A/N: I really think you guys will enjoy this chapter, or at least I hope so! I had a lot of fun writing it. Thank you kindly for reading! Please keep your wonderful comments coming and don't forget to vote! You keep me inspired :) xo

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The smell of bacon filled my nose as I slowly began to awaken. My room was barely illuminated by a sliver of light peeking through the crack in the curtains. I rubbed my eyes, helping them adjust. I could hear the sound of Jamie's light snoring beside me. Lifting myself up on my elbow, I watched him sleep; the rhythmic rise and fall of his sheet-covered chest leading up to his unshaven face since he'd forgotten his razor. I smiled at the messy waves on the top of his head. He looked incredibly peaceful and undeniably gorgeous lying in my bed. Since I really had to pee, I resisted the temptation to kiss his parted lips. There was a chance if I woke him, I'd become consumed by his charm.

I gently rolled out of bed and tiptoed across the room, slowly opening the door as to not disturb him. Flipping on the light in my bathroom, I squinted and cursed myself, once again rubbing my eyes to adjust to the sudden brightness. I walked past my reflection in the mirror, doing a double take. What the hell was on my neck? I moved closer to inspect it.

A hickey. Seriously? Were we in high school again? I was going to kill him.

I resumed my task, relieving myself before I brushed my teeth and headed back into the bedroom. Jamie was still fast asleep. I crawled under the covers, curling up against his warmth. He felt like an oven. I closed my eyes when his arm lazily wrapped around my back and he audibly yawned.

"Good morning, beautiful," he whispered.

I peered up at his heavy eyelids. "Morning, babe."

He closed them again briefly before rolling on his side, me still in his arms. He met my gaze with wider eyes as he slowly began to arouse.

"Notice anything different?" I asked.

He searched my face with a wrinkled forehead, running a hand through my hair. He finally shook his head.

I tilted my neck so he could see.

He began chuckling before sliding a finger over the red lip print. "Oops?"

"Yeah, oops. How will I explain that one? I haven't had to cover a hickey since..." I slammed on the breaks. "Never mind."

"It looks good on you." He leaned in and kissed me softly.

"Always trying to kiss your way out of trouble."

He batted his eyelashes, making me giggle.

"You're lucky you're cute," I joked.

"Cute?"

"Mhmm."

I slowly dragged the light blue sheet down his frame, stopping once it rested right at his pelvis. I drank in the shadows of his body in my dimly lit room, the delicious curves and silky smooth flesh.

"How are you mine?" I whispered, mainly to myself as I was thinking out loud.

"You only want me for my body." He smiled.

"Pfft," I huffed. "Then why'd I deny you when you were clearly offering that night in my apartment?"

"Oh, it was clear was it?"

I nodded in amusement.

"Fine. You only want me for my fame."

We both snickered at that.

"Yeah, because I had no freaking clue who you were."

"Mildly embarrassing assumption on my part," he said. "So I guess that means you only want me for me?"

I playfully tapped my forefinger on my chin.

"Actually, I only want you for your accent."

He rolled his eyes. "Cheap shot."

"Easy target." I winked, leaning in to leave numerous small pecks to his mouth.

"Something smells good. Are you wearing bacon perfume?"

I laughed out loud.

"You're ridiculous. Get your bacon buns out of bed while I cover this hickey before my mom embarrasses us both."

He snorted. "You're cute when you're bossy."

"You ain't seen nothing yet, honey." I stuck my tongue out and hopped up from the bed before he could distract me further.

I quickly grabbed my make up bag from my dresser, heading toward the bathroom mirror.

"Oh hey, thanks again," I said on my way out.

"You're welcome, baby," he called after me, "anything for you!"

I shook my head with a smile, entering the bathroom. I tried to paint the concealer on my neck as naturally as possible, blending it to look less obvious. A moment later he was in there with me, making funny faces in the mirror.

"I'm glad you think this is hilarious," I said.

"It's only funny because your parents are downstairs and you're a grown woman with a hickey."

"That my grown boyfriend gave me!"

"I can give you one on the other side, even her out." He winked at my reflection as he leaned toward my neck.

I was about to sarcastically respond when I heard my cell phone ringing from the other room.

"Shit," I mumbled, pushing past him.

"Meet you downstairs," he said.

I ignored him as I ran to grab it before the voicemail picked up. I recognized the New York area code, but not the actual number.

"Hello?" I said, a little breathless.

"Miss Taylor?" a woman asked. She sounded like she was older, early sixties maybe. If you could judge someone's age by their voice.

"Yes ma'am. May I ask who's calling?"

"This is Mrs. Crawford, the President's secretary at New York University."

"Ah, yes. How are you?"

"Glad to be inside on this rainy day. And you?"

"I'm actually out of town visiting family. Glad to be missing the rain!"

She chuckled. "Sorry to bother you on your vacation, ma'am. I'll make it quick. We would like to offer you the position discussed in the interview. We're willing to make a decent proposal and get you started fairly quickly to better prepare you for the upcoming academic school year."

Oh my God. I wasn't expecting this phone call. Shit.

"Feels like the year just ended!" I made jokes when I was uncomfortable.

"I agree. I haven't even started summer vacation myself."

I wanted to continue stalling her with small talk in hopes that a clear answer would pop into my head in the meantime. Alas, that wasn't happening and it was an unrealistic expectation anyway.

"May I consult with my loved ones and get back to you?" I asked.

"Absolutely, ma'am. I'll leave you with his direct line and you can call him when you've made your final decision."

"Wonderful, thank you."

"My pleasure. Enjoy the rest of your time away."

I bid her farewell and sat with my phone clenched in my hand against my lap, staring at the floor. What the hell was I going to do? This was the worst possible timing to receive the phone call, too. How would I pretend to be excited for the offer in front of my parents who desperately wanted me to take the job? After all, my dad had played a huge part in getting me an interview. I was going to let them both down if I showed any signs of dissatisfaction.

I took a deep breath, steadying myself as I made my way downstairs to join everyone.

When I walked into the dining room, Jamie was in the middle of a story that had both of my parents laughing. They all looked over when they saw me approach.

"Good morning, sunshine!" my mom said. "Made too much food again, help us eat it." She headed toward the kitchen.

I laughed. "No surprise."

I took the seat next to Jamie and he leaned over, pressing a sweet kiss to my cheek. My dad noticed the exchange, smiling at us. It threw me off, my dad usually hated PDA. In fact, I wasn't sure he'd even seen me hold a guy's hand before, so this was a dramatic display.

Jamie's eyes fell to my neck when he pulled away which made me uneasy. But when I furrowed my eyebrows he winked. I hoped that meant it wasn't visible.

My mom came back out with a full pot of coffee and a plate of bacon.

"Here." She set both in front of us. "Waffles are in the iron now."

"Thanks," I mumbled.

Jamie draped his arm over the back of my chair, lifting his coffee cup to his lips.

My mom smiled. "Today will be better than yesterday?"

I looked over at Jamie. "Already is. Just had an interesting phone call."

"Good interesting, I suppose?"

Jamie wrinkled his forehead as he searched my eyes. I redirected my attention to my mother's question.

"I think you'll think so."

My dad also wrinkled his forehead at my response.

"I got a call from NYU," I said.

Jamie began gently rubbing my shoulder.

"And..." my mom urged.

"And they offered me the job." I tried to display the most genuine smile I could muster, hoping it would suffice them both. It seemed to.

"Kels, that's wonderful news!" my mom exclaimed.

"I knew you'd get it, honey," my dad added. "You're my brilliant little girl."

I looked to Jamie again who also had an impressive smile, which I couldn't tell was real or not. Part of him had to be a little devastated that I'd be permanently located in New York if I accepted.

"I'm proud of you, baby." He leaned in and left a soft kiss on my lips.

My face was burning red, I could feel it. I never showed affection in front of my parents. Especially not in their house and at their dinner table. What they assumed Jamie and I did after they went to bed was nobody's business. But we were putting their assumptions on display over breakfast. I couldn't believe my dad hadn't tried to scare him off yet.

"Thanks, guys," I managed to say.

Jamie's eyes were curious as they tried to read mine. I sighed in hopes that'd give him the signal that I wanted to talk later. Then again he was a man; they didn't read signs.

"This is great news," my mom said. "Dad and I are excited for you. I guess this means you guys will be living in New York for a while longer!"

What? My plans were not tied to his and vice versa. Why would she imply that they were? This was still a relatively new relationship that we had to feel out the boundaries to. Yeah we both wanted to be together for the long run and admitted how fast we'd fallen for one another, but we had things to work out before we just plummeted into forever. Jamie shifted in his chair and I mentally cursed my mom for saying that. He was obviously uncomfortable.

"Um," I cleared my throat, "you know we don't live together."

My mom chuckled, which surprised me. "Well, hypothetically."

God, this was awful. I needed to do damage control before he panicked. Between last night's debacle and now my mom's comment, he was bound to be ready to get back to New York and break free.

"Okay," I said, "well I'm not hypothetically starving, let's eat."

The rest of our breakfast convo remained rather light as my dad shifted the discussion to golfing in the U.K. Jamie seemed to relax, telling him about all of his favorite courses in England and Ireland. I kept my mouth shut, trying to shove the food down my throat so I could get my boyfriend alone and calm my racing mind, and possibly his, too.

When I noticed that everyone appeared to be finishing their plates I sighed. "Another delicious meal, Mom."

"Yes, thank you for breakfast," Jamie followed up.

"My pleasure," she answered.

"Will you excuse us?" I said to my parents. "I'd like to take him for a stroll up the trail."

"Certainly," my mom smiled warmly.

There was a small hiking trail near our property. It led down to the riverbank and was a spot that brought me much peace and tranquility when I needed to escape the drama of small town life.

Jamie walked behind me out of the house and down through the yard. I didn't know how to start the conversation or which topic to ignite first; the job or my mom implying we should live together.

"Another beautiful day," he commented.

"It is. The lady from NYU said it's raining in the city."

"Glad to be missing it," he replied.

I smiled as he mirrored my previous statement. We walked in silence up the small incline. Once over the hill, the river came into view. It was as beautiful as I remembered. The trees were lush and green as the birds chirped, flying between branches. I could smell the colorful flowers that grew wild in various spots along the trail. The sun felt warm against my face as it sparkled over the water. The river rolled along smoothly, the sound of it rushing against the rocks sparked the same nostalgia as the lake. I wanted to bask in the familiar sensations. I closed my eyes, imprinting the moment in my mind when I felt Jamie's hand gently grasp mine. I looked up at him and returned the wide smile he offered.

"I didn't mean to interrupt your moment," he said, "but I love the way you look right now."

"What, like a hot mess?" I joked.

He laughed. "No, just beautiful. The way the sun makes your face glow. The gentle breeze playing with your hair. The genuine smile you don't even realize you have."

I looked away, feeling my heart beat faster at his words. "How poetic. Is that Shakespeare?"

He stepped in front of me. "Don't do that."

"Do what?"

"You're self-deprecating."

I met his gaze; pot meet kettle. "I'm not used to being complimented."

"Well, I plan to change that."

I bit my bottom lip. "You are, slowly."

"So, the job," he said.

I sighed. "Yeah, about that."

"I want you to do what you want. I'll fall into place after you decide."

"See, that's the thing," I began, "you're my first concern."

"I shouldn't be, your future should."

I wanted to look away, because it still felt too soon to say the words, but his gaze was intense and held me captivated.

"The only thing I see in my future is you. Not some monotonous job."

He leaned in to kiss my forehead. "I'll be around no matter the decision. You can't let me stand between you and a rewarding career."

"I don't want the job, Jamie," I blurted out.

He didn't say anything for a long moment.

"I know you don't, and it has nothing to do with us. Nice excuse." He winked, which caused me to roll my eyes and chuckle.

"Now what?" I asked, searching his eyes for an answer.

"What do you want?"

"You," I said.

"Answer eliminated, you can't want what you already have."

I shook my head. "I want to write."

"Then write," he said.

"You say that like I can write a best-selling novel in a week and it'll make me a profit to live off of."

He shrugged. "I think you forget who you're dating."

"Okay," I said, "first of all, I don't even know how that's related to my previous statement, and secondly, I'm not going to ask you to get me a job."

"You're not," he replied, "I'm volunteering my name."

I wrinkled my forehead, utterly confused.

He laughed. "All it takes is one interview with me saying my girlfriend is an author, and I'd almost bet I'll get a call the same week from an agent looking to sign you."

"I'm not using your fame to get ahead," I argued.

"It's not using my fame, it's using my leverage. People want to associate their business with a celebrity's brand in hopes it'll get them ahead. It's a win for both of you."

"And a loss for you if what I write sucks."

"Isn't it great that you have a boyfriend who believes in your talent so much that he's willing to risk his own reputation for it?"

I playfully hit his arm causing us both to laugh. "This sounds great in a dream world."

"Let me make it reality," he said. "You can write to your heart's content without worrying about a nine to five routine."

"Why are you willing to do this for me?" I wrapped my arms around his neck.

"Because I love you and want to protect your future happiness."

I kissed him quickly. "I love you for doing so. I hope it benefits us both."

"It will." He kissed me back.

"Sorry my mom says awkward things." I sighed.

He snickered. "She doesn't. She's great, actually."

"She is, but she doesn't have a filter."

"She's only trying to push us towards the inevitable."

"The inevitable?" I asked.

"If I'm going to make you a famous author, that surely means you'll have to live with me under my supervision. You know, to make sure the creative juices are flowing."

He pinched my butt, causing me to squeal. I smacked his hand away, both of us laughing.

"But I'm fairly certain I have the better view from my place," I said.

"Fair argument, although you haven't seen mine."

Then it hit me like a ton of bricks. He was right; I hadn't been to his apartment yet, only his house in London. What were we doing? He was telling me he was going to help launch my writing career so I wouldn't have to work, and now he was suggesting we move in together.

"No, we can't. That's crazy."

"Stop," he said.

I narrowed my eyes.

"Don't overthink it. I thought we'd discussed doing what felt natural and not what people expected. It's you and me, remember? Not us and them."

It also scared the shit out of me how well he could read me. Was any of this real? I had never discussed living arrangements with prior boyfriends. Guys I had even dated for a couple of years, but we didn't want to live together. Sure, we'd kept toothbrushes and a change of clothes at each other's places, but none of them had ever actually packed up and moved in with me. I'd only lived in my parents' house and in a dorm with Victoria. My apartment was finally my own sacred place where I could escape all of these racing thoughts. How would I do that with him there 24/7?

But who was I kidding? I was madly in love with him and wanted to spend every day together, experiencing new things. I wanted the world to know this gorgeous, romantic, funny, and charismatic man was mine. I remember how happy it made me to see him making himself comfortable in my space, and sleeping peacefully in my bed. There was no one else in the world I'd rather wake up beside and fall asleep with. Again, nothing had ever felt so right and so scary simultaneously.

"Fine," I whispered.

"Fine, what?"

"Let's try it."

"I need you to be a little clearer." He smiled.

"Let's live together," I deadpanned.

His face lit up as though I'd just told him I was taking him to Disneyworld. The brightest, most adorable smile spread across his lips.

"Seriously?" he asked.

"Yes, we'll iron out the details later. But I'm ready. It feels right; we feel right."

He kissed me passionately, causing us to stumble as we tried to catch our balance. I melted into him easily. He was warm and smelled like his unique Jamie scent that I'd become accustomed to. My fingers tangled in his silky golden locks. I felt safe in his embrace. He was the security blanket I'd been searching my whole life for. He was the perfect fit in my life and my heart. This was a step in the right direction for our future, and it meant he was truly mine. Living together was the closest thing to a long-term commitment that I could handle at the moment.

I broke our embrace. "Don't ever tell my mom she pushed us to this."

"Mother knows best." He smiled.

"Ohio sure has us making some dramatic decisions."

"I suppose then I owe you a huge thank you for the invitation. It's only fair since London had the opposite effect."

I laughed. "Unfortunately true. Let's head back so I can break the good and bad news to my parents."

"I'm sure they'll support any decision you make," he reassured.

"Here's hoping."

We started our walk home when I heard my phone beep in my pocket. I retrieved it to notice a new text notification. The number was my local Ohio area code, but it wasn't someone in my contact list. I swiped open my phone to read what it said.

Hey girl! Sorry I missed you at the bonfire last night. Had no idea you were in town or I would've canceled my plans to be there. How much longer you here?

I stopped as I read it, my forehead wrinkled.

"Everything okay?" Jamie asked.

"Yeah, just a text from someone I don't recognize."

Hi, I'm sorry but who's this?

A minute later my phone beeped again.

New phone, new number, sorry. It's Carrie Dunn!

"Oh my God, I haven't heard from her in years!" I exclaimed.

Jamie laughed as we continued our path. "An old friend?"

"Very old."

Wow, it's been a while! Glad to hear from you!

I know, too long. Are you still living in New York?

I am!

Well if you don't have time while you're home, we should get together when I'm in NYC next month! First time, going to be a tourist :)

"Oh wow, she's coming to New York!"

Jamie and I had made it back to the house, so I followed suit when he sat down on the front porch swing.

My boyfriend and I are headed back tomorrow, but I'd love to meet up with you when you're in the city.

We have to catch up! Maybe you can show me around all the secret spots.

I laughed. It's a plan. Let me know when you're in town!

Great! See you soon!

"Awesome, I'll have to make a list of places she should go to. You know, off the beaten path locations."

"Look at you, a foreigner showing another foreigner around," he said.

I nudged him and he pulled me in, kissing my temple.

"Because you have a lot of room to talk."

"Exactly my point," he replied.

My mom opened the front door and stepped out. "Have a nice walk?"

Jamie and I exchanged knowing looks.

"Very nice, yes. We're moving in together and I'm not taking the job."