He nods before slinking his hand over mine, then thumbs the diamond of my ring. “It is. We’re official now. You’re my fiancée and I can be affectionate with you whenever I want. We live together, which means we can do this whenever we want.”

Lulu lets out a squeaky yawn from the other end of the couch.

“And we have double the number of cats we used to, so this is definitely a million times better,” I say.

He lets out a laugh that spooks both Lemon and Lulu from the couch. They scurry down the hall.

Again he pulls me into a kiss that’s so powerful and intoxicating, it leaves me dizzy. When his hazel-green eyes lock with mine, I feel like I’m free-falling into an abyss I never, ever want to climb out of.

“I love everything about this,” he says, his voice that beautiful mix of a growl and a whisper.

“Me too,” I whisper, gazing up at him.

I was wrong before when I said that our playful early mornings were my favorite. Everything I do with Callum is my favorite.

I burrow closer against his body, giddy that I get to call Callum James mine forever. “You. This. Everything. It’s all I ever wanted. You make me the happiest.”

My throat squeezes as I say the last word. But the ache is welcome. It’s every emotion I feel for Callum pulsing inside of me.

He squeezes me tighter, and I sigh in satisfaction.

“Petal,” he says, his own voice full of emotion. “You stole the words right out of my mouth.”

Acknowledgments

The tough part about writing acknowledgments is that words are never enough to express just how thankful I am to everyone who helped make this book possible. But words are all I have, so I’ll give it a try!

Thank you, Lexi Banner. You are more than a beta reader; you are a superhuman alpha reader whose feedback helps take my early drafts from dumpster fire to readable manuscript. I heart you.

To Skye McDonald, a million thanks (and glasses of whiskey) are owed to you for trudging through that messy early draft. All the red lipstick kisses to you, lady.

Stefanie Simpson, thank you for your friendship and support. I was so unsure about this story, but your feedback gave me confidence. I can never thank you enough for that.

D. F. Bowstrong, thanks for helping Callum sound like a real person and not a caricature. I bloody owe you one.

Thank you, J. L. Peridot, for your insight and your lovely words. They motivated me so much.

Thank you to the best agent on the planet, Sarah Younger (and your amazing interns!), for your never-ending support.

Thank you to my editor, Sarah Blumenstock, for helping make Simmer Down into the story it is today (and for thinking of that killer title).