“I love you more,” he says, placing a kiss on the side of my neck.
A few seconds tick by, and we stay as one before Cal speaks again. “This was supposed to be romantic.”
I push on his chest slightly, moving him back so I can see his eyes.
“It was,” I say with a smile. “And it was everything that I wanted.”
He places a light kiss on my lips and I devour the taste of him.
It may have taken us a while to get here, but now that we’ve declared all that we feel, there is no going back.
“You hungry?” he asks.
“You bet,” I reply before locking my lips with his.
He chuckles against my lips and I feel a warmth spread through me like never before.
He gets me.
He completes me.
By forgiving myself, I’ve allowed another part of me to open up.
And it feels so damn good.
Chapter Forty-One
Darkness always lays in wait
Lucy
Last night was magical.
Cal helped me realise that I do deserve to be by his side. I do deserve his love. I deserve my happy ever after.
This morning was wonderful.
Cal and I cooking breakfast together, eating and drinking coffee, and generally just talking about nothing in particular. Those are my favourite types of conversations. The ones where you are comfortable just being rather than finding a reason to speak.
Lunchtime came and went, and I finally decided it was time to show my face at work.
I have been granted special leave due to everything that went down with Michael, but I want to get back to normality. I can’t just sit around Cal’s house all day twiddling my thumbs. I need something else to focus on, and projects at work will help me do just that.
Focus.
Normality.
My life.
After speaking with Mr Collinson, it was decided that I will start back at work on Monday morning. My first meeting will be with the HR department to determine that I am fit and healthy to return, but I know that I will ace that meeting, because this is what I want. No one is forcing me to return, and Mr Collinson looked pleased to see that I was ready to come back. He also assured me that Michael was no longer a part of the workforce, and that he wouldn’t be welcome here ever again.
This afternoon brought a phone call that I wasn’t expecting.
One that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand to attention.
One that allowed a slither of fear to curl its way around my heart and grip it with a ferocity that I haven’t felt for a while.
It was the hospital.
