Page 119 of The Broken Heart Playlist
“Hey,” I call to Gideon as I extricate myself from Uno, “you might want to teach your dog better manners.”
Gideon smiles as he crosses the living room to me. “He only greets his favorite people this way.”
“It seems a little presumptuous,” I say, even as I rub Uno’s soft, silky ears.
“Just like his owner,” he murmurs. His palms slide into my hair, and he dips his head and kisses me. Slowly. Thoroughly. Deeply.
I sigh happily. “A perfect conclusion to a crappy day.”
“Difficult client?”
“So difficult. She kept changing her mind and we ended up finishing hours later than planned.”
We move to the kitchen and my heart does a little flipflop when I spot the glass of wine waiting for me on the counter and the pot of creamy mushroom pasta Gideon’s cooked.
I shoot him a grateful smile. “You spoil me.”
He presses a kiss to my forehead. “You deserve to be spoiled.”
After dinner, we cuddle on his couch, my head propped on his shoulder. He’s playing idly with my hair. There’s a movie playing quietly on the screen, but we’re not paying attention.
“Why don’t you have any personal photos?” I ask him.
“I don’t like clutter.”
“I’d love to see a picture of your mom.”
“I have a photo of her in my wallet.”
He retrieves his wallet and pulls out a small passport-sized photo of a smiling woman with kind hazel eyes and blonde hair.
“You have her coloring,” I tell him.
His throat works as he swallows. “Yeah.”
I squeeze his hand. “What about a photo of you without your beard?”
“You won’t recognize me. I look too baby-faced.”
“Now I’m intrigued to see a baby-faced Gideon.”
He smiles, but it’s strangely tense. “Kate,” he begins. “I need to tell you something.”
I sit up, taking in his grim expression, sensing the sudden change in the air. I swallow against my rising apprehension. “Is it something that will upset me?”
“Probably.”
My stomach twists in dread. I suspect Gideon’s about to tear a hole in our protected bubble and I’m not ready for it. “Then I don’t want to hear it.”
“Kate—”
“Are you secretly married?”
Horror fills his face. “No.”
“Do you have some fatal disease?”
“Not that I know of.”
