Page 53 of My Demon Manny

"Thinking about your little one?" Jerry asked, a soft smile on his face.

Before I could answer, Kat scoffed. "Nah, he's thinking about his man. Aren't you, Archie?"

Scowling at her, I decided not to answer either of them. They were both right, but I wasn't going to grace them with an answer.

Instead, I shoveled some food into my mouth and raised a brow at them.

"Very mature," Kat said with a roll of her blue eyes. She'd let her hair down tonight, and the strawberry-blond ringlets bounced as she shook her head.

Shrugging, I chewed as Jerry brought up our meeting tomorrow and the two started discussing it. I piped in now and then, but mostly let them talk it through. Usually, only one of us would've made the trip for a meeting like this, but Jerry had decided it would be a good way to hang out since I'd been so busy the last few months. My guilt over not being a very good friend had played a major role in me agreeing to come, and despite how much I missed Lux and Gunner, I was glad I had. I hadn't realized how much I'd missed hanging out with my friends until now, but before Gunner and Lux, they'd been the closest thing I had to a family. They were still a part of my family, even if it'd grown by two.

After dinner, we opted for ice cream instead of drinks because of the meeting tomorrow, and upon their request, I regaled Jerry and Kat with tales about Gunner and Lux. I had no shortage ofstories, and before I knew it, our ice cream was gone and it was time for bed.

"You really like him, don't you? Lux?" Jerry asked as we stepped inside the elevator. Kat and Jerry were sharing a room like always—they were the only divorced couple I knew who was closer now than they'd been during their marriage—and mine was just across the hall from theirs.

"I do." My lips curved in a smile just at the thought of him.

"Oh, he doesn't just like him. Archieloveshim," Kat murmured, her blue eyes sparkling, and I opened my mouth to refute her claim, but I couldn't.

I sucked in a breath as I realized that she was right. I hadn't told him yet, hell, I hadn't even thought of the words until now, but I did. I loved Lux. I was in love with him.

A few months ago, I never would've imagined I'd fall in love, much less with a man. Never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined I'd fall for a demon, and yet here I was.

"I think you broke him," Jerry said, and I scowled at him.

"I'm all right," I said, and they both grinned at me like a couple of assholes.

"I was right, wasn't I?" Kat asked smugly, and I sighed.

"Yes. But I haven't told him yet."

"You can do it when you get home. Bring him some flowers," Jerry suggested, and Kat nodded quickly.

"Flowers are good. Maybe some chocolates too. I know a really great chocolate shop here and it's right by the office we're headed to tomorrow. We can grab some on our way out."

I guessed having friends like these two had its perks after all.

Once we reached our floor, we parted ways. It was past ten by the time I slid into bed, and I wondered if Lux was awake. I wanted to hear his voice before I slept, but I didn't want to wake him.

Instead of calling, I sent him a text.

Me: Hey, are you up?

I didn't get a reply, but a few moments later, my phone started buzzing with a video call. Smiling, I accepted the call, and my smile widened when I found Lux curled up under the sheets in our room.

"Hey," I murmured, wishing I could reach through the screen and touch him. I knew he could teleport here with his magic in less than a second, but I also knew he would never leave Gunner alone like that. I could stay away from him for one night, couldn't I?

"I miss you." Apparently, Lux had no compunctions about admitting things like that, and I loved him more because of it. He was always so truthful about his feelings, it was refreshing. There were no games, no lies, nothing but honesty and care.

"I miss you too. I've never felt like this before."

"Me neither. I think it's because of our mate bond. It wants us to be close so it can grow stronger."

I supposed that made sense, but I had a feeling I'd always feel like this when it came to Lux.

"Is Gunner asleep?"

"Oh yeah. He's out like a light. He misses you too. He was really fussy at dinner because you weren't the one feeding him."

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