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Back First Comes Love Save as PDF
Chapters (92)
  1. First
  2. Love Connection
  3. Zero
  4. One
  5. Two
  6. Three
  7. Four
  8. Five
  9. Six
  10. Seven
  11. Eight
  12. Nine
  13. Ten
  14. Eleven
  15. One Month Later
  16. Twelve
  17. Thirteen
  18. Fourteen
  19. Fifteen
  20. Six Months Later
  21. Sixteen
  22. Seventeen
  23. Eighteen
  24. Nineteen
  25. Twenty
  26. Twenty-one
  27. Twenty-two
  28. Twenty-three
  29. Twenty-four
  30. Six Months Later
  31. Twenty-five
  32. Twenty-six
  33. Twenty-seven
  34. Twenty-eight
  35. Twenty-nine
  36. Thirty
  37. Thirty-one
  38. Thirty-two
  39. Thirty-three
  40. I Have Never
  41. One
  42. Two
  43. Three
  44. Four
  45. Five
  46. Six
  47. Seven
  48. Eight
  49. Nine
  50. Ten
  51. Eleven
  52. Twelve
  53. Thirteen
  54. Fourteen
  55. Fifteen
  56. Sixteen
  57. Seventeen
  58. Eighteen
  59. Nineteen
  60. Twenty
  61. Twenty-one
  62. Twenty-two
  63. A Christmas Date
  64. One
  65. Two
  66. Three
  67. Four
  68. Five
  69. Six
  70. Seven
  71. Eight
  72. Nine
  73. Ten
  74. Eleven
  75. Twelve
  76. Thirteen
  77. Fourteen
  78. Fifteen
  79. Sixteen
  80. Seventeen
  81. Eighteen
  82. Nineteen
  83. Twenty
  84. Twenty-one
  85. Twenty-two
  86. Note from the Author
  87. Sneak Peek – To the Stars and Back
  88. Two
  89. Three
  90. Four
  91. Also by Camilla Isley
  92. About the Author

“If we do this…” This time, it’s Richard taking a step toward me. “What is the single thing you’d never give me?”

I take a moment to think. “My career,” I say. “I’ll never be a stay-at-home mom.”

Richard’s features relax for the first time since our conversation started, and he closes the distance between us. I inhale his scent and I’m a goner as soon as he cups my face in his hands. “So we’re having kids now?” he asks with a playful smile.

I blush and luckily don’t have the time to stutter an embarrassing reply as Richard’s lips silence mine. His strong arms wrap around me and he almost crushes me against his chest.

I’m pretty sure kissing the boss in the middle of the office is against every workplace protocol ever written. But right now, I’m too busy trying to stand on my own two legs to care. That thing they say about buckling knees? Totally true.

We finally let go, and Richard seems to become aware of the gaping faces staring at us from all around the office. Ada is clapping and crying, too, I think. I can’t tell under her giant cat-eye glasses. Indira is sporting a shrewd smile. Saffron is taking a pic. Surely she doesn’t plan to post it on the magazine’s socials, right? And the boys are trying to project a look of composed appreciation.

“Come on, kids,” Indira yells, breaking the tension of the moment. “Cheer up for mommy and daddy, they made up.”

Everyone laughs and claps and cheers. And I’m so stupidly happy I can’t talk. I can only keep smiling at the man I love, whose eyes now reflect the same love he must see in mine.

“What happens now?” I whisper.

My anger has burned out and I’m becoming very self-conscious. Shouting my feelings in front of all my colleagues and forcing a love admission out of Richard were not part of the plan when I woke up this morning.

“We can start with a first date,” Richard says. “Dinner?”

“It’s two-thirty, I’m not hungry.”

Richard leans in and whispers, “Oh, you will be. Because we’re stopping at my place first.”

I blush a furious red and hide my face in Richard’s chest.

“Everyone,” Richard says aloud. “It’s been a long week. Let’s take the rest of the day off.”

The cheers that follow this announcement are even more widespread and enthusiastic.

Richard takes my hand and whistles for Chevron to follow us out of the office. As we reach the door and exit, an echo of Indira’s comment reaches me. “… if they’d told me all it took to have the afternoon off was to get the boss laid, I would’ve pimped him more.”