A sea of clouds has opened a pathway, sending gentle gusts of sparkling wind to carry me aloft. My body is light as a feather and I’m spinning and spinning, constantly under threat of being swept away by the fickle, beautiful world below me.

Luckily, the sizzling of the eggs in the pan is enough to keep me from floating too far in my daydream.

I flip the eggs, humming to myself, then twirl my way to the fridge for shredded cheese. A little jump brings me back to the pan, where I manage to stay still long enough to sprinkle salt and pepper on the two eggs. I smile benignly at the eggs as I flip them.

I also smile at the bag of cheese as I sprinkle some onto each egg, then I smile at the bread as I pop it into the toaster. My smile grows wider and wider until I laugh outright when I accidentally flip an egg in half instead of over on its other side, and I continue chuckling as I rectify my mistake.

Knowing Gemma was home, Brandon had opted not to stay for breakfast—but that didn’t matter. I woke up this morning staring at the broad plane of Brandon’s sculpted chest and feeling his strong, protective arms wrapped around me, holding me close.

I regularly wake up thinking everything is going to be okay. Today, I woke up thinking that everything is okay right now. Snuggled up against Brandon, feeling him against me, holding me, felt perfect. Felt right.

My skin remembers. Sometimes, I feel a tingle ghost down my shoulder or along my leg, mimicking Brandon’s touches.

My heart remembers too, especially our talk last night. Finally free, my heart can soar with the knowledge that Brandon knows who I was, and who I remember him as— and he doesn’t care. He finally convinced me of something I’ve been trying to decide about him since I saw him in House of Stars.

He convinced me that he’s a changed man, one who can and will listen to me, talk to me, and make me feel safe. Years ago, we lived two different lives plotted on two different courses with no chance of crossing. Now, he’s an electrical contractor and I’m an accountant. We’ve both made mistakes and struggled to bounce back and find a new way in life, and that way has led us both to business-related pursuits and, by extension, each other.

Gemma walks in, rubbing her eyes blearily. “I think I have a hangover.” She parts her fingers and opens her eyes for a moment, then shuts them again with a groan. “This is why I don’t drink.”

“I’m making you an egg and cheese toast,” I console her, making a show of wafting the scent from the pan toward her. “Yowch,” I mutter as I snatch the toast out, trying to go fast enough to avoid burning my fingers. Two expert flips, and the eggs and cheese land neatly on the toast. “Ta da! Order up.”

I hand her a plate. She takes it with one hand and feels her way around the counter into the living room with the other.

Picking out two tall bubbly glasses, I open the fridge. Cold air hits me, but not as hard as Gemma’s next words. “I wasn’t drunk enough not to see the two glasses of wine on the table last night.”

Making a show of finding the orange juice, I decide just to go with the truth. It’s not like Gemma will care. “Yeah, Brandon came over last night.”

That’s enough to get Gemma to crack open an eye. “Ooh. And?”

“We drank, we talked, and we had sex.” The smile returns, pulling the corners of my mouth upward. I don’t bother hiding it as I join Gemma in the living room and hand her a glass of orange juice.

“And?”

“And what?” With Gemma, that can be anything.

“What’s the takeaway? You should see how happy he makes you, Taylor.” Gemma blinks an honest eye at me.

“I don’t need to see it. I can feel it. I….” I shrug. “I’m really starting to feel like I can trust him, you know? He knows every geeky, nerdy thing about me, and he just likes all of it. It’s like I can be myself and know he’ll never judge me for anything.”

“He’s a lot like you.” Gemma drains half her glass in a few big gulps. “I don’t know him very well yet, but I think he’s good for you, Taylor. I think he’s really good for you.”

And I agree. Not wholeheartedly, not yet, but I truly believe that finally, after years of dating men who just wanted to use me for one thing or another, I may have found one who wants nothing from me but feelings I’ll willingly give him.

“You might be right.” I pick up my new laptop and grin widely at it, remembering how Brandon immediately sensed something was wrong and insisted on bringing me the laptop just to make me happy.

For a tiny second before the laptop boots up, I can see my tank top, collarbones, and just a hint of cleavage reflected in the dark screen.

Sexy accountant. I had meant that as a joke, of course— I’d explained to Brandon before that I owe Cullen. Still, the idea is intriguing. Our financial and work-related goals align so closely that I can easily have fun imagining us in business together, even if such a reality was distant or never came to pass at all.

Besides, I’m not a real accountant yet. “I’m enrolling in another accounting class,” I tell Gemma, looking for the bookmark to my online class before I realize that I don’t have any bookmarks on this computer yet. “I think I can handle two along with working at House of Stars.”

“I guess college students have to make money while they go to school somehow.” Gemma yawns widely, but she looks less like she wants to pull her eyes out of her skull now. “By the way, Cullen is still going to swing by and pick you up even though I’m not dancing today.”

“We need to figure out something else,” I say. I don’t like relying on Cullen for rides, and the schedules will only work like this until the renovations are complete.

“There’s public transportation, but like we discussed, it would be a good bit of walking. Walking in Vegas heat, at that. In heels, for you.”

“We’ll figure something out.” Happiness still tugs at my heartstrings, but the cares and concerns of the world I live in are beginning to wedge their collective foot into my door of euphoria. “Eat your toast,” I say bossily, cramming the last bite of mine in my mouth.

Gemma just groans and lies down on the couch. I sigh at the thought of her perfectly good breakfast getting cold and head off to take a shower.

“I have a lot of homework to do later,” I mutter to myself, sputtering a little as water drips into my mouth.

My magical, steamy evening with Brandon means I’ll have a late evening tonight. I search my mind for the guilt that usually assails me when I don’t get things done.

There is none. I feel at ease with myself and the time I devoted to Brandon last night, and I don’t regret a single second of it. Somehow, I know I won’t change my mind even when I’m bending over my desk late tonight, back aching and eyes begging for sleep. Whenever I’m too exhausted to continue, I’ll just relive every touch and every word that proves Brandon wants me for everything I am.

It’s taken me far too long, but I’ve finally found a man worth my time.