We walk to the car in silence. Thomas's dark circles and fatigue are visible, and it suddenly dawns on me that this guy was in South Africa only yesterday.

The worry is evident in his eyes, and I wish I could do something to ease it a little. I don't have siblings, so I don't really understand how he feels, but I remember how out of sorts I was when Alexa got in a car accident years ago.

Seeing someone you love in danger is one of the worst feelings in the world. But with Thomas, it is like he is actually feeling his sister's pain - even though he tries to hide it.

"Let me drive." I touch his shoulder when we stop in front of the car, pulling the keys from his hands.

"No way." He pulls me to his chest, locking my hands behind me and getting the key back.

"You're exhausted." I look into his eyes, and his gaze softens.

"And you'll need to wake up in a couple of hours." He nuzzles my nose. "Besides... what kind of boyfriend would I be if I didn't take care of my girl?"

My eyes widen as I pull away a little to look at him. "What?" I whisper, my eyes searching his.

"I can't see us returning to being just friends, Lisa." He tucks my hair behind my ear, cupping my jaw in the process. "Which is weird because I feel you're so much more than just my girlfriend, you know?"

"I..." My eyes water at the intensity of his emotion.

"You're my best friend. The first person I think of when I wake up. The last person on my mind before I fall asleep. I want to share every silly thing that happens on my day with you and hear you give me shit about it. I..." He shrugs, his head shaking as a sweet smile plays on his lips. "I love you."

My chest expands in a deep breath the moment his words hit my ears. I didn't know I needed to hear him say that until this moment. I'd never heard them before and didn't truly believe I was worthy until Thomas.

"I love you too," I say and he lets out a relieved sigh, his eyes shining with that mischief I love so much.

"We're gonna make it work." He nods, reading in my eyes how scared I am. "There's no way I'm letting you go. Not after today." His thumbs caress my cheeks as his lips find mine for a toe-curling kiss.

*****

Thomas ended up driving, and I used the quick trip to take a nap. I decided to head straight to the bakery's kitchen to get started for the day and Thomas drove back to his sister to get a fresh change of clothes for her and a few things for the baby.

He said he hopes his sister stays with her parents for a few weeks, but knowing her, he believes the chances of it happening are low. So, he'll try to get her place in order before we meet up again in the afternoon for a much-needed nap.

It's now one pm, and I'm dragging myself around. I still need to finish two birthday cakes, but my eyes don't seem to cooperate.

"Damn it," I mumble when I drop a spatula on the floor.

"Are you sure you don't want me to finish it?" Chloe says, entering the kitchen.

"It's okay, really." I head to the sink to wash the spatula. "I prefer to finish here and have you guys close the shop as we talked."

"Sure thing." She walks back to the front desk, and I go back to my cakes.

It takes me another hour to get everything done. I'm washing the last of the utensils when I hear my phone beeping with a message. Grabbing it from the counter, I see it's a message from Thomas.

THOMAS: Leaving the hospital in 5.

ME: I left the door to my place open.

THOMAS: See you soon.

Rushing to get the kitchen ready for tomorrow, I can't keep myself from smiling. I'm so freaking tired and will probably pass out as soon as I hit my bed. But this little intimacy of going home with Thomas to do the most mundane things like showering, having dinner, and going to sleep together is something I didn't know I'd crave so much.

A renewed sense of excitement runs through my veins when I take my apron off. Daniel and Chloe are chatting with a couple of customers upfront, and I'm about to walk upstairs when I see Mark entering the shop.

"Hey." I smile, not missing the way his eyes spark when he sees me.

"How are you doing?" He stops in front of me.

"So tired, I'm barely thinking straight right now."

"Did you finish that big order you were talking about the other day?" he asks, and I nod. After our date, I thought things would be weird but thankfully he was true to his word. He still stops by from time to time, but we resorted to being just friends. Which I'm grateful for since he's part of Alexia and Lucas's life and I'd hate for things to get uncomfortable when we are all together.

"Yes, and they loved it and recommended me to some of their friends." I walk back to the counter to get him the coffee and chocolate cookies I know he came here for.

"Told you they would." He chuckles when I hand him his coffee. "I'm convinced you have a secret ingredient you're not telling us about."

"Ha, I wish." I get a paper bag to pack his cookies. "Chocolate chips or peanut butter?"

"3 Chocolate chips, please." He gets his wallet from his back pocket, and soon I'm walking him to the door.

The moment I open the door for him, we stumble into Thomas, though. "Oh, sorry!" Mark says from behind me, his hands going to my shoulders to steady me.

Thomas's eyes go from Mark to his hands on my shoulder, and I clear my throat, feeling my cheeks getting hot as I take a step to the side so I can detangle myself from Mark's hold.

We are all standing by the door, and I'm sure it looks awkward when we don't say anything. Thomas and I had just given the first step into our relationship so the last thing I want is to introduce him to the guy I went on a date with a while ago. But when said guy is part of my inner circle of friends, I guess I have no option but to go with it.

"Hey." I clear my throat. "This is Mark, Lucas's best friend." I meet Thomas's gaze just in time to see him remember where he heard that name before. "Uh. And Mark, this is Thomas-"

"Her boyfriend." Thomas extends his hand, and Mark promptly shakes it.

"Nice to meet you, man." Mark's hand finds the door, and he gives me a small smile. I'm sure he's trying to understand what's going on and I make a mental note to talk with him about Thomas when he stops by again.

Thomas doesn't say anything, so Mark takes it as his cue to leave. "See you around, Elizabeth."

"See you." I search his eyes, and he shakes his head slightly before walking out.

"Are you finished here?" Thomas asks, and I nod, turning to let Chloe and Daniel know I'm heading up for the day.

Of course, I find them both watching us closely.

"So, are you guys good to close the shop?" I ask.

"Sure thing," Daniel says. "Hey, Thomas."

"Hey, Daniel. Chloe." Thomas seems to snap out of it and walks to them to shake their hands. "Sorry, I've literally been awake for the past twenty-four hours."

"It's okay. How is your sister doing?" Chloe asks.

"She'll be alright. Thanks." He gives her a smile that doesn't really reach his eyes.

"So, I'll see you guys tomorrow," I say before waving them goodbye.

Walking up to my place, I can feel Thomas's energy radiating off him. The last thing I want is to discuss Mark right now, but I remember how curious I was when I met his ex.

"How was everything at the hospital?" I throw my keys at the side table by the door, taking my shoes off.

His hands circle me from behind. "I'm jealous." He nuzzles my neck.

My eyes close as goosebumps spread down my arm. "You have no reason to be."

"I know." He breathes me in, his fingers flexing on my waist. "It doesn't mean seeing this guy doesn't mess with my head," he whispers, his voice pained.

Turning on his embrace, I wrap my arms around his neck. "You're the only man I want. The one I can't stop thinking about even when you are thousands of miles away sometimes."

"Rachel cheated on me with a friend we had in common." He looks down, and I can't help but see how exhausted he seems. I had first thought it was because of his trip and this situation with his sister but there's something else going on besides all of it.

"Let's start a bath." I cup his face, pulling him into a kiss before holding his hands and guiding him to the bathroom, not giving him time to protest.

It doesn't take long to get our bath ready and soon we're allowing the hot water to soothe our muscles. My back is cradled against Thomas's chest while his hands glide lazily over my body.

For a moment, we don't say anything and just enjoy the silence after a long day. But when he lets out a sigh, I know we need to talk.

"Tell me about her," I whisper, my head rolling to the side so my cheek is pressed against his chest.

There is a short pause before he speaks. "I met her in college. We had a lot in common and fell for each other fast. We were young and thought we could make all of our dreams work because we loved each other." He rolls his eyes. "So, what could go wrong, right?"

I frown at the resentment in his tone but don't say anything, waiting for him to continue.

"She said she was okay with me traveling. That we would make it work, but... She had been sleeping with one of our mutual friends for a significant part of our relationship."

"Ouch." I turn my face up, settling so I'm fully facing him.

Setting his elbow on the sides of the tub, his beautiful eyes meet mine. "But she said yes... When I proposed... She said yes even though she had been fucking this guy. That's what I never understood."

"Is he the one she's marrying?" I ask.

"Nah..." He lets out a humorless chuckle. "Turns out the guy she was fucking got really pissed when she said yes and broke up with her."

"That's so fucked up, Thomas." I grab his hands. "I'm sorry."

"I'm not trying to control you or anything, I swear, but... Seeing this Mark guy here... Knowing he went on a date with you..."

My lips curl into a smile. "You have nothing to worry about."

"I trust you." He pulls me to him, so I'm straddling his lap, causing the water to surge up the edge of the tub. "I never thought I would be able to trust another woman again. It's just... Seeing him here today messed with my head a little. I'm sorry."

"Thanks for telling me about her. You don't need to apologize." I hug him close, loving the way his hands streak the length of my spine. I can't say that learning about Rachel didn't bring a wave of jealousy to my heart too. But weirdly, it also opened an extra layer to my relationship with Thomas. A kind of intimacy that is earned only after you trust someone.

He pulls away a little so he can look at me. "I don't want to lose you. But I know it's too much to ask you to understand the kind of work I do."

"You said you wanted to plant roots one day..." My heartbeat increases, suddenly scared of him leaving again, and I swallow a lump past my throat. We're in no way ready for big steps in our relationship. But I need to know where his mind and heart are.

"I do." He cups my nape. "God knows I do."

"But?"

"I've got myself so deeply involved with lots of organizations over the years. I can't simply up and leave. There are so many people who count on me and the money and help I bring that I..."

"Right." I look down, my eyes filling with tears of rejection; my mind going to a place where I hadn't been in a long time.

"Lisa..." His voice breaks. "I just... I need to figure out how to make it work. I will figure out how to make it work. I promise."

"I'm so tired." I take a deep fortifying breath. "Can we talk more tomorrow?"

"I'm afraid I'll resent you one day if I leave it all behind without a plan," he whispers, and I close my eyes at the hard truth.

"I'm not asking you to." I give him a small smile right before getting up and wrapping myself in a towel.

Stepping into my bedroom, I rush to dry myself and get into a clean set of pajamas. My mind is racing and my heart is full, but there's nothing else I can do today.

My room is dark and I'm lying on my bed staring into nothing when Thomas joins me.

For a moment, we just stay in silence and I think he's asleep when I hear him murmur, "Can I hug you?"

I move without thinking and then my head finds his chest as his hands find the curves of my waist pulling me closer to him.

Sighing, I close my eyes. My body is so damn tired, it helps me fall asleep soon and soundly.

Or maybe it's just how perfectly my body fits against his.

_____

A/N: Do you trust Thomas when he says he'll find a way to make it work?

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XOXO

Celeste