I knew she would get me someone great, someone who would bend over backward to make my life easy. But maybe that wasn’t so simple after all.
“It’s hard to find the right person, someone good enough for you.”
“What about Lily?”
She shook her head. “She’s good for simple tasks for your mother, but I think she would annoy you.”
“Everyone annoys me.”
“That’s why this is so hard.”
No matter who she picked, it would be a major step down…since she was the best. “As long as they can do most things well, I’m fine with that. I’m not expecting another you.” There wasn’t another her in the entire world. She added significant value to the building. It was the reason it was so hard to get in here, to have a professional like Cleo to make resident’s lives simpler.
“Well, none of them come close.”
I was sacrificing my prime piece of real estate and the woman who made my life convenient. It was hard to give up, but she was worth it. I didn’t know what was in our future, but I hoped she would be in it…for a long time.
She slouched in the chair, like she really did feel terrible about the predicament she’d put me in.
“Baby?”
She turned to me.
“I wouldn’t have offered if I weren’t okay with it.”
“I know…”
“Then don’t worry about it.”
“It’s just… It’s so sweet. You never get upset with me when I work long hours, when I don’t see you for days. You’re so understanding. My ex was always pissed off at me because I was never around…” She dropped her gaze, like she couldn’t look at me as she said it.
“I’m devoted to my work as well. That’s probably why it works for us.” Whenever I wasn’t with her or Derek, I was working, except for the occasional visit with Tucker or my mother. If she was busy and unavailable, I utilized that time to get tasks accomplished.
“Yeah…I guess so.” She lifted her gaze and looked at me again.
I watched her for a while, loving her ocean-blue eyes. “Derek knows about us.”
The serene look on her face was wiped clean. “What?”
“He saw us hold hands at the movies.”
She covered her face. “Oh no…”
“And saw us make out at the store.”
“What?” she shrieked, slamming her hands onto the table.
“Yeah.” I grinned.
“Why are you smiling?”
“Because he said you make me happy…and you make him happy.”
“Aww…”
“Asked if you would be his stepmom.”
“What a sweetheart.”
“I asked him not to tell Valerie. I think he’ll keep our secret.”
She nodded. “He will. He kept my secret.”
“You told Derek a secret?”
“Yeah…” She smiled slightly. “He said he knew I liked you…and I asked him not to tell you.”
He was really fond of me, so he was a great secret-keeper not to say anything. “Then our secret is safe.”
“Yeah, I think so.” She propped her chin on her knuckles and watched me, her body relaxing again. “So, I looked into properties in the Hamptons. Found a couple.”
“Yeah?”
She looked through her folders until she found the papers. She placed them in front of me. “They’re all beautiful.”
I didn’t look—because I didn’t care about the beach house right now. I only cared about her, the beautiful woman who had made my son fall in love with her, the woman who confided her feelings to him because they had their own relationship, their own friendship. I’d never considered getting remarried, but if I did, I knew Derek would have to love her too—and she him. Cleo definitely checked that box, and it was obvious it was real, that she didn’t just bond with him to get under my skin.
It was genuine.
She waited for me to look down. “Have you changed your mind?”
“No.” I pushed the papers away. “I just don’t care right now.” My arms scooped under her body, and I carried her down the hallway to my bedroom.
Her arms circled my neck and she stared at my lips, a slight grin on hers. When she lifted her gaze and looked into my eyes, her eyes were emotional, joyous, and something else entirely. Her arms tightened around my neck, and she pressed her forehead to mine, moaning quietly under her breath as I carried her to bed, like she couldn’t wait for the moment when our lips would meet…and we would begin.
I’d never cared about weekends—before Cleo.
They were just other days I worked, except at home instead of the office. But now, when Saturday arrived, my laptop and paperwork were forgotten at the tale, and I slept in since my alarm was disabled.
And when I opened my eyes, she was there.
Naked under the sheets, she had her back pressed to my chest, letting me spoon her from behind, her ass against my crotch. My eyes opened, and I noticed the smell of her hair in front of me. My arm rested over her body and onto the bed, so I naturally tightened my grip, hugging her slightly as I woke up to the beautiful woman beside me.