Page 77 of Curvy Nanny for the Cougar
“I love you,” I tell her.
And when she whispers it back, soft and sure, I know.
This is forever.
Chapter 22
Tamare
"Did I tell you how beautiful you look tonight, Mrs. Alistair?"
I grin as Dane saunters toward me, firelight flickering in his golden eyes, that sexy little half-smirk pulling at his mouth like he knows exactly how much I melt every time he says that name.
Mrs. Alistair.
God, that still feels like a dream.
We just finished dessert under the stars—gooey s’mores roasted over an open fire, chocolate dripping down our fingers, marshmallows toasted to that perfect golden brown.
It was delicious, obviously. But not nearly as sweet as hearing my husband say that name.
My married name.
“I could stand to hear it again,” I tease, tilting my chin up as he steps close and wraps those powerful arms around me, pulling me tight against his big, warm chest.
I’m still getting used to the way I fit here—how safe, how cherished, how wanted I feel when he holds me.
And the way he looks at me? Like I put the stars in the sky?
Forget it. I’m ruined for life.
I nuzzle into his neck, breathing in the scent of him—clean pine, smoke, and something warm and spicy that always gets me going.
“You are,” he murmurs against my temple. “The most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. I don’t care if you’re in a sundress or covered in s’more goo. You’re it for me, Pretty Girl.”
“Technically, it was graham cracker dust and artisan marshmallow fluff, thank you very much,” I sniff, pretending to be offended.
He chuckles, low and deep in his chest, and the vibration runs through me like a purr.
“You’re a menace,” he says.
“You married this menace.”
“I did. Best decision I ever made.”
I lean back just enough to look into his eyes, and suddenly, I remember why I called him out here in the first place.
My heart starts to pound—not with nerves exactly, but with something a whole lot bigger.
Hope. Joy. Maybe even a little disbelief.
“Hey, um, speaking of decisions and big stuff,” I begin.
He tenses slightly, ever the protective Shifter.
“Something wrong?”
I shake my head fast.
