Page 130 of Gracefully Yours

Charlotte

Charlotte

I’m making dinner tonight. Your favorite.

See you when you get home, husband.

Isent off the text before finishing dinner—homemade lasagna and garlic bread, which smelled absolutely amazing. And it was his favorite, so I knew he’d like it.

I’d followed the recipe in his recipe book, thankful that I’d bothered to learn to cook when I was younger. Daniel might have made dinner most nights, but I knew my way around the kitchen, too, and I wanted to spoil him. Because he deserved it.

Because I loved him, and I had taken the coward’s way out instead of telling him. Whispering it after he’d gone asleep because I couldn’t keep it in my chest one moment longer, but maybe I should have told him a long time ago.

I was pretty sure he loved me too, but it wasn’t like he’d said it either. We’d decided it wasn’t fake, but…

Since spring break was this week, I didn’t have any classes to teach, and I hadn’t started taking dress commissions again this year yet. With trying to get pregnant and everything else, I had enough on my plate, so thankfully, I had time to justbreathe. Or try to. I’d somehow gotten more and more exhausted the more the night went on.

With dinner in the slow cooker and garlic bread ready to pop in the oven on broil, I sat down on the couch with my kindle. I had a few highly anticipated books from my favorite authors I wanted to catch up on, since I’d been reading less lately. Rubbing my sore ankles, I opened the first book, diving in to the world, fully immersing myself in my favorite author’s writing.

The next time I looked up, the slow cooker was beeping at me that the food was done, and the clock read 6:30. Daniel normally got home from work at six.

Where was he?I rubbed my eyes, feeling more tired than normal. I didn’t think I’d been overdoing it this week, but what did I know?

Opening my phone, I saw a text had come through while I’d been reading, and I scrambled to open it.

Daniel

Sorry, things ran behind. I’m on my way home now.

Charlotte

It’s fine. I was just reading. Food will be ready when you get home.

Yawning, I moved to put the bread in the oven on broil and clean up my mess in the kitchen. I needed a nap. Maybe I’d go to bed early tonight.

“Darling, I’m home!” Daniel shouted from the door, and I instantly perked up at the rightness of those words. Of how much this felt like home. Not this house—but here. With Daniel.

When he came into the living room, I opened my arms for a hug, but he picked me up by the waist instead, pulling me up off of the couch and into his arms.

I squealed, unable to stop myself from laughing as he threw me over his shoulder before we both settled on the couch, me nestled into his lap.

“Hi,” I said, a little breathless from laughing.

“Hi, wife.” Daniel grinned, before placing a kiss on my lips.

“Did you have a good day?”

“The best. I’m working on this incredible project, and…” He practically sighed in contentment. “I can’t wait for you to see it.”

“Me?” I hadn’t seen much of his work since college.

He nodded. “I think you’ll like this one.”

“So, whendoI get to see it?” I curled my fingers into the short hair at the nape of his neck, rubbing through his hair.

“When it’s done.”

I pouted. “Shouldn’t your wife get to see it early?”

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