Tom stirred, his arm instinctively reaching out to find Lucy. His fingers brushed against the soft skin of her back, and he smiled, eyes still closed, as he pulled her closer.
Lucy let out a contented sigh, nestling her head into the crook of Tom's shoulder. She lifted her head slightly, her lips brushing against his collarbone as she whispered, "Good morning, love."
Tom opened his eyes, blinking away the remnants of sleep, and gazed down at her. Her hair was tousled, a cascade of black curls that framed her face, and her eyes sparkled with love as she met his gaze.
"Good morning, beautiful," he murmured, his voice thick with affection. He tilted her chin up and kissed her gently, savoring the sweetness of her lips.
They lay there for a while, wrapped in each other's arms, and Tom caressed her, tracing lazy patterns on her back with his fingertips.
Lucy shivered slightly at his touch, a smile playing on her lips. "Do we have to get up?" Lucy asked, her voice a sleepy murmur as she nuzzled against Tom's chest.
Tom chuckled softly, the vibration of his laughter reverberating through her. "Not yet," he said, his hand moving to stroke her hair. "We can stay here a little longer."
Lucy smiled, her eyes fluttering closed again. "Good, because I like it right here," she whispered, her fingers tracing the outline of Tom's jaw.
Tom watched her, his heart swelling with love. Every moment with Lucy felt like a precious gift, and he cherished these quiet, intimate mornings when it was just the two of them.
He leaned down and kissed her forehead, lingering there as he breathed in the familiar, comforting scent of her. After a while, Tom slightly, propped himself up on one elbow to get a better look at her. "How did I get so lucky?" he mused, his eyes twinkling with mischief.
Lucy opened her eyes and gazed up at him, a playful smile curving her lips. "I'm the lucky one," she countered, reaching up to touch his cheek. "You make every day better."
Tom's expression softened, and he took her hand in his, bringing it to his lips. "I love you, Jewel," he said simply, the words carrying the weight of all the emotions he felt for her.
"I love you too," Lucy replied, her eyes shimmering with sincerity. She pulled him down for another kiss, this one deeper, more lingering as if they were trying to pour all their feelings into that one moment.
When they finally broke apart, both were breathless and smiling. "You haven't told me how the housewarming went. You came back late and went to bed before I could be done with my phone call." He reminded her.
"Sorry about that. I was exhausted. Her place is nice, and the housewarming was really fun. Her landlady is really fun and young too. I think she's going to take good care of Jade. She seems to like Jade a lot," Lucy said, thinking about Sharon.
"Are you saying that because you don't want me to worry?" Tom asked with a knowing smile and Lucy grinned.
"Well, it's the truth. But I also want you to know that she will be fine. She really looked so happy yesterday. I've never seen her that way before," Lucy said and Tom smiled.
"Never?"
"I mean I've seen her happy before, but not exactly that way. She seemed different in a really cool way. In all, it was a fun girls' time," she said and Tom nodded.
"I'm glad you had fun. I was quite occupied with my meeting and then the phone calls," he said and Lucy nodded.
"Talking about phone calls, I think I heard you talking on the phone in the middle of the night. Who were you talking to?" She asked curiously.
"It was Jeff. He called to find out what was going on with Mia," Tom explained.
"Why? Did something happen?" She asked, and Tom briefed her on all that had happened.
"I'm glad you were a step ahead. What happens to Henry now?" She asked curiously.
Tom shrugged, "I don't know. I have handed him to Diana to do as she pleases," he said and she narrowed her eyes
"As she pleases? Didn't you say she planned to kill him?" She asked with raised a brow. Th.ê most uptodate novels are published on n(0)velbj)n(.)co/m
"I had an agreement with her. I told her I would hand him to her if she helped Mia get out. She did. I don't care what she does with him," he said and she frowned.
"You don't care if he is murdered?" She asked incredulously as she sat up.
Tom nodded, even though Harry couldn't see him. "Yeah, I get that. I just... I don't want her to worry as I know she will. She's been through enough already."
"Then make sure she knows you're handling it. Keep her in the loop just enough so she doesn't feel left out, but not so much that she gets more worried," Harry advised.
"Yeah, sure," Tom said and they both sighed.
"I guess now that Lucy knows, it's only a matter of time before the others find out too. I don't want to have to face Jade over this. So, maybe you should see if you can talk to Diana. Maybe there's a way to resolve this without... you know."
"I'll think about it," Tom said, though he wasn't convinced there was any way to resolve things peacefully with Henry involved. "Thanks, Harry."
"Anytime," Harry replied. "Let's talk later. I need to find my baby," he said before hanging up.
Tom slipped his phone into his pocket as he continued downstairs to the kitchen to see what Samantha had prepared.
"Good morning, Samantha," Tom greeted as he walked in, and she smiled as she looked up from the oven.
"Good morning, Tom. I will serve breakfast now," she said, but he shook his head.
"Thanks, but I'm taking it up to the bedroom. Also, can you show me how to whip up something quickly? Anything I can add to the breakfast tray handmade by me?" He asked, wanting to put in a little effort himself.
"Sure. Do you have anything in mind?" She asked with a grin as she walked over to where he stood.
"I don't know. Something easy that wouldn't take a lot of time since I don't want to keep her waiting and I don't want her to bust me either," he said with a grin.
"Hmm. Maybe scrambled eggs," she suggested and Tom nodded.
"That should be easy enough. Let's get to it then," he said, and Samantha guided him as he made the scrambled eggs.
With the breakfast tray loaded ten minutes later, Tom made his way back upstairs. Lucy was sitting up in bed, scrolling through her phone, but she looked up when the door opened and smiled when she saw him.
"Breakfast is served, my queen," Tom said with a playful bow, setting the tray down on the bed.
Lucy laughed, the sound like music to his ears. "You're too much, my king," she said, but her eyes shone with affection.
They settled back into bed, the tray between them. Lucy took a bite of the bacon and moaned in delight. "This is amazing."
Tom grinned as he raised a forkful of the scrambled eggs to her lips, "Try this."
Lucy accepted it and as she chewed, Tom watched her with a wide smile making her raise a brow, "Why are you watching me instead of eating."
"Do you like the scrambled eggs?" Tom asked, and then she paused and grinned.
"You made it, didn't you?" She asked and giggled when he bobbed his head.
"Hm. Who knew you could cook?"
Tom grinned. "I certainly didn't, but I wanted to impress you," Tom said simply. "You deserve the best, and I want to give that to you."
Lucy reached across the tray and took his hand, her eyes softening. "You already do, love. Every day."
They ate their breakfast, sharing bites and laughter, and after they finished eating, Lucy leaned back against the pillows, her hand entwined with Tom's. "Let's stay like this all day," she suggested, her voice a contented whisper.
Tom smiled, his heart full. "I'd like that," he said, leaning in to kiss her softly. "I'd like that very much."
They spent the rest of the morning in each other's company, talking, laughing, and simply enjoying the quiet intimacy of their shared space.
For Tom, it was a reminder of what truly mattered. Lucy meant everything to him, and spending time with her this way was his favorite thing to do.