“One day at a time, Franny.” He slides up my body and pulls me against his chest. “We’re still taking this one day at a time.” His lips come to rest against my forehead as he continues to speak. “And every day, I’ll continue to choose you.”

CHAPTER 21

Dayton

As I step out of the bathroom dressed for work, PJ lifts his head and watches me with his tail wagging as I walk towards the bed. At some point, Franny moved from the middle where I left her after my alarm went off to my side and wrapped herself around my pillow. Taking a seat on the edge of the bed, I slide my hand up her back.

“Franny.” I slide the heavy fall of hair off her neck, and she moves, mumbling something in her sleep, making me smile.

“Baby.” I lean down and brush my lips across the shell of her ear, then whisper there, “I’m leaving.”

“No, it’s too early.” She whispers back, reaching out and wrapping her hand around mine on her neck. “Come back to bed.” Fuck, it kills me that I can’t give her what she wants.

“I wish, baby, we’ll sleep in on the weekend.” I press a kiss to her temple. “I already took PJ out and fed him, so sleep, and call me when you get up.”

“Okay,” she agrees, not even opening her eyes.

Getting off the bed, I make sure she’s tucked in, then start to leave the room, and PJ jumps off the bed to follow me.

“Dayton,” Franny’s sleepy voice calls out, and I stop in the doorway and turn to find her head up and her eyes on me.

“Yeah.”

“Before you go, you should know I love you.” My body stills. “I don’t want you to think that I’m not choosing you too.”

“You can’t say shit like that when I’m just about to leave Franny.”

“Sorry.” She whispers. “I just wanted you to know.”

With a shake of my head, I walk back around the bed, and she falls to her back as I loom over her, pressing my fist in the mattress while my free hand wraps around the back of her neck. Pulling her up, I capture her mouth and kiss her, and she threads her fingers through my hair, holding on.

Sometime later, when I’m dressed once more, and she’s lying half on her belly with nothing but the sheet low on her waist, I take a seat on the edge of the bed in the same position I was in earlier this morning and slide my fingers down the side of her face.

“I’ll see you tonight.”

“Okay,” she whispers with a smile, sounding sleepy as she reaches up and rests her hand on my cheek. “Good luck today.”