Page 39 of Tears of Gold

Laughing, he holds his hands up in surrender. “Noted.” He pretends to write. “Faith is not my bitch.”

“Anyway, I went to uni, died of boredom in the library trying to get to grips with some utterly unnecessary theory, and then I drove all the way to Bowsley to have a little chat with your grandmother.”

His mouth falls open and I laugh.

“You did what?”

“I went to tell the wicked witch to back off. She tried to hire me a PA and send me to a function tonight.”

“What?”

“I know, right? I told her I couldn’t possibly have time to go. I was waiting for her grandson to fuck me senseless on her sofa instead.”

Eli chokes on the salad he’s chewing.

“Well, okay, I didn’t say that, but I told her we were a team and that we would choose the things we would do for the family. Then I told her I would be including Jeremy in all our plans we make.”

“Wow. Makes my day in court look utterly lame.”

“How was court?”

He blows out a deep breath of air. “Let’s just say coming home to find you on the sofa like that was the highlight of my day.”

“Glad to be of service.”

“Glad you got serviced.”

We chuckle, but I know his gaze is landing on my untouched plate. “Faith, are you okay?”

“I’m fine, don’t worry about me. Now, let’s go to bed, we’ve got a busy day tomorrow unpacking boxes, choosing paint, and then we have Jeremy coming for dinner.”

He scowls.

“What?”

“That interferes with all my plans.”

I get up from the table and put the plates on the side. I’ll have to make sure I get up extra early to clean them up tomorrow. I told Miss Beesley we wouldn’t need her at the weekend, but she insisted on coming in for a couple of hours. “What were your plans?”

“Well, we still have a lot of rooms to christen.” Rolling my eyes, I hold my hand out to him and he stands alongside me, leaning in and planting a swift kiss on the edge of my mouth. “I love this, being with you. It doesn’t matter where we are.”

“And I just love you.”

I lead him up to bed where he makes me scream his name all over again and I fall asleep in his arms, wrapped tight like a spoon, knowing it will never end.

* * *

Most of the boxes are unpacked, but the belongings of the Mews come nowhere close to filling Chesham Place.

Eli folds his arms across his chest. “We will have to buy more stuff. Shall we pick up all your things from your old place?”

Laughing, I shake my head. “Well, that will fill up another fifth of a room, and anyway, no. Tabitha will need that stuff if she stays.”

The blues land on my face. “What’s going on?”

“Lewis is shutting her out, but I’m not surprised.”

“You predicted that, didn’t you?” He watches me closely.