Page 61 of Seal the Deal

Her smile softens. “Okay. I’ll think about it.”

“Good.” I hook an arm around her, pulling her in tight. “Let’s go get comfortable. I’m not staying, but I wanna hang out a bit longer. Is that okay?”

“More than okay,” she whispers, melting into me as we make our way to the living room. “Stay as long as you want, I’m not ready to say goodbye yet.”

Neither am I. Not now. Not ever.

Chapter twenty

The pizza was definitely… gourmet

Charlie

The morning sun filters through the windows, casting a warm glow across the kitchen counter. The very counter where everything changed last night, where Jake literally devoured me. I close my eyes, still feeling the ghost of his touch, the way he looked at me like I was the only thing in the world that mattered.

When we said goodbye last night, he'd cradled my face as if he was afraid to let go whilereminding me how much he wants this, wantsme.I’d tried to respond, tried to tell him I felt the same way and he didn’t need to convince me. But the words were tangled in my fear and uncertainty. So instead of speaking, I’d kissed him one more time. It was desperate, a little clumsy, but it was all I could offer in that moment—my way of conveying what I can’t say out loud yet.I’m all in too. I want this too.

His parting words play on a loop in my mind.

I’m not going anywhere.

I swallow hard, struggling to hold back the emotions. He means every word, and I know it. But that only makes this more complicated, because if he’s serious, then I have to be too. And that scares the hell out of me.

I’ve been up for hours, replaying everything in my head. The house is quiet except for the soft hum of the fridge and the kids’ occasional laughter in the living room. All I can think about is how much I want to believe him, how much I want to throw caution to the wind and just let myself fall.

But the other part is screaming to slow down, to protect myself and the kids from potential heartbreak. I don’t know how to navigate this. How to balance my life, my kids, my job, and this overwhelming feeling growing between Jake and me. I’d planned everything: relocating, setting up life here, even quizzing Zoe endlessly to nail the new job.

Nowhere in my notes had I planned for Jake.

To bump into him after twelve years, to have him dig deep beneath my skin, burrow right through my ribcage, and cup my heart in his hands like it’s something precious. He’s done it so quickly, so effortlessly.

Like it was always meant to be his.

It’s making me fucking crazy that I can’t control this, but I can’t stop the little voice in my head telling me this is exactly what I need—to relinquish the control I’ve so tightly clutched and justlive.

The doorbell rings, snapping me back to the present. When I open it, Zoe’s standing there practically vibrating with excitement. I sent her a crisis text after Jake left, so I know she’s here for one reason: a debrief.

“Morning, lover girl,” she singsongs as she steps inside, blowing kisses to the kids in the living room before sauntering into the kitchen, grinning at me like an idiot.

“Sooo…?” She plops down onto a barstool, not even trying to hide her curiosity.

I roll my eyes but can’t help the smile tugging at my lips as I sit down next to her. “We need to be careful with what we say,” I whisper, nodding toward the living room.

“Got it. Code names and metaphors.” She winks.

I hand her a cup of coffee, but she barely acknowledges it as she leans forward with a smirk on her face. “So, Charlie. How was the… pizza?”

“Pizza?”

“Yeah, you know, thepizza.” She waggles her eyebrows suggestively. “Was it everything you wanted it to be? Cheesy, hot, maybe a little…spicy?”

I nearly choke on my coffee.

“What?” she says innocently. “I’m just asking if thepizzawas worth it.”

I shake my head, a smile slipping through despite myself. “It was… Let’sjust say it wasgourmet. Way more than I expected.”

“That good, huh? Sounds like ithit the spot.”

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