Page 105 of If Love Had A Manual
For a long moment, neither of us speaks. We just breathe, our hearts pounding in sync, his weight a warm, heavy comfort above me. When he finally shifts, he presses a tender kiss to my temple.
I don’t know why, but I feel a laugh bubble up from my chest. “I think you just fucked the nanny.”
“Yeah.” He lets out a shaky laugh of his own. “I think I did.”
For a second, I see something like vulnerability in his eyes, a quiet acceptance that this line is long gone.
We’ve detonated. The aftermath is currently falling around us.
We can’t pretend it never happened.
I tighten my legs around his hips, anchoring him to me, not ready to break the moment.
Thirty-Eight
Wes
Iwake up well-rested. Too well-rested.
That’s the first red flag.
The second is the amount of sunlight pouring through the blinds.
I reach for my phone on the nightstand and blink at the screen.
10:07 a.m.
Lena’s side of the bed is empty and cold.
Did she leave?
Did I push too hard? Say too much?
God, did I ruin it?
Was it just a one-night thing for her? Was that all it everwas supposed to be?
What if she walked out of here and decided it was a mistake?
What if she’s gone for good?
Cool your shit, Wes.
This never happens to me—this panic. When Lyndsey walked out, I wished her luck. That was it. I barely gave it a second thought. One night with Lena, and I’ve turned into… this.
But fuck, what the hell do I do if she decides she can’t stay?
Because it’s not just a nanny I’m panicking about losing.
It’s her.
My chest tightens as I throw the covers back and stalk across the room, tugging on a pair of sweats before heading straight for Rosie’s nursery.
It’s empty.
Panic tightens around my ribs, but before it can settle, I hear one of my vinyls playing.
Just Like Heavenby The Cure.
