Page 116 of If Only In Our Dreams

“I edit it,” he laughed, kissing me again. “And I send it away.”

I perked up when something occurred to me. After returning his kiss, I then pulled far enough away that I could speak, “Did the cardboard box thingscareyou?” I asked, sounding way too excited about the prospect.

Ben snorted out a laugh. “Youworriedme,” he corrected.

“Damn,” I sighed, then kissed him again. “I wanna know what happens to Beckett.”

“We have a deal,” Ben reminded me, as if I could forget.

“I’m starting to think this was an unfair deal,” I countered against his mouth as he grinned. “You’re impossible to scare.”

“Not impossible,” he hummed, curling those big, lovely arms around me and squeezing me in close enough my ribs ached. I wheezed, just to make him laugh. “Just difficult.” His eyes sparkled, like a fucking cartoon or something.

“I’ve tried everything,” I complained.

“Mmm,” Ben agreed noncommittally. “Jumping out at me and yelling ‘boo’ isn’t ‘trying everything.’”

“Boo,” I pouted, grinning when he snorted out another laugh.

I’d miss him.

I knew that.

I’d miss him a shit ton after Christmas too—but mostly I was referring to the dress rehearsal I was required to attend in just a few short days. The dress rehearsal that wassupposedto be my surprise. The surprise I hadn’t had the guts to give him…at least…until now. “Hey, Ben?” I asked, shifting back so I could look at him. “I know it’s a long shot but…would you wanna go to L.A. with me?”

Ben’s eyes widened, but other than that, he didn’t react. “Go to L.A. with you?” he asked, keeping his voice neutral. I could see a thousand thoughts flitting in his eyes. And it took me a solid ten seconds to realize how my question might have sounded.

“Oh shit. I mean for the weekend!” I laughed, face bright red. “Not like…permanently.”

“Oh,” Ben replied, sounding oddly…disappointed?

No.

No.

There was no way.

I was reading way too much into this.

“I know you’ve got the girls, and you’re super busy, and it’s really late notice?” I rambled, cheeks still hot. “But I have to goback home for the dress rehearsal and I just thought…um.” God, what had I thought? That he’d want to drop everything and join me?

Christ.

He had a life here.

That was ridicu?—

“Of course, I’d love to come,” Ben replied immediately, fingers tightening in my hair. It stung the way I loved, and my lashes fluttered, wandering thoughts skittering to a halt. “When? I’ll need to book a ticket.”

“Um, about that—” My pulse thrummed, and for a second it was hard to meet Ben’s gaze. “I kinda already got you one? You know. Um. Just in case.”

Ben was silent for a moment as he processed this. And then he was forcing me to look at him, and when our gazes met heat flooded my body. “That was so sweet of you,” he rumbled, lips curved into the private, special smile that felt like mine and mine alone. “Thank you, baby.”

“Um. Yeah,” I stuttered, feeling hot and achy—my hole twitching. He normally only looked at me like that when he wanted to fuck his fingers into me. I licked my lips, and Ben chased the movement with his gaze.

“When do we leave?” he asked, still staring at my mouth.

“Friday,” I stuttered. “We’d be back by Monday.” That wasn’t even the worst of it. I might as well confess. “I already asked your mom, and she said she was feeling well enough that she could watch the girls.” That had been an awkward fucking conversation. But only because Beatrice had grinned at me the entire fucking time like a fucked up old-lady version of the Cheshire Cat.

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