Page 49 of You've Always Been Mine

“Liv?”

I blink and force a smile. “Sorry. Long day.” I take the flowers. “These are beautiful.”

“Just like you.” He winks.

“Come in.” I lead Derek into the kitchen where I have my homemade pizza baking in the oven. I adore pizza, and when my meager college budget didn’t allow me to order from the local pizzeria three times a week, I got creative and found an easy pizza dough recipe online. After weeks of experimenting with different sauces and toppings, I perfected my pizza halfway through freshman year. I haven’t changed the recipe since.

Derek inhales through his nostrils. “You’re cooking your infamous pizza my parents rave about?” he asks, sounding excited.

This time, my smile isn’t forced. “They talk about my pizza?”

“Nonstop since you made it for them a few years back. It made me jealous that I never had the chance to try it.”

Because he and I weren’t close for almost a decade…

“Well, you can try it now.” I open a drawer and pull out a heat-resistant glove, slipping it over my hand.

Derek rests his elbows on the island and watches me. “There are a lot of things I can try now.” He gives me another wink.

I huff a laugh. “You’re a child.”

“Hardly.” He looks down at his impressive physique in demonstration.

I shake my head with a rueful grin. “And humble, too.”

“The most humble.”

“Not at all cocky.”

“Nope,” he agrees. “Just confident.”

I laugh and turn to check on the pizza.

“Is there anything I can do to help?”

“There are cucumbers that need to be sliced for the salad.”

“On it.”

Using my gloved hand, I rotate the pizza stone, then close the door and set the timer for three minutes. Derek has moved the cutting board and knife to the island and is rinsing the cucumbers at the sink. The fact he’s already so familiar with my place would make me uneasy if he were anyone else. But he’s Derek. And I love seeing him in my space. Much more than I should.

How did I ever think I could move on from him? It seems silly now that I can openly admit how I feel about him—how I’ve felt about him for so many years. Our future is far fromguaranteed, but I know there will never be another man who makes me feel likethis.

Derek knows me better than anyone, even my parents. And he still likes me. Isn’t that what everyone wants—to be unconditionally loved for exactly who they are?

“Penny for your thoughts?”

I look up and see Derek watching me with a raised brow, but the questioning expression is softened by a tender smile.

“Just thinking about how much I like you.”

“Oh yeah?” His smile grows.

“Yeah.” I bite the inside of my cheek. “But don’t get a big head about it.”

“Never.” He resumes cutting the cucumbers. “So work was busy today?”

“Very.”

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