Page 82 of Beau Pair
“Thank you for driving us here,” he says after a sip.
I look at him and raise an eyebrow. His smile deepens, but it’s the kind of smile you give a kind stranger. So I set down my cup, take his hand, and kiss it.
“Anything for you, baby,” I tell him. “I’m here. I’m not going anywhere. Are you?”
He shakes his head.
“Good. So now that we’ve both agreed we’re in this for the long-term, can we stop tip-toeing around each other about the longevity of our relationship?”
Beau laughs but hides his face behind his cup.
“What’s so funny about that?”
“I haven’t heard you say a more professorly thing,” he says.
I shake my head with a chuckle and raise an eyebrow. “Professorly?”
He shrugs and gawks at me all innocent. “What? It’s a word.”
“Okay,” I laugh. “A Beau word.”
We both take a sip of our tea and let the silence envelop us for a few moments.
“So, we’re agreed. We’re in a relationship?” I ask to make sure we’re on the same page.
Beau’s gaze turns up to the ceiling and then with a cheeky smile turns to me.
“Let’s see if Mama Hadlee approves first,” he says.
I gasp.
“You cheeky fuck,” I tell him, and tickle his sides.
He goes on to defense mode straight away, and his laughter colors the room with his vibrance. Just the way I like it.
“Fine. Fine,” he says. “We’re an item. Jeez. Now stop this nonsense. Boyfriend!”
I like that even more.
“Does that mean I’m still working for you?” he asks when I pull him in closer.
“No. You’re fired,” I chuckle, and I feel the brunt of his smack on my arm. “We’ll figure it out. One step at a time. We’ve got all the time in the world.”
“We do. We really do,” he says, nuzzling my neck while he rubs the nape with his arm.
“And the first step is making sure Mama Hadlee is well and healthy. The rest can wait.”
“Thank you,” Beau says, and leans back in his chair to look me in the eyes.
“I told you, you don’t need—”
“But I want to. For bringing me here. For being so sweet and caring.” He squeezes my hands in his, his gaze still burning me with his sincerity. “For being you.”
My heart pinches me, probably trying to make sure I’m still alive. That I’m not dreaming. That this is really happening. That I truly have found someone I love, who loves me back, and wants the same things I want.
“I could have said the same thing about you,” I tell him, and kiss him deeply.
