Page 117 of Have To Be Mine

“A guest room for when my family visits. A big kitchen, even though neither of us really cooks. A bedroom that faces east, so we can watch the sunrise.” He paused. “And eventually, a nursery.”

My breath caught. “A nursery?”

“Yeah.” His eyes met mine, vulnerable and hopeful. “I want that with you, Krista. Not right away. We have time. But someday. I want to build a family with you.”

I felt overwhelmed by the enormity of what he was offering. A home. A life. Children. All the things I’d convinced myself I didn’t need because wanting them felt too dangerous.

“I want that too,” I whispered. “It terrifies me, but I want it.”

“We’ll figure it out together. Just like everything else.”

“So, you’re planning this home, but are we talking a brownstone in the city? A penthouse?”

“No. I want someplace with a yard.”

“Yeah?”

“Does that work for you?”

I grinned. “It does. I can work from anywhere.”

We stayed on the beach until the sun started to set. Paradise. On earth. But only because he was in it. This place would not feel like paradise without him. He made it complete.

39

DASH

Iwas gripping the door handle so hard I thought I might rip it clean off.

“Shit, Krista, that was a red light!”

“It was yellow,” she said, not even glancing at me as she took the corner like she was auditioning for Fast and Furious.

“Yellow means slow down, not accelerate through the intersection like you’re trying to break the sound barrier.”

She grinned, that wicked little smile that told me she was absolutely enjoying terrorizing me. “I thought you liked spontaneity. Living on the edge.”

“There’s spontaneity and then there’s a death wish. I like my body the way it is. I don’t want it mangled.” My phone buzzed in my hand. Callum. I answered, trying to sound casual instead of like a man begging for rescue. “Hey, what’s up?”

“Dash, hey. I wanted to—what’s that noise?”

The engine roared as Krista shifted gears again, weaving between two taxis with approximately three inches of clearance on either side.

“That’s just Krista driving my Porsche like she stole it.”

“You gave me the keys.”

“Under duress! You were naked. You cannot ask me for things when you’re naked!”

Callum laughed. “Sounds like you’ve got your hands full. Listen, I wanted to run some things by you. I’ve been talking with Cleo and we’ve got some ideas about the wedding line launch. Thought maybe you could consult since you crushed Santorini.”

I watched Krista blow past another car. My stomach did a complicated flip that had nothing to do with fear and everything to do with how fucking hot she looked behind the wheel of my car. Her hair was down, blowing in the wind because she insisted we put the top down. She had one hand on the wheel, the other on the gear shift, completely confident and in control. It was doing things to me.

“Yeah, absolutely. I’d be happy to help.”

The car lurched forward as she accelerated onto the highway. I grabbed the handle again.

“You still there?” Callum asked.