Chapter 54

CHAPTER

FIFTY-FOUR

THEN

Cecilia didn't mention to Garrick that she'd stopped by the office. And he'd never mentioned to her that he'd gotten the cookies she left.

Was that because the receptionist hadn't given them to him? Or was it because he didn't appreciate her kind gesture?

She wasn't sure. That had been two days ago. The two of them were supposed to go back to the summer house in the Hamptons this weekend. Knowing that they'd be there and she'd have quality time with Garrick made everything more bearable. But she still needed to decide if she was going to bring up those cookies.

The best idea would probably be to stay silent.

But how could she? Something was nagging at the back of her mind, something she'd rather ignore.

She wanted to believe things were perfect between her and Garrick. But that didn't seem wise. Her gut told her that Garrick, though he seemed perfect, had his own secrets.

Maybe even his own demons.

Those thoughts played over and over again in her head as they drove toward the house. Garrick was mainly quiet, chatting a little about work. But he'd reached over and gripped her hand.

She liked it when he did that. It made her feel like they were a team.

At a lull in the conversation, she licked her lips and then said, "By the way, someone you work with came into the store the other day."

Though it had happened a while ago, Cecilia hadn't brought it up yet. The encounter, though strange, hadn't seemed important.

But if she were honest with herself, she'd admit that the exchange bugged her. However, she wasn't sure why.

"Oh, yeah?" Garrick asked. "Who was that?"

"I don't recall his name. John something another. But he was at the fundraiser."

"Did he recognize you?"

She shook her head. "He didn't seem to until I mentioned it. But he did say something weird."

Garrick's fingers twitched around hers. But when Cecilia glanced at his face, his expression was still calm.

"Oh, yeah?" he asked. "What was that?"

"He asked if I was working that job as a side hustle. I'm still not sure what he meant by that."

His cheek twitched. "It's probably nothing. It's best not to read too much into these kinds of things."

Cecilia nodded. "I agree with that. I . . . I was just curious."

She didn't mention the wink he'd given her.

It still gave her the creeps.

"Maybe he thinks I take care of you all the time so you don't need to work. Would you like that? Would you like it if I took care of you all the time?"

Something about the way Garrick said those words made her heart stutter.

She hated to admit it, but she loved that idea. It had been so long since she'd had someone to look out for her. And doing life on her own, though satisfying, was also exhausting.

"I don't even know what to say."

He glanced at her and grinned. "Don't say anything right now. Just think about it. Think about our future and what you might like for it to look like."

Cecilia would very much enjoy doing that.

His phone buzzed just then, and he glanced at the screen and frowned.

Instead of answering like he sometimes did, he put the phone away.

"Is everything okay?" she asked.

"It's fine. Just a work thing I don't really want to deal with at this very second."

She could understand that.

In fact, nothing would make her happier than having him not think about work for this entire weekend.

Cecilia would do her best to ensure that happened.

That night, Cecilia rolled over in bed and noticed that Garrick was no longer there.

She ran her hand across the empty sheets. Then she noticed the bathroom door was closed and a light on beneath it.

She glanced at the time.

It was only nine p.m. They had turned in early for the evening.

She smiled as she remembered their time together.

Things between them in bed still weren't amazing. But she could live with it, knowing there would be a learning curve.

Especially now that she knew he might want to take care of her in the future.

That was his way of saying that he wanted to get married, right?

She wanted to squeal at the thought.

Wrapping a sheet around her, she crept out of bed toward the bathroom door. But before she opened it, Garrick's voice rang out on the other side.

Who was he talking to? He must be on the phone, she realized. That was the only thing that made sense.

He'd promised to try to stay away from work. But it appeared he hadn't been able to resist. Go figure.

She started to head back to the bed and not interrupt him. It didn't seem nearly as romantic to surprise him in the bathroom now that she knew he was talking to one of his colleagues.

But before she stepped away, part of the conversation drifted to her.

"I know," Garrick said. "I'm sorry about all these work trips. I promise, it won't be like this forever."

Wait. Was that something that he would say to a colleague?

The thought left a bad feeling in her belly.

Then he said, "I love you too."

Cecilia's heart beat faster. No . . .

Before she could get back to the bed, the door opened, and Garrick stepped out. His eyes widened when he saw her.

"I'm sorry," she stuttered, taking a step back. "I was going to surprise you, and I didn't realize that you were on the phone."

His gaze looked heavier than usual. "I was trying not to wake you."

What should she say? Should she confront him?

How could she not? Especially after what she'd heard.

He'd told somebody he loved them.

There was no need to pretend that she hadn't heard.

"Are you cheating on me?" The words sounded raw as they left Cecilia's lips.

"Cheating on you?" His voice hardened. "What are you talking about?"

"I heard part of your conversation. Don't try to deny it."

He gripped her arms, harder than she'd expected. "You shouldn't eavesdrop, Cecilia."

"Like I said, I didn't mean to. It was just that?—"

"I was talking to my mom," he told her.

All the tension seemed to leave her body in a whoosh.

Her cheeks reddened.

His mom?

Of course. It made perfect sense. She should have known. But she'd jumped to conclusions . . .

She was so foolish.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

"You should be. I thought you thought more highly of me than that."

"I did. I do," she quickly corrected. "I just got all panicky and jumped to conclusions."

"We're going to need to set some ground rules about that. I don't like being accused of things that I'm not guilty of."

"I understand." She pushed a hair behind her ear and looked down, suddenly ashamed of herself.

Then Garrick released his grip on her arms and, using his index finger, nudged her chin up until her gaze met his. "I forgive you."

Her lungs loosened. She was glad he'd seen it in his heart to let this go. Accusing him of cheating was a horrible thing to do. She should have kept herself in check more. Shouldn't have eavesdropped.

The next moment, he reached for her, and his lips covered hers. But this kiss was different than the others.

There was almost a possessiveness about it.

He pulled away and his lips trailed down her jawline all the way to her ear. Then he whispered, "I love you."

Delight flooded through her.

She realized she loved him too.