That’s what you do. You put in that work if you want the rewards. And I’ve accepted that I have to work harder than everyone else sometimes just to get the same results. That’s the reality girls like me learn to live with. We use it to make us stronger. I kick those doors down, whether it’s in work boots or Jimmy Choos. Looking down at the floor, my feet are bare. Here with Ezra, my soul is bare, and at his words, I slump against him and for a few moments, I rest. It’s a sigh of the soul and his arms tighten around me. He kisses my temple and strokes my back. It feels so good to let someone love me, to let him cherish me, to share my burdens with his strong shoulders.

“You okay?” he asks.

I look up at him, trace the strong line of his jaw and the dark silk of his brows. He doesn’t like it when I say he’s “dear,” but that’s exactly what he is. Dear and rare and precious and mine.

“I am now.”

“You sure you’re okay if we swing by my house first?” Ezra asks after we’ve showered.

“Sure.” I tug the fitted sheet from the bed. “You need to change for your meeting, right?”

“Right.” He grabs his standard YLA T-shirt from the bench at the end of the bed and slips it on. “I can’t believe I forgot I’m supposed to meet the publisher downtown at noon or I would have brought the right clothes with me. I had it in my calendar for tomorrow. Glad my editor reminded me. I’ll just change at home. I can drop you off at your place and make it there in time.”

“Sounds good.” I gather the bedding and pad around to kiss his jaw.

He pats my butt, kisses my cheek and steps away. “I’ll load the car.”

“I’m just gonna put these in the laundry room. There’s a service that comes to clean. They’ll change the bed.”

We just added this laundry room. We’d planned some upgrades and renovations for a while, but then Daddy died and no one seemed to care until recently. The lake house hasn’t been used much lately, but my family had some good times here. Now that Congressman Ruiz has tapped me to run his campaign, I’ll make sure this house gets use while I’m here, even if it’s just for Ezra and me to get away.

The laundry room is small and neat and has a shiny new washer and dryer.