Page 88 of Confessions of a Smutty Romance Author

He shuddered against me, coming inside of me and slowly pulling out as the waves from our fucking subsided.

“Come here,” he said, pulling me against his chest.

I relaxed into him, tears streaming down my cheeks. He kissed the top of my head, saying, “Let’s get you out of here.”

He stood, water dripping from his body, and helped me out of the bathtub. Just as gentle as he’d been with me before, he toweled me off and helped me into my pajamas. Wordlessly, he walked me to his bed, pulled back the covers, and then tucked me in.

“I’m going to start a show on my tablet, and then I’ll get us some food. How doesHow to Lose a Guy in Ten Daysand breakfast for dinner sound?”

My crying only grew stronger. “Jonas, why are you being so nice to me? I took you for granted. I slept with someone else.”

He sat on the edge of the bed, brushing my wet hair away from my face. “Just because I believe in happily ever afters doesn’t mean I think it’ll be easy.”

“But what if I mess up again?”

“You will,” he said matter-of-factly. “It’s what we do with the mistakes that matter. You called me back, you apologized, and I know you won’t make the same mistake again. It’ll be something new we get to work through and build trust on, every time.”

I shook my head, smiling at him. “You’re amazing, Jonas Moore.”

“I’m amazed by you, Mara Taylor,” he said sweetly, dropping a kiss on my forehead.

He got his tablet from the nightstand and started playing the show, but I didn’t stay awake long enough to have the food he made or even get to see Kate Hudson interact with Matthew McConaughey.

I drifted to sleep, still feeling the imprint of his lips on my forehead and his love on my heart.

* * *

I wokeup in the morning to the smell of bacon. Jonas wasn’t in bed or else I would have rolled over to cuddle with him, one-bed trope long forgotten. Instead, I stumbled out of bed and walked toward the kitchen, ready to kiss him and show him how much I appreciated him for all he’d done the night before.

But before I reached the kitchen, I saw my two best friends sitting in the living room. My mouth fell open at the sight of Birdie and Hen sitting on the couch Jonas and I chose together. “What are you two doing here?”

They turned, stopping their conversation and giving me concerned looks.

Birdie got up first, coming to give me a hug. “Jonas told us what happened. I’m so sorry, honey.”

I hugged her back, and then when she let go, Hen was ready to take me next.

“We’re here for you,” she said.

I smiled at the two of them, then glanced toward the kitchen. I could hear Cohen talking now too with Jonas. “Jonas has been amazing since everything that’s happened.”

“Fill us in,” Birdie said. “All we know is what he told us.”

I sat on the couch with my friends and quickly ran over the details, pressing my hand over my heart when I got to the part about finding out my mom had passed. “All these years, there’s been a small part of me hoping my mom would come back and find me, be the kind of mom I wished I had. But now that she’s gone, it’s like that part died too.”

My friends surrounded me, reminding me I wasn’t alone, and deep down, I knew that would never change.

“You know,” Birdie said, “if I were you, we’d be going to the bar right now to drink it all away.”

I laughed out loud. She was right. Going to the bar and forgetting my problems had always been her MO. Back when her fiancé left her for another woman, I’d taken her out for drinks. Of course, her ex was an asshat of epic proportions and the bar we went to was Cohen’s, so it had all worked out well in the end. “I guess some things do change.”

Hen gestured toward the kitchen. “They sure do. How are you feeling about him?” she whispered.

“It feels... different,” I admitted. “I’ve never had a guy take care of me like he does without expecting anything in return.”

Birdie nodded. “Jonas really is a great guy.”

“I agree,” Hen said.

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