Total pages in book: 40
Estimated words: 36478 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 182(@200wpm)___ 146(@250wpm)___ 122(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 36478 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 182(@200wpm)___ 146(@250wpm)___ 122(@300wpm)
He hummed and rubbed his face on my chest. "Good morning," he told me through a yawn.
"Good morning, sweetheart. How did you sleep?"
"So good. You're even more comfortable than the mattress."
I chuckled, but stopped when I heard a quiet scratching on his bedroom door. "Is that Cooper?"
"Yep," Sterling answered as he sat up. "As soon as he hears that I'm awake, he lets me know he's ready to go outside. I better let him out or I'll have a wet carpet." I climbed out of bed behind him, not wanting to give him wet sheets as well.
When Sterling stood up, he reached for his sunglasses on the nightstand, but stopped his hand, and walked towards the door without them. I smiled; not only did I love seeing his pretty eyes, I loved that he was comfortable enough around me to leave them off.
Sterling left to tend to Cooper while I hustled to the bathroom, and he was waiting for his turn when I emerged. Once he was finished, Sterling met me in the hallway and asked, "Would you like some breakfast?"
"I'd love some." It struck me just how natural it felt to wake up with Sterling and share his space. It was the first time, but it felt as if we'd done it often, and I hoped we would do it many more times to come. "Would you like to go somewhere?"
"I don't mind to make us something," he shrugged. I liked the sound of relaxing a while longer, and to be honest, I was a little curious, so I eagerly agreed.
I followed Sterling into the kitchen, and stood behind him when he opened up the refrigerator, looking inside. Everything inside was spaced out evenly and arranged by food type.
He reached inside and patted the shelves, running his fingers over the bottles and packages sitting upon them. "Do you like bagels?"
"I do."
"Great, because I make a pretty fantastic bagel," he teased, making me laugh.
I watched him with a goofy smile as he collected an armful of goodies before laying them out in a line on the counter. He opened a sack of blueberry bagels and cracked one in half before sliding the pieces into the toaster.
While they warmed, he carefully retrieved two plates from the cabinet. He felt his way over to a bag of grapes, and placed a bunch onto each plate. When the bagels popped up, he expertly topped them with cream cheese and honey before putting all of the ingredients back into the exact places he took them from.
I was in awe of him, but I was also nervous to say anything; would it be offensive to praise him for something he may find trivial or routine? While I meant well, I didn't want to cause harm by accident. So instead, I told him, "Thank you, sweetheart. This looks delicious."
We sat together at a small table in his kitchen to eat, and I found that the food tasted delicious as well. The honey and cream cheese was the perfect blend of sweet and savory, and the grapes were probably the healthiest thing I'd eaten in a week (or more).
As we finished the last bites of our meal, Cooper's whimpers sounded through the sliding glass door. "Would you like me to let him in?" I offered, but Sterling shook his head.
"Actually, he wants me to go out with him. Every day after breakfast, I go outside and throw a toy for him."
"Is it okay if I go out and play with him too?" I loved dogs (Cooper especially) and I wanted to get in on the fun.
"Of course it's okay," he smiled. "There's a basket of toys under the sink if you'd like to pick out a couple for him."
I jumped out of my chair and hurried to the cabinet beneath the sink. There was a basket inside, containing toys of all shapes and sizes. I chose a yellow Frisbee and a tennis ball and told Sterling, "I've got some for him."
By the time we stepped outside through the sliding door, Cooper was beside himself with excitement. He spun in circles, jingling his collar, and huffed heavy breaths, making it obvious that he was ready to play. It was interesting to see this side of him, in comparison to the calm, laser-focused version when he was working.
"I know, buddy," Sterling chuckled as he took a seat in a patio chair. "You're ready to play. Beck is gonna throw it for you, okay?" As if he understood every word, Cooper looked expectantly at me with his tongue hanging out.
"Yep, I got you," I told the pooch, shaking the tennis ball first. "You ready? Here we go!"
I tossed the ball forward, across the fenced-in yard. Cooper took off like a shot, chasing the ball like prey and scooping it in his teeth as soon as it stopped.