Too Late To Love Me I Already Left With His Twins (Lydia and Dave) novel Chapter 328

“Hi, booey.”

There was a brief silence on the other end of the call.

Then Dave said, “Hmm. That’s new. What’s happening, babe?”

I smiled, leaning against the wall just outside the dining area. “Nothing is happening. Can’t a woman call her husband-to-be a pet name in peace?”

“My apologies, ma’am. Please, continue.”

I laughed. “Well, I read somewhere that calling each other pet names fosters love and helps couples develop stronger emotional bonds. Apparently, it makes you feel closer to each other.”

For a moment, he said nothing.

Then he laughed.

Not his usual quiet chuckle or the amused little sound he made whenever I said something ridiculous. No, this man laughed so heartily that I had to pull the phone away from my ear, wondering what exactly was so funny about my very reasonable contribution to our relationship.

“Dave, what’s funny?”

“Nothing, sweetheart. Absolutely nothing.” He was still laughing. “It’s just you.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means you don’t need to worry about any of that, Lydia.” His voice softened, the amusement giving way to something that made me instinctively smile. “You’re forever ten steps ahead of everyone else in my life. I really love you, Lydia. I love you so much that my chest hurts from not seeing you in the past twenty-four hours.”

I stared at the wall.

Oh, brother.

“Eww.”

He laughed again. “Eww?”

“That’s so cheesy, Dave.”

“I’m being sincere, and you’re calling me cheesy?”

“Yes, because what am I supposed to do with that information? Frame it and hang it on the wall?”

“Whatever you want, baby. I can give you a whole collection if you like.”

I pressed my lips together, fighting a smile that was becoming increasingly difficult to control.

Honestly, I loved it.

I loved how he could say things like that without looking over his shoulder to see whether anyone was watching. I loved that he didn’t feel the need to pretend he was above missing me or that being in love meant he had to maintain some carefully calculated level of emotional distance. He could be sentimental, clingy, ridiculous, and completely unashamed of it.

And I liked knowing that I was the person he wanted to be that way with.

After everything we’d been through, there was something deeply reassuring about the ease with which he loved me now. He didn’t make me guess. He didn’t leave me trying to interpret the meaning behind half-hearted words or wonder whether I was asking for too much. When he missed me, he said so. When he wanted me, he let me know. And when he loved me, goodness, he made sure I knew it.

Of course, I wasn’t about to tell him all that.

He would never let me hear the end of it.

“Wait a minute,” I said, narrowing my eyes. “Weren’t you the one who left me to go for a business meeting?”

There was an immediate pause.

Then he said, “Are you using that against me?”

“I’m simply stating facts.”

“Lydia, you know I needed to attend that meeting.”

“Did I say you didn’t?”

“And I’m barely six hours away from you. I’m still in the same country as you, for goodness’ sake.”

I burst out laughing. “Country Z is a very large country, Dave. You can’t just use that as an excuse.”

“I’m not using anything as an excuse. I’m trying to explain that I haven’t disappeared into another continent. You could literally get in a car and come see me.”

“Absolutely not. Do you know how comfortable I am right now?”

“Then don’t complain that I’m away.”

“I never complained.”

“You just accused me of abandoning you for business.”

“Because you did!”

He sighed dramatically. “My goodness. I miss you, and somehow I’ve ended up on trial.”

“That’s what happens when you marry a lawyer.”

“You’re not a lawyer.”

“Details.”

He laughed again, and I found myself smiling at the sound.

“Whatever,” I said eventually. “I miss you slightly.”

“Slightly?”

“Yes.”

“Lydia.”

“What?”

“I miss you a lot.”

I smiled, looking down at my fingers. “I heard you the first time.”

“No, I don’t think you did. I miss you so much that I’ve been checking my phone every few minutes to see if you’ve sent me a message.”

I raised an eyebrow. “And what if I haven’t?”

“Then I check again.”

I laughed. “You’re actually hopeless.”

“Hopelessly in love with you, yes.”

“Dave, please. You’re embarrassing yourself.”

“Only because you’re not here to appreciate me properly.”

I shook my head, unable to stop smiling. It was ridiculous how easily he could turn a conversation into this, how one minute we were teasing each other and the next I was standing in a hallway feeling like a lovesick teenager.

“I miss you too,” I admitted, quieter this time.

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