Page 130 of Frosting and Flames

Her lips purse. “She did say that.”

“Don’t you trust her?”

She sighs. “Of course I do.”

“And this will take something off your plate. You’re always saying you don’t want to add more to your workload.”

She squeezes my hand, a reluctant grin crossing her lips. “Stop being so reasonable. Okay, fine. I’ll ask Sydney to go to the meeting.”

My motives are purely selfish, of course. If she takes on another project, she’ll have less time to spend with me. It’s already hard enough between my weird fire station shifts and her six-days-a-week schedule, even if we’re together most nights.

Our food arrives, and as we eat, I happen to glance out the window and catch Kyle walking on the other side of the street, head down as he walks, hands stuffed in his pockets. He’s persona non grata around town now, out on bail while he awaits trial for the third degree felony he ended up getting charged with. He could go away for up to seven years, but we’ll have towait and see what the judge decides. I’m just hoping I get called to testify, so I can tell them what a piece of shit he is.

At the very least, Rachel and I haven’t heard a peep from him in the last month, so maybe he really did finally learn his lesson. I was tempted to find him myself and hammer in the point, but Rachel asked me to leave it alone, not wanting me to risk assault charges if things got heated… which they probably would. The man tried to ruin my life, after all.

But if she doesn’t want me to, I’ll defer to her. Like I told her, there’s nothing I wouldn’t do for her, and that includes letting the criminal justice system handle Kyle rather than doing it myself.

I don’t point him out to Rachel, not wanting to upset her, and we finish our lunch in peace, with her none the wiser. I flag down Marge and pay, then walk my girlfriend back to the bakery, bypassing the front door and leading her around to the alley, where there are no nosy sisters or neighbors to spy on us.

“I wish you weren’t working tonight,” she says, looping her arms over my shoulders. “I swear I don’t sleep as well when you’re not there.”

It’s the same for me when she’s not curled against my chest, her soft breaths letting me know she’s safe, her cinnamon scent in my nose.

“I know, babe.” I kiss her softly. “You’ll have me tomorrow night.”

“My place?”

I nod. She’s been suggesting her house more and more, not only because there are no issues with privacy there, but Tanner hasn’t been keeping up with the cleaning I’ve been asking him to do now that we have company over more. I get it, we’d been living like slobs for years, but I want to do right by Rachel.

I’m over at her place so much, it makes me wonder at what point she’d be okay with me staying there… forever. Not out of necessity, but because we want it. I know I want it.

We have time for that, though. Time for everything.

She tugs my head down to kiss her again, and I happily comply, the action both familiar and exciting, the way it is every time with her.

With Rachel, forever can’t come soon enough.

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