Page 124 of Meant to be Mine

“Blueberry muffins,” I confirmed. “But they’re still too hot. You have to wait.”

He crossed the kitchen toward me, his eyes locked on the muffins like they were a pile of gold bars. “How long?”

“At least ten minutes. They’ll burn your mouth if you try now.”

“Worth it.” He reached for one.

I grabbed the dish towel off my shoulder and threw it at his face. “Drew! I’m serious. Wait.”

He caught the towel with one hand, grinning. Then he used it to pull me in by the wrist, tugging me against his chest. His other hand came up to cup my cheek, thumb brushing across what I could only assume was flour.

“You have flour everywhere,” he murmured, his voice still gravelly from sleep.

“Hazard of baking.”

He kissed my cheek, right where the flour was. Then my jaw. Then the corner of my mouth. “Thank you for making my favorite muffins.”

“You haven’t even tasted them yet. They could be terrible.”

“Impossible.” He kissed me properly this time, slow and thorough. “Everything you make is perfect.”

I melted against him, my hands sliding up his bare chest. I could feel his heart beating steady and strong beneath my palm.

When we broke apart, he was smiling that smile I loved. The one that made his eyes crinkle at the corners and showed all his teeth. The one that was just for me.

“Coffee?” I offered.

“Please.”

I poured him a cup, adding cream the way he liked it. He took it with a grateful sound and sipped.

“What time did you get up?” he asked.

“Maybe an hour ago. I couldn’t sleep.”

“Everything okay?”

“Everything’s perfect.” I leaned back against the counter. “I just wanted to do something nice for you. You’ve been taking care of me all week. The foot massages, the dinners, dealing with my stress about the new job. I wanted to return the favor.”

His expression softened. “You don’t have to return anything. I do those things because I want to.”

“I know. But I still wanted to.”

He set his coffee down and crossed to me, caging me in against the counter with his arms on either side of me. His forehead came to rest against mine.

“I love you,” he said quietly.

“I love you too.”

“And that means I do things for you,” he said. “I like doing those things.”

“And I appreciate all of it.”

“Can I have a muffin now?” he asked against my lips.

I laughed. “Yes. They should be cool enough.”

He pulled away and immediately grabbed one, breaking it open with his hands. Steam rose from the center. He took a huge bite, closing his eyes like he was tasting something divine.