Page 97 of Meant to be Mine

“Fine.” I reluctantly let her go, watching as she slid out of bed and padded toward the bathroom. She’d brought an overnight bag. Clothes, toiletries, the works. It felt significant somehow. Like she was claiming space in my life, in my home.

I got up and headed to the kitchen, pulling out eggs and bread. The coffeemaker was already programmed to start. I heard the shower turn on and had to physically restrain myself from joining her. We needed to get to the store. The sidewalk sale was two days away and there was still a mountain of things to handle.

By the time she emerged, dressed in gray slacks and a white blouse, hair damp and pulled back, I had breakfast plated and waiting. Scrambled eggs, toast, fresh fruit I’d had delivered yesterday.

“This looks amazing,” she said, sliding onto a stool at the island.

“Figured we needed fuel.” I poured her coffee, adding cream the way she liked it. “Long day ahead.”

We ate together, talking through the schedule. She had a meeting with Micah about vendor placement. I had calls with the marketing team and a walkthrough with security to finalize the crowd control plan. The sidewalk sale was going to be the biggest event yet. We were expecting thousands of people to visit the area over the course of the day.

“You nervous?” she asked.

“No.” I wasn’t. Everything was coming together exactly as planned. Micah had been a machine, coordinating the changes. The vendors were confirmed, the inventory was staged, the marketing had been hitting hard for weeks. “You?”

“A little,” she admitted. “I keep thinking about all the things that could go wrong.”

“Nothing’s going to go wrong.”

“You don’t know that.”

“I do.” I reached across the island and took her hand. “We’ve got this. You, me, Micah, the whole team. It’s going to be great.”

She smiled, but I could see the worry still lingering in her eyes. She was a planner, a worrier, someone who needed to anticipate every possible problem. It was part of what made her such a good teacher. But right now, I needed her to trust that we had it handled.

After breakfast, we loaded into my car. I kept one hand on the wheel, the other resting on her thigh. It was my favorite thing in the world. All the hundreds of times we’d rode around together, I never had the luxury of something so simple. It felt right to have my hand there. Touching her. Always touching her.

“I had a lot of fun last night,” she said with a smile.

“Me too.”

We pulled into the store’s parking structure. The place was already buzzing with activity—trucks unloading, crew members hauling equipment, the organized chaos of event prep. I parked in my reserved spot and killed the engine.

“I’ll go in first,” she said.

I rolled my eyes. “Kensey, no one is going to say anything about us walking in together.”

“I have a hickey on my neck, Drew. I’d rather not advertise my boss is the one that put it there.”

My cock jerked. That possessive little fucker wanted to claim her again. “I’m barely your boss, but fine. I’ll be watching you walk away.”

She laughed and climbed out of the car. I watched her walk toward the store entrance, her bag slung over one shoulder. She looked back once, caught me staring, and grinned before disappearing inside.

I sat there for a moment, staring at the spot where she’d been. The feeling from this morning, that buzzing electric energy, was still there. I recognized it now. It was clarity. The kind that came when you finally stopped lying to yourself about what you wanted.

I wanted her. Not just for the summer. Not just for stolen nights and borrowed time. I wanted her in my life, permanently, in every way that mattered. The question was how to make that happen without asking her to sacrifice everything she’d worked for.

I grabbed my phone and headed inside. The store was a hive of activity. Parts of the main floor were roped off, crew members assembling display racks and testing lighting. Micah was in the center of it all, clipboard in hand, directing traffic like a conductor. I was glad he was taking this so seriously. I honestly thought he’d pop in, give me some tips, and then be gone. But when he sank his teeth into something, he took it all very seriously. I caught his eye and he gave me a thumbs-up. I caught a glimpse of Kensey talking with Edith.

I took the stairs to my office, needing a few minutes away from the noise to think. My desk was covered in paperwork. I pushed it all aside and sat down, staring at the wall.

What did I want?

I wanted Kensey. That part was easy.

What was I willing to give up to have her?

That part was harder.