Page 73 of Sven

He spent the day taking care of Winnie and trying not to obsess about things with Natalie. Before he headed up to give Winnie her bath, he put some pasta in the oven. By the time he had Winnie settled into bed for the night, the pasta was warm and bubbly with a golden-brown crust of cheese. He threw together a salad and opened a bottle of wine and texted Natalie.

Sven: I just got Winnie down. Do you still want to come in for dinner?

Natalie: I’ll be right there.

He finished setting the dining room table and lit two tall table candles before pouring two glasses of wine. While they’d shared meals on many occasions, usually, they just ate informally at the breakfast bar. But this time, he took the time to set his formal dining room table because he wanted to make sure he gave the conversation he was hoping to have the respect it deserved.

“Sven?”

“I’m in here,” he called as she moved into the kitchen.

As he turned the corner, he didn’t know what to expect, but when he saw her in leggings and a low-cut sweater with more cleavage than he had ever seen on her before, it almost took his breath away. Primarily because, fuck, she was beautiful. But it also made him think that maybe the day hadn’t given her time to cool down from their earlier kiss.

“Hi,” she said in a breathless little voice that called to him.

“Yeah, I set us up in the dining room.”

He guided her into the dining room with his hand on the small of her back. He hadn’t been this nervous around a woman in a long time—if ever—but it had never felt like this before. The conversation they were about to have felt important.

“Oh, wow, this looks amazing,” she said as they turned the corner into the dining room. He walked over and pulled out her chair before pushing it in. She looked up at him through her lashes with a small smile. “Thank you.”

“This looks delicious,” she said, picking up her fork.

“I mean, it’s just a variation on chicken and pasta, really the only thing the covered in the cooking class,” he said, clearing his throat.

“Don’t sell yourself short. It looks delicious.”

He watched as she blew on the bite and carefully put it in her mouth. “It is delicious.”

“Good, I’m glad.”

The night continued with Winnie asleep upstairs in her bed and Sven and Natalie enjoying a pleasant dinner. Sven wanted to bring up what had happened earlier, but he just couldn’t seem to work up the nerve. The fear that she might think it’s a bad idea had him steering the topic anywhere but there. But even still, it was enjoyable to gaze at her in the candlelit dining room while they talked about things from growing up to Winnie to his upcoming road trip.

Natalie put her fork down on her plate and then finished her wine. Sven picked up the bottle and nodded to her empty glass. Natalie handed him her glass, and he poured her another.

“Do you want to go sit in the living room?” he asked as he poured himself a glass.

“I’d like that,” she said as she got up, and they both made their way into the living room.

She was on the couch, and Sven sat close to her. It was now or never, and he needed to stop being such a baby.

“So,” he said, clearing his throat. “I did kind of want to talk about what happened earlier.”

“Yeah, I think that’s probably a good idea.”

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “To be honest, I’m not sure what to say. I told you last night I had feelings for you, and you said we should keep it professional and then I kissed you. I was willing to say sorry... but then...” He chanced a glance at her. “When you kissed me back, it seemed like you might like it.”

“I did like it,” she said blessedly fast. “But I guess I’m not sure what it all means. I know you don’t want to settle down, and I don’t do flings, especially not with my boss?—”

“Why do you think I don’t want to settle down?”

She shrugged. “I don’t know. I guess your reputation.”

“I get that, but that’s not what I want with you.”

“What do you want?”

“I want it all.”

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