Page 48 of His Own Heaven

“I’m sorry I missed your call last night,” she said. “I didn’t—” She was going to lie and say “I didn’t hear it ring” or “I didn’t answer because my hands were wet”, but when Toby folded his arms across his chest and raised one brow, practically daring her to lie to him, the truth spilled out of her, revealing her spite. “—want to talk to you.”

Toby’s lips twitched. She could tell he was trying not to laugh, but then he let it out anyway, and some of the tension eased from the room.

“It’s okay, baby. I deserved that.”

Baby. Her heart did the same weird little flippy-floppy dance move it had done the night before when she’d listened to his voicemail. As though nothing had changed since they’d made love in his garden on Sunday afternoon.

Before the Uber incident.

The thought made her stupidly happy, and she bit her lip in an attempt to hide her excitement, then let out a slow steady breath. It wasn’t true, of course. Something had changed, something important, and she needed to get herself on even ground before she threw herself at him and destroyed any leverage she might have had during their talk.

“How are your brother and his friend doing?” Because nothing screamed even ground like a family tragedy.Stupid, Lucy.

He gestured for her to take a seat, then did the same. “Rafe’s okay. A sprained wrist, a few bumps and bruises. He’ll be fine.” He rubbed his hand across the back of his neck, and she had to grip the arms of the chair to stop herself from going to him and rubbing his shoulders to ease his stress. “It’s Jane we’re worried about,” he said, and he gave her a rundown of the incident.

“They were still running tests when we left last night, and my sister, Abby, sent word this morning that she still hasn’t woken up.” Then a small smile tugged at his lips and his expression softened. “The only good news so far is they discovered Jane is having twins, and both babies appear to be in good health.”

Lucy relaxed into the chair and let go of the tension she’d been holding onto as Toby spoke, then leaned forwards and touched his hand where it lay on his desk. “I’m sure Jane will be okay too. By the sound of things, she got her head rattled pretty well by the airbags and has possible bruising on her brain. Once that heals, I’m sure she’ll be fine.”

“And how long does that take?” He scowled, but she saw the worry underscoring the ferocious expression.

“It varies,” she said gently. “Brains are weird, and every person is different. But if the doctors aren’t worried, then you shouldn’t be either. I’ve seen people bounce back from far worse.” Toby slid his hand out from under hers and leaned back in his chair, so she did too. Then she readjusted herself and lifted her chin, refused to acknowledge how much the removal of his touch burned a hole through her chest. “Now, what did you want to talk about? Or did you call me in early just to finalise the paperwork?”

Toby straightened the items on his desk until they sat perfectly square to one another. She’d noticed him do it every time they ate too, probably more so because of her vantage point from the cushion at his feet which put her line of sight almost directly level with the tabletop. The cutlery had to be aligned just so, and his brow pinched every time Charlie didn’t put the salt and pepper mills back in their little caddy in the centre of the table.

The tiny smirk on Charlie’s face every time he did it led her to believe he did it on purpose.Arse.

Towards the end of the weekend, she’d started directing a steady glare at him every time he did it, which only made him smirk at her in turn.

“We’ll get to your employee contract,” he said, patting a set of papers to the side of his blotter. “But first, I wanted to apologise properly for how I spoke to you yesterday. I know you only wanted to help us and I’m thankful you felt… comfortable enough around me to do what you did.”

She raised one brow. “You mean boss you around?”

“Yes.” A small smile lifted his lips. “Charlie doesn’t handle bad news well. I usually spend so much time calming him down that it takes more time than it should to get going. But you settled him so quickly. Thank you.”

Heat infused her cheeks, and she had to bite her lip to stop herself from smiling like a git at his praise. “I’m used to dealing with high-maintenance men,” she said, then realised she’d just insulted her boss’s twin brother. “Not that Charlie is high-maintenance,” she rushed to add.

Toby’s smile widened. “No, he really is.” His smile turned rueful. “But I’m also sorry for being a dick when you offered to find your own way home. I appreciate that you were trying to save us time—hell, by handling Charlie, youdidsave us time—and we got to the hospital sooner than we would’ve.”

Lucy shifted uncomfortably in her seat and lifted one shoulder in a half shrug. “Family is important.” Not that she’d know. Her parents disowned her after she was injured, and even before that they weren’t winning any Parents of the Year awards.

“Yes. But so are you.” Toby stared at her across the table, and her gut clenched at the yearning she saw in his pale eyes. “That’s what I wanted to talk to you about.” He took a deep breath. “I like you, Lucy Barton. Imorethan like you. And I’m pretty sure you more than like me too.”

That wasn’t what she’d expected him to say. She didn’t really know what she’d expected Toby to say, but that definitely wasn’t it.

Hemorethan liked her?

Before she could stop herself, she whispered, “How much more?” Then her breath hitched in her chest at her own audacity.Did I really just say that out loud?

A lopsided smile stretched across his handsome face. “Much,muchmore.” He licked his lips and she tracked the movement like a hawk, knowing exactly what he could do with that tongue when he had a mind to. “In fact, if I thought for a second you’d say yes, I’d ask you to move in with me.”

Say what now?Lucy’s whole body snapped to attention, and she swallowed hard. “What makes you think I’d say no?”

He chuckled and leaned back in his chair, laced his fingers together and rested them on his lean stomach. “Because you’re as stubborn as I am, and you like your rules too much.”

That’s because rules existed for a reason. “Rules protect people, keep them safe.” She tapped a finger against her scarred cheek. “I’m walking proof of what happens when you don’t follow the rules.”

A flicker of shock danced across his face but was gone a moment later. She wasn’t surprised by his reaction. They hadn’t exactly shared their deepest, darkest secrets with each other, and she wondered if he would still “more than like her” if he knew the truth of how she came to be disfigured.

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