Page 82 of Untroubled Heart

His eyes flutter as he lets out a breath, touching his forehead to mine. “I—”

The elevator opens with a light ding, revealing a room full of empty tables, backlit by city lights.

“Is this even open?” I ask.

Mason looks over his shoulder, then tugs on my hand with a smile, pulling us into the restaurant. Low, glowing lights overhead circle the centre of the room. A single table ahead of us is dressed with a white tablecloth and flickering candles. The room is a circle of windows, with 360-degree views that look over Heart City, and we’re the only ones in here to see it.

“Mr Heart, thank you so much for choosing to dine with us tonight.” A tall woman with auburn hair pulled back in a sleek bun greets us. “My name’s Cadence, and I’ll be your host for the evening. Please follow me.” She turns with a smile and leads us over to the one table that’s set up for dining.

Mason pulls out my chair, with a kiss to my temple, before he takes the seat opposite me.

“We’re very excited to present you with the custom menu you arranged with our chef. I’ll be over shortly with your wine and entrees. Is there anything else I can get for you now?”

Mason shakes his head, offering her a polite smile. “No, thank you, Cadence.”

“Very well, sir.” She nods to someone in the distance, then takes her leave.

“We have this whole place to ourselves?” I ask Mason once we’re alone.

He reaches over the table, holding my hand in his. “I didn’t feel like sharing you tonight.”

I prop my elbow on the table, resting my chin on my knuckles as I take him in, this incredible man who I’m slowly but surely falling in love with.

From the corner of my eye, I notice the building behind Mason shift. Thinking it’s a trick of the light, I don’t linger on it until it feels as though it’s shifting again.

“Is it me or is the building… moving?”

Mason looks out the window. The sky is a deep midnight blue. Thousands of city lights dust the ground below us, each building reflecting in the windows of another, the river just below it catching the lights and glittering like diamonds.

“It’s a rotating restaurant,” he says. “Takes ninety minutes to do a full circle.”

“We’re spinning up here? Thirty-three floors off the ground?”

He chuckles. “I didn’t think you were scared of heights?”

“I didn’t know spinning restaurants were a thing! I feel like that comes under its own category.”

“I’ll keep you safe,” he says, lifting my hand to kiss the back of it.

“Your rosé, sir.” Cadence returns with a bottle. With Mason’s nod, she pours us each a glass as another man joins her, setting down a plate of roasted vegetables, artfully arranged with a deep yellow sauce and what look like arancini balls.

I wait until they walk away before quietly speaking to Mason. “What’s in the balls?”

He muffles a laugh behind his fists. “Something with mushrooms,” he says. “Everything tonight’s vegan, so have at it.” He smiles and picks up a fork, dipping some broccolini in the sauce.

“Everything’s vegan?” I ask as he nods to himself, impressed, and goes for another bite. “I won’t be bothered if you eat meat in front of me.” I’m just realising now that every time we eat together, Mason eats what I do. I know he’s not vegan. I’ve seen the lunches he brings in from his grandmother.

“I like sharing things with you,” he says easily.

My heart overflows as I watch him enjoy every dish brought out to us, and the way he shares his gratitude with the chef, who comes out at the end of the meal, thanking him for creating something special for us.

I like sharing things with him, too.

I think maybe I’d like to share a lifetime if he’ll give it to me.

Chapter twenty-nine

Callie baby,