Page 127 of Gracefully Yours

Not bragging that she’d made it. She’d stick her hands in and the other girl would be in awe, because fucking pockets, man.

The way she’d cuddled up on the couch with a blanket over her lap, drinking the sickly sweet coffee I’d made for her because she hated the taste normally. Brownie’s head resting on her lap.

Fuck, I loved her.

“We should get out of the house.”

She blinked, her eyes wide in surprise as she looked up at me. Brownie’s head popped up too, his ears perked forward. “What?”

“It’s the weekend. We’re just sitting here like an old married couple. We should go do something fun. Get our minds off of…” Trying to get pregnant. “Everything.”

“Yeah?” Charlotte set her cup down on the side table next to her and scratched the top of our German Shepard’s head. “What are you thinking?”

“Trust me?” I held out my hand to her.

“I’ve always trusted you,” she breathed back, placing her hand in mine.

The words sent a thrum of satisfaction down to my bones. Something about the way she was looking at me, the phrase she’d uttered when she thought I was asleep last night—it was everything. Everything I’d wanted. Everything I needed was right here by my side.

I squeezed her hand, the unspoken tradition that we’d had as long as I could remember.

It was almost April, meaning the temperatures were getting warmer outside. But still, it could be chilly out there. And I didn’t want her catching a cold.

“Go put something cute on. And grab your coat.”

“I’m always cute,” she muttered under her breath as she walked away, giving me the perfect view of her tiny pink pajama shorts that hugged her curves.

I swatted her ass.

“Hey!” She turned around to glare at me.

Shrugging, I gave my best innocent face. “Your cute ass was begging for it.”

“So are you joining me in the shower, or…”

I gave her a wicked grin. “Right behind you, wife.”

* * *

“Where are we going?”

“You’re terrible to surprise, you know that?”

Charlotte batted her eyelashes. “Maybe.”

After a long shower, we'd eventually gotten everything loaded into the car, Brownie included, who was sitting in the backseat.

While Char had been doing her makeup and got dressed, I’d snuck downstairs and packed a picnic basket and everything we needed for the afternoon inside. It was a beautiful weekend, sunny and no rain, and I wanted to take advantage of it.

Taking the back roads towards our old university, I pulled off at Cathedral Park. We used to come here a lot when we were in college, especially when the weather was good, at the beginning and end of the school year.

“Daniel,” she gasped as I spread out the picnic blanket. “When did you have time to do all of this?”

“Do you like it?” I asked, a grin spreading over my face.

She playfully pushed my arm.

Sitting on top of the blanket, I patted the space next to me. “Come here, love.”

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