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She considered that. “I’m learning.”

“The day was perfect.”

Claire looked around. “It objectively was not.”

“You planned it because you know me. That was the perfect part.”

Twenty minutes later, they sat on the couch with a pizza between them.

The ruined meal remained on the table. Claire’s carefully printed itinerary was folded beneath the empty pizza box.

Biscuit slept across their feet, exhausted from a day in which he had contributed almost nothing.

Noah rested his arm along the back of the couch. “Best day I’ve had in a long time.”

Claire looked at him. “That cannot be true.”

“The pancakes were good.”

“The table has one working leg.”

“Four working legs. I fixed the other three while you were distracted with dinner.”

“Dinner was inedible.”

“The pizza is excellent.”

She leaned into him. “You’re ridiculous.”

“And yet you planned an entire day for me.”

Claire reached under the pizza box, pulled out the folded itinerary, and tore it in half.

Noah stared at her. He took the two halves from her and smoothed them together. “Let’s not do anything reckless.”

Claire laughed.

It had not been the day Claire planned.

It had been better.

Because Noah had been right.

She did not have to take care of him perfectly.

She only had to want to.

CHAPTER 32

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving morning, bright and early, Claire and Noah were in his car on the way to Noah’s parents’ house in Saratoga Springs. Only this time it felt different.

She was going home with him for a holiday.

As his girlfriend.

For real.