Reaching his room, he changed quickly into his jeans. Tonight, didn’t require Walker Beckett, billionaire CEO. He needed…normal. An outfit that would remind Clara of the days before his software had exploded. Back when they’d been at the start of their relationship and he’d made a choice that had kept them apart for the better part of a decade.
He’d like to rewrite that decision.
Glancing in the mirror, he brushed back the dark hair that perpetually fell over his forehead. He’d thought of cutting it all short many times but could never do it. Not when brushing that hair out of his eyes was one of the only ways Clara would touch him.
Everything’s different now.
He couldn’t wait to explore the possibilities.
A knock sounded at the door, and he turned to see Emily in the doorway. “She just walked in,” she whispered conspiratorially.
Showtime.
Lightness filled him as he jogged down the stairs to see Clara shrugging out of her coat in the entrance way.
“Hey,” she greeted him with an open smile. “How’s Hunter?”
His grin widened, loving how his son was her top priority.
“He’s with Emily,” he replied, moving closer to her. “She’s going to stay late today to do a little babysitting again.”
“Oh?” She arched a brow. “Two nights in a row? Aren’t you embracing your inner Romeo. Where are we going?”
“On a date,” he replied.
She blinked. “A date? We could just order in and have one here. You still have that bottle of champagne to open.”
“No,” he replied, wrapping an arm around her waist. “I want to take you out. Somewhere outside of this condo where there aren’t baby toys on every surface. Somewhere we can just be us.”
“We don’t really know what ‘us’ looks like yet,” she pointed out, sliding her hands around his shoulders.
“Time we figured it out, don’t you think?”
Her gaze dipped to his lips before a radiant smile crossed her face. “Absolutely.”
He ached to kiss her but if he did, they’d never leave the house. Holding himself in check, he pressed his lips to the skin beneath her ear before stepping back.
“Go change if you need to,” he said. “I’ll call a car while you do.”
“What should I change into?” she asked, examining his own clothes.
“Casual,” he replied. “Low key.”
Two brows arched this time, and he wondered if he’d miscalculated. Maybe he should have pulled out all the billionaire stops. Wined and dined her at Michelin-starred restaurants with limitless champagne and expensive entrees.
But then her smile returned. “Sounds amazing. Give me five minutes,” she said before running up the stairs. He heard her duck into the new nursery first before heading for her own room. Within minutes, she was racing down the steps, clad in jeans and a long-sleeved T-shirt.
Reaching for her hand, he led her from the home as Emily and Hunter stood on the stairs, waving goodbye.
“Come on,” he said to her as they called the elevator. “Let’s have an adventure.”
Using his arm for stability, she rose and pressed a gentle kiss to his lips. “Lead on,” she replied without hesitation. “I’ll follow you anywhere.”
His heart leapt in his chest at the words. They shouldn’t affect him so much. He should be trying to keep some distance between them but, as always, Clara blasted through all his best-laid plans.
It’s too early to think about more than a day or two in the future, he warned himself. You have too many responsibilities to fall into a serious relationship right now.
But Clara wasn’t someone he could be casual with. Not now that he finally had her. After all these years.
…
Clara looked out the dark car window as they whizzed through the city streets.
“Not even a clue, huh?” she asked as she relaxed back against her companion.
“We’ll be there soon,” he replied, playing idly with her fingers.
Content, she settled back against him, enjoying the simple pleasure of being able to touch him the way she’d always wanted to.
“Look.” She pointed. “We’re by the university.”
His driver circled the main road of the campus as Clara left his arms to press against the window.
“Remember what it felt like to run across the quad, late for a lecture?” she asked.
“Oh, yes. I had one professor tell me if I couldn’t be on time to not bother showing up.”
“Did you ever make it?”
“No. I was planning on dropping his class. But after that I audited it for the rest of the semester just on principle. I don’t think I made it on time once.”