Page 92 of Stuck with the Billionaire Celebrity

I reach down, letting my hand trail over the cool grass, soaking up the simple joy of this place.

“This is the kind of place you could get lost in,” I say, breaking the comfortable silence. “In a good way.”

He chuckles, his eyes still closed. “Or maybe we’ll just never leave.”

“Oh, I like that idea,” I say with a grin, lying down beside him, staring up at the sky through the branches overhead.

After a while, he shifts onto his side, propping his head on one hand as he looks down at me. “What would you do if we did stay here? Away from everything?”

I think for a moment, letting the idea settle.

“I’d bake bread. Grow vegetables. Learn how to prune roses without accidentally killing them. I think…I think I’d be happy.”

He smiles, brushing his thumb across my cheek. “I think you’d make an amazing gardener.”

“Oh, yeah? You think I have a green thumb?”

“Absolutely,” he says, leaning closer until our noses nearly touch. “I mean, look at you. You’re already making things grow around here.”

A laugh bubbles up from my chest, and I smack his arm. “That’s the cheesiest thing I’ve ever heard.”

“But it’s true,” he murmurs, and then his lips are on mine, soft and sweet. It’s a kiss that feels as natural as breathing, as if we’re simply a part of this place, this moment.

We stay like that until the light begins to fade, and then he pulls me up, wrapping his arm around me as we make our way back through the winding garden paths.

Dinner is set on the terrace overlooking the gardens, and it’s simple but perfect. We sip wine and talk for hours, sharing stories, laughing over silly things, and letting the weight of the world slip away.

When the stars come out, we walk together in the moonlit gardens, our footsteps soft against the stone.

“Promise me something,” he says, stopping to take both my hands in his, his gaze serious.

“Anything.”

He smiles, tilting his head.

“Promise me that no matter what happens, we’ll always find time to get away. Just us. A place like this. Where everything can just…be.”

“I promise,” I say, holding his gaze.

The morning lightfilters through the gauzy curtains. I stretch, relishing the unfamiliar silence, broken only by the faintest birdsong drifting through the open window.

Beside me, Theo stirs, a slow smile spreading across his face as his eyes open to meet mine.

It feels like we’re still caught in some dream, wrapped up in this place where the world outside doesn’t exist.

“Good morning,” he says, voice still thick with sleep, his hand finding mine.

“Morning,” I whisper back, squeezing his fingers. “This is…perfect.”

He gives a lazy chuckle, sitting up and looking out the window. “It gets even better. How about we go into the village today?”

Before I can answer, there’s a soft knock at the door, followed by the door creaking open just slightly.

I catch a glimpse of a silver tray with a delicate China teapot and two cups, carried by the house butler.

He shuffles in with an elegance that would make anyone think he’s been tending to morning tea for centuries.

“Good morning, sir, madam. Mr. Theo, it’s lovely to have you back. Ma’am, I am Ernest, and I am at your service.”

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