Page 56 of When I Found You

“Keep all your spoilers, Kate.” He hugs me tight. “All I want is you.”

“I love you, Arthur.” I grasp his coat in both hands and pull him closer. He kisses me, and I melt against him.

The kiss turns passionate and I brush the tip of his nose with mine. He hisses in a breath.

“Oh, I’m sorry.” I wince. “Maybe we should take it easy until you recover.”

“Wherever you learned that self-defense trick, it’s definitely effective.”

I grin and think of the first time I tried it on my ex after I watched Miss Congeniality. Poor bastard ended up with two black eyes, and we didn’t have sex for a month afterward. It should have been a warning sign. I shove the memory to the trash bin in my head.

My past doesn’t matter, because now I have a clean slate. It’s a do-over in a way, and my heart feels lighter than it has in years.

“Shall we go home?” Arthur offers his arm.

I loop mine through and lean against him. “Yes. As much as I’m enjoying this Sleepless in Seattle moment, my toes are frozen.”

Arthur shakes his head. “I have no idea what that means.”

We head for the elevator, and I tug on his arm. “Spoilers without context. You’ll figure it out one day.” I chuckle. “This is going to be more fun than I thought.”

“I’m glad you’re amused, sweetheart.”

Inside the elevator we dust each other off leaving a layer of snow on the carpet. Mike, the guard, waves when we exit the building, unconcerned with our presence in his building.

Cyril grins when he sees us. “I’m glad you’re safe, ma’am.”

“Kate.” I return his infectious grin. “Call me Kate.”

He nods and opens the door. Once we’re in the car, Arthur pulls me against him and kisses my cheek.

“Will you stay with me?” he whispers hot against my ear.

I suppress a shiver of need and nod. “I’ll stay.”

“Are you going to tell your parents?” His voice is low.

“No. I don’t think that’s a good idea.” I sigh at the thought. “It’s better this way.”

“I agree.” He brushes my hair away from my face and smiles. “But you can spend as much time with them as you want.”

“That sounds like the perfect plan.” I’m blindsided by a thought and it makes me hesitate. “But what about me? I mean, not this me, baby me?”

He ponders this for a moment. “I don’t know. I guess we’ll address that once you’re born.”

“Do you think the universe will implode if I meet my infant self?” My mind spins with insane possibilities.

“I doubt it.” He interlaces his fingers with mine. “Don’t worry. We’ll figure this out together.”

“I know.” I rest my head against his shoulder and close my eyes. After a few breaths, my body relaxes and peace settles over the chaos in my mind. “How did you know where to find me?”

“Educated guess.” He shifts and pulls something from his pocket. “I saw your sketch in here.”

Straightening, I take the notebook from his hand and hold it against my chest. “You read it?”

“I did.”

“Arthur! Spoilers.” Panic starts to rise once more.

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