My Unexpected Vow: California Billionaires Book 2 by Harlow James (top 10 inspirational books txt) 📕

A full-bellied laugh flies out of my mouth, but Waverly doesn’t find it funny.

“I’m serious, Hayes. I’ve never done this before.” Her brow is furrowed, which tells me she may be more on edge than I anticipated.

“Hey, I get it.” My fingers find her chin as I urge her to keep eye contact with me. “But I’ve never done this either. Think of it as a trust exercise. You jump, I jump, okay?”

The nervousness apparent all over Waverly’s body, particularly in her eyes, has me pulling her into my chest so I can wrap her in a hug. Fuck, she feels amazing, the press of her breasts on my torso reminiscent of that same comfort I felt the other night while she fell asleep in my arms. All this makes me want to do is hold her the entire time we’re here, but then we won’t get any cooking done.

“We’ve got this. Besides, I’m extremely competitive. We can’t lose. It will kill me.”

She scoffs as I release her from my hold, my arms feeling empty the second she leaves them. “Great. Put even more pressure on me, will you?”

“Hey. You are Waverly Morgan/Weston. You are a badass, beautiful woman. You can do anything,” I say while gripping her upper arms.

And the smile she gifts me has my heart beating like a bass drum. “How do you always know what I need to hear?” she whispers while bouncing her vibrant green eyes back and forth between mine.

“I’m just that good.” Confidence rushes through me before we follow the other couples to the front of the room to watch the instructor demonstrate how to make the meal.

* * *

“I find it ironic that the first meal we’re learning to cook includes spaghetti.” Waverly drops the noodles into the pot of boiling water as I dip the chicken cutlets into the flour, egg, and breadcrumb dishes on the counter. We’re making chicken parmigiana together for our first meal.

“See, it was meant to be. But you know, now you won’t ever be allowed to fuck up spaghetti again.”

“This isn’t finished yet. I could still mess it up.”

“You won’t. We’ve got this.”

She takes a deep breath and then pushes the pasta down in the boiling water. “Okay. Let me set the timer before I forget.” Waverly pushes the buttons on the portable timer provided at each station and then sets it back down on the counter. “It’s kind of nice having all of these steps printed out for us.” She picks up the card from the counter and reads through the set of directions. “Makes me feel less likely to fail.”

“Yeah, I agree, although failure is just part of life.” Moving around her, I ignite the burner with the sauté pan and drizzle olive oil in the bottom of it. “We’re not going to be world-class cooks after one class, Wave, but we’ll definitely be better than we were yesterday.” I squeeze her forearm. “Not to sound cheesy, but I’m glad that you’re the one here with me tonight.”

“Really?” her eyes soften as she looks at me.

“Damn right. I can sense that you don’t like failing at anything, and neither do I, which I think makes us a great team. And if I came with Wes or Silas, they’d just laugh at me and give me shit the entire time. Both of them actually know how to cook.”

She turns and places her hand on her hip, grinning up at me. “So I’m your third choice?”

“Not at all. In fact, you’re quickly becoming my first.” The words leave my lips before I can stop them, but their meaning is one-hundred percent true. This woman has quickly become the only one that makes me want a life I’ve always avoided, and part of me is still coming to grips with it. But I know that the more honesty I can show Waverly, the more likely I’ll be able to convince her to give us a shot—that is if she’s feeling the same way.

Clearing my throat to relieve some of my nerves, I shift us back to our task. “Alright, we’re ready to start browning the chicken.” I wait for the oil to heat up and then gently place the chicken down as I’m rewarded with the sizzle Margo prompted us to listen for.

“I’m glad I’m here with you too, Hayes.” She smiles at me and then turns to stir the pasta. Next, she reaches for the can of tomato sauce Margo insisted we use instead of making our own, but we’re adding spices, garlic, and fresh herbs to liven it up. “And you haven’t left a cupboard open yet. I’m impressed.”

I lean over to whisper in her ear. Her skin breaks out in goosebumps the moment I get close and I swear, I hear a small gasp leave her lips as if I’ve startled her. Huh, seems someone is affected by me after all. “The night is still young, Wave. And there are a shit ton of drawers and cupboards in this place. I could have a field day running around opening all of them as you chase after me, trying to close them just as fast.”

She chuckles and then reaches over to grab another chicken breast with her tongs, carefully depositing it in the pan with the others. “You’re such a child.”

“Nope. I just like to have fun.”

Her face falls flat, which catches me off-guard. “Yeah. I guess you do.”

What the hell was that about? Why did her entire demeanor just change with that simple statement?

“Did I say something wrong, Wave?” I’m sweating now, wondering how we went from playful to serious in an instant.

“No. Just trying to focus.” She avoids looking at me as she moves the spoon around in the sauce and then reaches for the herbs to dice.

Desperate to put us back on the easy-going track from before, I grip her hip and then spin her into me, cupping the side of her face. Her wide eyes light