Page 35 of The Bear and the Stork
“You set this up!Didn’t you, Gregor?Wait.Um, Your Majes?—”
“Enough.”He stopped Kalliopi mid-sentence with an extended palm.“Yes, I set this up because Treasure is tired of hearing you mope, Kalliopi, and I’m tired of hearing you mope, Stan.Now you can understand why themissionwas a secret, correct?”
He literally used air-quotes when he said the word mission.Who did that anymore?Ugh!But now, what was even worse?She had to tell Stan why she had ghosted him.And as his gaze pierced hers, she prayed to God he’d understand and forgive her.
“You two are going to talk this out.And I will take my leave.”
Quinn suddenly appeared at their table and escorted the former king out of the coffee shop.So much for the assignment taking all day.Now she had another assignment, and this one would be the hardest of all.
Kallie put both elbows on the table and cupped her face.
“So, hi.And let me just get this out of the way first because I have no excuse for what I did.It was shitty of me.I’m sorry.I shouldn’t have left the way I did.”
Stan grabbed hold of Kalliopi’s arm and pulled it to the side.Her exposed eyes flew open, and she was caught in his piercing gaze again, making Kalliopi suck in a breath.She’d missed him.Really missed him.There wasn’t a point in denying it any longer.
“I would have texted you a second time after the mission.This way, it wouldn’t have felt like we ghosted each other.But something always stopped me.I was just afraid.”He palmed one of Kalliopi’s hands before continuing.“Afraid that you didn’t want me anymore.Maybe even afraid that you’d used me as a diversion during your mission and that I’d meant nothing to you in the end.”
Kalliopi’s mouth dropped open.“Of course you didn’t mean nothing to me!I left because we’d talked about me… about what I might do to Zagan.And then I did it.I didn’t think you could ever forgive me for that.”
“As special agents, FUC or MILF, we’re judged by a different yardstick.You didn’t set out to do it.It wasn’t pre-planned.You reacted to save Harriet, to save all the cadets who could have ended up like your sister.And now, with Zagan gone, the worldisa safer place.There is nothing to forgive.”
“I’m glad to hear you say that.Thank you.”She offered him a small smile.“So then, where does that leave us?We are in a coffee shop having coffee, so this could be construed as a date.And if that’s the case, I’m not sure if I could call this thing between us a fling anymore since we started dating in winter and it’s now summer.”She laced her fingers with his and looked into his eyes, hoping that he felt the same she did in that moment.
“You’re right.It’s summer, which means we’ve been dating longer than any relationship I’ve had in recent memory.They say the best romances happen around the holidays.I think we proved that at Christmas, because you are unforgettable, Kallie.I can’t live without you.So, I have one question for you.Are you willing to see where this goes now that we both are living in Greece?”
“Youlivein Greece now?”Her jaw dropped.
“I do.”He nodded.“My stuff is all being transported.”
“What about Jewel?”
He smiled like a proud papa.“Jewel graduated FUCN’A and started her apprenticeship at one of the East Coast FUC offices.She’s planning on visiting whenever she can and had a strong hand in encouraging me to take this leap.Even if I might not have been fully confident that you’d take me back, Jewel never wavered in her belief that we were meant to end up together.”
Kalliopi smiled so hard it hurt her cheeks.She felt like it was her first smile in six months.She squeezed his hand before responding.“How about we head back to my place so we can test out what it is like to make love on my mattress?I live on a private beach, by the way.”
“I’d love to make love to you in your own space.And by the way, you’re in charge,” he said with a wink.
The End
