.
“None of your business, Sul,” I say, giving him a stern look.
“Hey, I’m not judging, man, it’s good to see you both so happy,” he says as he shovels some pancake into his mouth.
I feel Lucy’s hand link with mine, our fingers entwining as she squeezes gently, and when I look at her, her words have me grinning like the cat that got the cream.
“Never been happier.”
She places her head on my shoulder and I have to stop myself from jumping up and punching the fucking air in triumph.
“Ugh, you guys, I’m trying to eat,” Sullivan says as he rolls his eyes.
Lucy starts laughing first, and her laugh is so infectious that it isn’t long before Sullivan and I are joining in.
A simple breakfast.
A fresh new start.
And my girl beside me, forever and always.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Bring me down
Lucy
“You’re like a new person, Lucy,” Ava says as I sit on the sofa in her office whilst she waits for me to say whatever it is I feel the need to say today.
“I feel good; great actually,” I say before the smile drops from my face as that ugly thing called guilt wades into my conscience.
A few minutes tick by as the guilt builds.
I shouldn’t be feeling great.
It’s too soon.
“Whenever you’re ready,” Ava says calmly, patiently waiting for me to divulge what’s on my mind.
And I do. I tell Ava about Cal, and how I am consumed by all that I feel for him. I tell her about how we finally gave into our feelings. I tell her about the fear that consumes me even as I try to block it out. I tell her about Michael, and how he was attacked, and how I feel like I should be mourning the end of our relationship.
It sounds stupid after what he put me through, but I’m only human, and we all have a way of trying to dampen our happiness with past events and thoughts of how we should act.
My mind is like a goddamn yo-yo. Up and down, all over the place.
Do I deserve Cal?
