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He lovedeveryone else hated—or at best tolerated—he loved He lovedbits I used to keep people at arth My inability to keep my mouth shut when I should The way I stood up to him

“I love you”

“How could you help yourself?” He stood and pulled ers under my chin

“This was your plan all along, wasn’t it?”

“Cornering you at here you couldn’t run away? Yes Absolutely Showering you in coffee and crushing your croissant? Blurting out that we’re engaged when you got Stella’s ring stuck on your finger and pretending to be your fiancé for the next ood, but I’ ours”

“Me too”

He ducked his head, capturingme

A soundtrack of applause broke out around us It was quickly broken up by the catering er

With his hands on his hips, he stood, tapping his toe, as everyone broke up and went back to their duties behind him “Your break isn’t for another two hours and forty-fivewith the guests?”

I stared up at Leo, panting, ready to peel hi hiht the wrongs in my life and take care of me For once, someone had stood up for me For once, I didn’t have to be the rock He’d beainst the solid wall of muscle “I quit”

48

Leo

With a wide, probably goofy grin, I walked off the elevator with three cups of coffee I slid one onto Phyllis’s desk and headed back to see Sam

Zara was sleeping in Her sleepythe pillow to her chest had aled me from the bed My plan had been to stay in the apartot on the plane, but there was one thing I needed to decide on before then

Her day was packed with everything that needed to be done before an internationalwith her internship coordinator To in full force