Page 112 of Unwritten Rules

I nod once, my smile growing even broader.

“If you’re not careful, the wind will change direction, and you’ll end up with a perma-smile in place of your usual scowl.”

Mila bumps me with her hip, grinning brightly, her eyes shining like the sun.

She tosses her towel onto the countertop and then flops down onto the long couch, extending her legs so that her feet are resting on the coffee table, crossed at the ankles.

“My usual scowl? Excuse you, Hellcat. I’ll have you know I’m renowned as a paragon of delightful exuberance.”

I flatten my lips to hide their twitching as much as possible, striding over to the nearby bookcase filled to bursting with all manner of hardbacks – many first editions which had belonged to my mother.

“Delightful exuberance!” Mila throws her head back, displaying the perfect curve of her slender neck. “More like the epitome of a grumpy old man, Nathaniel.”

“Wench.” I spin back to face her, having chosen a title.

“Grump.” She quirks a singular brow, mischief front and centre on her petite features.

“We’re quite the pair, eh?”

She giggles sweetly as I return to the couch and drop down beside her.

“What did you choose?”

I hold up the copy of Romeo and Juliet, dog-eared from my mother’s many readings, with a wry smile tugging on my lips, knowing well it’s one of her favourites despite the tragic ending.

“Illicit love affair, hmm? Wonder where you got that idea.” She raises her brows pointedly, another giggle spilling from her smiling mouth.

I chuckle, pulling her closer to drop a lingering kiss on her forehead. “You’re a sucker for the romance of it all, though. So we’ll skip the tragic end and make up our own happily ever after, Hellcat.”

Her eyes widen enthusiastically as she nods, snuggling closer.

“In all fairness, what kind of idiot would be dictated by banishment? Instead, Romeo should have stormed Verona in search of Juliet and stolen her away from all the bullshit politics.”

She stops her tirade, finding my gaze. “But he’s so damn poetic, you can’t help but swoon. And swoon hard at that! Now get to reading, Nathaniel, but start at the balcony scene.”

“Your wish, baby.”

She clutches her chest dramatically. “Be still my damn heart.”

I shake my head, but do as she’s instructed. Thus we while away several perfect hours, doing our usual, everyday thing, but with the underlying knowledge that now we openly mean even more to one another than before.

When Mila has nodded off, propped against my chest, I lift her gently and deposit her on the excessively large bed in the master bedroom.

Once I’m sure she’s comfortable, I grab my phone, which I’ve ignored since last night. Unsurprisingly, there’s an ocean of messages to swim through.

The first one I spot is the boys on our group chat, and – despite the twinge of guilt I feel over not going straight to Henry today to be honest about how Mila and I feel for one another – it’s the first message I click on.

CADEN

She’s signing the damn papers this weekend!!

HENRY

No. Fucking. Way.

If it looks like a duck and sounds like a duck, I still wouldn’t count my ducklings before they hatch, Cade.

CADEN