You're The One (Very Irresistible Bachelors #1) - Layla Hagen Page 0,59

way home and talked about their day before they arrived. How about we make our own traditions? Catch up on the day just before dinner? We can come out here. Candles optional. I’m still weighing the pros and cons. What do you think?”

My heart started beating faster. I remembered a few traditions from my childhood before things went south. Traditions I hoped to pass on when I had my own family. I’d brushed off those thoughts for years, because some things had seemed out of reach, even for me. Josie was giving me something I’d never had before, never even dreamed of having.

“I think you’re a genius. And I’m completely on board with you,” I said.

“You’re agreeing so fast with me these days, I don’t even know what to make of it.”

Grinning, I pulled her closer to me. “You’ll see, Josie. You’ll see.”

I wanted more of whatever this was—of everything Josie could give me.

Chapter Twenty-Three

Josie

“This is heaven. Pure heaven,” I whispered.

“You’re easy to please.”

I opened an eye. “You’re joking, right?”

We were in the reading nook I’d arranged in the empty corner between the couch and the window.

In the three weeks since we’d returned from the honeymoon, we’d definitely kept to our tradition, though I had given up on the candles. Way too messy.

We spoke about our day before dinner and either ordered in, or we cooked. About once a week we attended some fancy function where I got to dress up in the elegant dresses I’d bought. On Saturday mornings, we went to a nearby farmer’s market.

We hadn’t heard from the immigration services. As long as they didn’t call me in for an interview as well, I wasn’t worrying. But I knew better than to relax. The agency gathered evidence before acting.

“Look at you. You’ve got hot chocolate and a book, and you’re happy.”

“I also have you giving me foot rubs. Don’t downplay your role.”

“Do you want another hot chocolate?”

“Is the earth round? Yes, please.”

He moved my feet away from his lap, standing up. I followed his every movement to the kitchen, drinking in that sexy sway of his ass. He worked out a lot. Aside from his evening runs on the treadmill he’d put in one of the guest rooms, he also went to the building’s gym four times a week, where he rigorously trained each group of muscles.

Since I did my yoga routine in the morning, I had no use for the gym, but I did go to the sauna. As a plus, I could spy on this sexy man.

He handed me a cup and resumed the foot rub. Hot damn, how was this man even real? He made me feel like a queen.

“How was your day?” he asked.

“Long and stressful. We’re in the home stretch with a case we’ve been working on for three years, but I swear it’s cutthroat now. How was yours?”

“Busy, but in a good way. We need new staff for our Miami branch, and I’m involved in managerial hires. I see about five new candidates a week.”

“Live interviews or video conference?”

“I want live interviews. I can read people better in person. First impression is important. For those who make the second round, I’ll just do video calls.”

He pressed his thumbs on my sole, then expertly massaged my calves. I seriously was in heaven. What could be more perfect than this?

“Anyone giving you trouble at work?” he asked.

“Not more than usual. They do give me the side eye, though, when I brag about a certain someone.”

“Who might that be?”

“My husband. I happen to be very proud of him.”

He gave me an intense look I couldn’t quite decipher. Even as I said it, my heart squeezed. We were growing close in ways I hadn’t imagined before. I loved how he always joined me in the nook, bringing me a cup of hot chocolate or tea, or sometimes just worked on his laptop in silence.

I was already getting attached to our life, to the house, and it had only been a month. How could I say goodbye to all this in three years?

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

I shrugged, unsure how to put it in words. Did he like this intimacy as much as I did? Or was he sharing because it had become a routine, because we lived together?

“Do you want to look over the to-do list for the school?” I asked, not just to change the subject, but because I genuinely loved the project.

Hunter leaned in, cupping my cheek. “Josie, this is your free time. You’ve