Ours After All (All Ours, #2)

Chapter 37

2 months ago

I love waking up next to him.

Waking up next to Joshua always feels like Sunday morning.

It feels like the first day of Summer.

Or Christmas morning.

It feels like chirping birds and blinding sun peaking through your blinds, indicating on a beautiful day ahead.

It feels like all is right in the world and nothing or nobody could get to me. As long as he's here, and his strong arms are around me and I can feel his hot breath fanning over the back of my neck.

"What are you so smiley about?" His gruff morning voice rings behind me, making my stomach clench.

God, he's so sexy.

"Why do you think I'm smiling, you creep?"

And how long has he been awake?

Probably long enough to feel me creep so deep into his arms, I'm drowning in him.

"I know you're smiling." He croaks out. "And I'm the creep? You practically interlaced our skin into one."

Oh. I made a move to get my back off his chest, but his hand reached over my stomach and pulled me back immediately.

His lips hover over my ear. "Did I say I didn't like it?"

"No."

"So don't move."

"I'm kinda hungry."

His hoarse chuckle vibrates against my back. "Want pancakes?"

I shrug. "Sure."

He spots a quick kiss over the skin behind my ear and moves off the bed, shuffling into his boxers before he leaves the room.

I throw the shirt he had on last night over my head and follow behind him.

Watching him in the kitchen will never get old. It's like a kryptonite. Watching him crack eggs for the pancake, his back contrasting. I could do it for hours.

I come up behind him, not being able to stop myself from placing a soft kiss on the small tattoo of a flower he has over his shoulder blade. ''I see I need to get you some new bowls and pans.''

He turns his head, grinning down at me. "You'll have your own kitchen full of them soon enough."

My stomach drops at the reminder. I can't believe I'm going to be a chef soon. An actual chef. Not a sous-chef. Not an assistant or waiter or hostess.

I will be running the kitchen.

My kitchen.

With my team and menu and everything.

The room suddenly feels a hundred degrees hotter, and I take the rubber band off my wrist, tying my hair up.

''Nara.'' Joshua takes my face between his hands, forcing me to face him. ''You're gonna do great.''

''How do you know that, though?'' I ask, my voice muffled by his hands crushing my cheeks. ''I could mess it all up.''

''You won't.'' he assures me. ''You've worked so hard for this. That restaurant belongs to you, baby. You can't mess up something that belongs to you. You've earned it.''

I know I've got this. I have been working on that menu for weeks now, perfecting it down to the finest of details. It's just...

''It's not my skills I'm worried about,'' I admit. ''I know food. I know how to put an amazing menu together. I know how to run a kitchen. ''It's the technical side of it all. It's my name on there, you know? The responsibility... Because when everything crumbles-''