“Oh?”
“My parents. They were the strongest couple I’ve ever seen. Mates. Soul mates,” he corrected. “They would have these long chats about their days and work. About friends and the whole world. They were best friends. I want that. I think that’s what makes a couple strong. Really being there for each other. Even with the weird and uncomfortable stuff.”
“You’re very wise.”
“Not that wise. I’ve made mistakes too. Big ones. Actually, this is the longest I’ve gone without completely blowing up my life.”
“That can’t be true.”
“And yet, it totally is. I guess I was pretty stable as a kid. A prankster but still pretty hyper. Always on the move. Always three different plans in my head. I like Half Moon Key because I don’t feel that here.”
“You’ve not been here a long time, though.”
He winced and looked away. “Yeah, usually I’m good for a month.”
“How can that be true? You were a chef in all of those fancy places.”
“I traveled around a lot using my name to get guest spots.”
“But to have a name made for yourself, that shows you can commit to things you care about. You cared enough about cooking that you built a very good career and reputation that allowed you to travel. That’s huge.”
He blew out a breath, shaking his head. “Holy shit. I never even thought of it that way!” he met her eyes. “How the hell did you do that?”
“Do what?” she giggled.
“Make me see my whole life in a whole new way?”
“I don’t know. You kinda did the same thing for me,” she admitted.
“This is truly fascinating, Lila. You get me in a way that no one else can! Not even me. That’s…“ he continued to shake his head. “I’ll keep that in mind, but so should you. You just said so yourself, Lila. When I care about something, I can commit for the long run.”
She snorted before giggling loudly. “Well, shit. I walked into that one, didn’t I?”
“You did, darling. It’s okay. I like that you know I’m in it for the long haul now.”
“I’m starting to get that, yeah.” She sealed her words with a kiss.
THIRTEEN
MASON
Mason was shocked at the amount of restraint he had. He actually slept over at Lila’s place…in her damn bed…and he hadn’t taken things further than holding her through the night.
Oh, there was loads of kissing and touching.
But Mason didn’t want to push Lila too far and too fast. Last night, she had given him something that could be as vulnerable as sex, if not more so. She had given him a part of her hurtful past, and that was something intense. He wouldn’t take that for granted, nor would he ever let Lila regret her choice.
He was able to share some of his stuff too. And what had Lila done? Given him a new perceptive. It was like seeing his parents have a deep Sunday conversation over a bottle of wine in the living room. His parents were fated mates and literally made for each other. Surely, if he could have that level of intimacy with a woman he was developing very real and very powerful feelings for, in that case, it could mean that one day, they could be as happy as his parents had been.
That thought made Mason’s morning of getting ready for the day at Lila’s place all the sweeter. Even though it was before sunrise, he felt rested and happy. His feet barely touched the ground as he bustled in the diner’s kitchen, whistling to himself.
He couldn’t remember the last time he was this happy. Probably because he had never been happy before. Not like this.Neverlike this.
Lila pushed through the door of the kitchen, reading something on her clipboard. Even with her attention completely focused on something else, she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. Mason couldn’t help himself. He leapt over to Lila’s side of the kitchen as soon as she walked in from the dining room.
“Hello there, darling.” He closed her arms around her waist and pressed a kiss to her cheek. “How’s it going?”
“Hey,” she replied, breathy and blushing.