I followed him across the living-room floor. He pointed out the doors to the spare bedroom and bathroom and then, at the end of the corridor, opened the door through to the primary bedroom. I walked in behind him and stood there, stunned. It was almost the size of my whole flat. It was a huge room with an en suite. There was a stunning window with an armchair underneath what looked like another cosy reading spot, a four-poster bed in the middle of the room and an ornate fireplace in the corner. The colours were deep greens and creams. It felt serene and calm and looked incredibly comfortable, like a luxury hotel. I wondered what the bed would feel like to lie down on. I couldn’t help it.

Turning, I could see the en suite had a large shower and a free-standing bath. I suddenly longed to be there under bubbles with Jake, steaming up the bathroom together.

‘What do you think?’ he asked. I realised he had been watching me anxiously as I stayed silent.

‘Trying to not feel intimidated all over again…’ I joked.

‘All that matters is how we feel about each other, okay? Nothing else.’ He put our glasses of wine down on his bedside table then came over and picked up my hand, kissing the back of it. ‘I will have to fight the urge to want to take care of you, and look after you, though I’ll be honest. I’ll try not to beg you to move in here with me and leave your flat share,’ he added with a rueful smile.

‘Well, I can’t be angry about you wanting to do that,’ I said with a laugh. ‘One step at a time though, right?’

‘Yeah, do you want to go out for dinner or I can take you home or⁠—’

‘Jake,’ I broke in. ‘I don’t want to go anywhere right now. If you don’t want me to?’ I looked behind him. ‘Is your bed comfy?’

Jake grinned and moved suddenly. I squealed as he scooped me up by the waist, carrying me in his arms and laying me gently down onto his bed. And God, it was comfy. I sunk into it like I had melted into a cloud.

He climbed onto the bed and leaned over me. ‘I have thought about you on my bed, I have to admit. And you look really good on it.’

‘Is that why you look tired?’ I teased him.

Jake reached for my hair and pulled it together over my shoulder in his hand. ‘Yes,’ he replied easily, no hesitation. ‘I’ve been wondering how I can repair things between us since we got back from New York. When we had that meeting with Hayley, I hated thinking that you felt like you needed to change yourself even one little bit.’