Page 122 of Our Chaotic Love Affair

“You.”

She lifted her head to look at me, eyes heavy with sleep and satisfaction. “What about me?”

“Everything.” I ran my fingers through her hair. “How did I get this lucky?”

She smiled. “You kissed me on the stairs.”

“Best decision I’ve made in weeks.”

“Only weeks?” She traced patterns on my chest with her finger. “I’d argue months. Maybe years.”

“Fair point.”

We lay there in comfortable silence. I could have stayed like that forever, with Cleo warm against me. The world narrowed down to just the two of us, everything else fading to background noise. I wasn’t thinking about my dad and his standards or the job I walked away from. I wasn’t thinking about all the things I should be doing.

I was completely in the moment. That was not something I did very often. I was the kind of guy that had three hamster wheels spinning in my head at once instead of the typical one. I was always juggling clients and contracts.

But just then, I wasn’t juggling. I was simply holding a beautiful woman in my arms.

“I told Melody,” she said suddenly.

“Told her what?”

“About my business plan. About leaving in a year to start my own thing.” She propped herself up on one elbow, suddenly animated. “I was so nervous I thought I might throw up, but I did it.”

I watched her face light up as she talked.

“How did she take it?” I asked.

“She cried. But good crying, you know? She said she was proud of me. Said I was too talented to be anyone’s assistant, even hers.” Cleo’s voice got softer. “She made it so easy, Cash. I thought it would be this huge thing, this terrible conversation, but she just supported me. Completely.”

“Of course she did. She loves you. And she knows you are meant to do more than be her assistant.”

“I know, but still. I’ve been scared of this conversation for so long. Scared of what it would mean to step out on my own, to potentially lose her if things got weird.” She was talking with her hands now, gesturing wildly. “But now it’s real. I have a timeline. I’ve been working on my business plan. It’s still kind of a mess, the angle is way too wide, but I’m narrowing it down. Figuring out exactly who I want to help and how.”

I could listen to her talk forever, I realized. Watch her eyes widen when she got excited. See her hands move as she built the story. The way she leaned in when she reached the important parts, like she was sharing a secret.

“Tell me about it,” I said. “The business plan.”

“Really? You want to hear about my mess of a business plan at three in the morning?”

“I want to hear everything.”

So she told me. She talked about her target audience. Her enthusiasm was contagious.

“I want to help them grow into the women they were born to be,” she said, her whole face glowing. “Does that sound too cheesy?”

“It sounds perfect.”

“You’re biased.”

“Completely. But I’m also right. You’re going to be incredible at this.”

She looked at me, eyes searching. “You really think so?”

“I know so.” I pulled her closer. “You made me want to change my entire life in three days. Imagine what you’ll do with people who are actively seeking your help.”

“Thank you for saying that. For believing in me. I never would have allowed myself to even think of going out on my own if it wasn’t for you.”