Page 140 of From Best Friend to Bride
“No!”
I scooted up his body until our faces were close and grinned. “That’s a yes, isn’t it?”
His face was so close to mine, and as our eyes met, butterflies sparked to life in my tummy. “It’s not. I’m simply not saying no.”
A giggle escaped me, and I kicked my feet against the sofa cushion, drawing a disgruntled rumble from Spice.
“But the same rules still stand,” he said, linking his fingers at the base of my spine. “She’s not allowed in the bedroom. She’s your pet, so you’re looking after her. And shedoesneed access outside, no matter what you say.”
I nodded hurriedly. “Harry suggested we could get a door flap custom made for her to come and go in her own private section of garden.”
“My butler is a traitor,” he muttered.
I beamed.
“Don’t smile at me like that.”
“Why not?”
“You’ll get in trouble.” He brought one hand up and tapped my nose. “I suppose it’s not the end of the world to keep Spice as a house cow if it really makes you that happy.”
I kicked my feet against the sofa cushion again, then slid my hands up to his face, laying them against his cheeks, and kissed the tip of his nose. “You’re the best.”
“Oh?” He shifted slightly. “Is that how you thank the best husband ever?”
There was a teasing glint in his blue eyes, one that made my breath catch. This was the most playful he’d been since before Nana had died, and something about the twinkle in his gaze made the hair on my arms stand on end.
I’d been so wrapped in my grief for so long that I’d almost forgotten that I could feel other things.
That Ididfeel other things.
Mostly for this man beneath me.
He was the one who held me up before I knew my legs would give out. He held my hand and guided me before I ever knew I was lost.
Any strength I possessed was carried entirely on his shoulders.
My best friend.
The person I knew better than anyone—who knew me better than anyone.
For a moment, I remembered something that had lived quietly at the back of my mind, deep in my soul, softly in my heart. Something that had simmered along, strengthening with every wipe of my tears, every smile, every hug, every word.
Before I’d experienced the worst heartbreak of my life in losing Nana, I’d been falling in love with Fred.
And now, lying here with him surrounded with the bubble of who we used to be, I brushed my thumb across his cheek and dropped my gaze to his lips.
“Why? Do you want me to thank you properly?” I asked in a low voice.
He startled, and the teasing glint in his gaze darkened. His arm wrapped around my body tensed, and his fingers pushed against my hip, pressing into the soft flesh there.
“Delilah.” His gravelly tone was tinged with warning—one I’d heard before when I’d pushed it too far.
But as my heart skipped a beat, I didn’t care.
I had so much more to thank him for than he knew.
“Thank you,” I whispered right before kissing him.
