I fall asleep in his arms on the couch, and we stay that way until nearly two in the morning before climbing the ladder to his bed. I pull my T-shirt and leggings off, and then climb under his covers before he wraps me back up in his arms.

"This is perfect," I sigh happily as he kisses my neck and holds me closer.

"You're perfect. From the moment I first saw you, I wanted this. I love you."

I smile, closing my eyes. "I love you too."

We fall back asleep until my alarm goes off at six in the morning. He makes pancakes while I get cleaned up, and then we sit at the kitchen island together to eat.

It's so normal, and I love it.

"Are you going back to the bakery soon?" he asks.

I nod. "Yeah, maybe Monday. I'm hoping the oxygen won't be in the way and, of course, that I can make it the whole shift. I'm a little worried about that."

He takes my hand and smiles. "You'll be able to do it. Just take your time and listen to your body. I hope you'll have those pumpkin muffins because I plan on stopping in before work."

"I'll make sure we're well stocked on the muffins. When will I get to spend more time with you again? Emmett isn't on nights for the next two weeks, so sadly, no more sleepovers for a bit."

He shrugs. "We could always take a trip out to the meadow on a day that's not too cold. I'll check the forecast—and bring blankets."

"Sounds perfect." I grin, finishing my single pancake as he works on his third.

Once we finish, he drives me back home and walks me to my door. I turn in his arms and stand on my toes, pressing my lips to his and savoring the taste. It'll be days until we're alone again—not counting my usual appointment with him on Wednesday—so I take my time in saying goodbye before heading inside.

I'm wide awake so I head into the kitchen and decide to make blueberry muffins for Emmett. He gets home soon after I put them in the oven, coming straight into the kitchen.

"You're up early, kiddo," he says, hanging his jacket up. "Everything okay?"

I nod. "Yup, just making muffins. Are you heading straight to bed?"

He opens the fridge, grabbing a beer as he shakes his head. "Nah, I need to unwind first. It was a hell of a night."

"Really bad?"

I follow him into the living room, taking the couch as he takes the recliner and turns on the TV. "Just crazy, thankfully. The high school football game ended in a brawl last night, so I spent hours stitching up dumbass kids and making sure none of them needed surgery. Then there were four back-to-back car accidents—all relatively minor—and I ended this morning with a burst appendix. I haven't had a busy night like it in a while. How was your night?"

I shrug. "Boring. Took a bath, and then fell asleep reading," I lie. "I'm going to go back to the bakery Monday, just to try it. Is that okay with you?"

He smiles, laughing softly. "You wouldn't listen to me if I said no. Just take it easy on yourself. Also, thank you for getting along so well with Rose. She said you two spent a lot of time getting to know each other."

"We did, and she's the best thing that's ever going to happen to you, so don't screw it up."

"Don't plan on it. Has she, uh ... said much about her ex?"

I shake my head. "Not much other than he was an asshole and a bad dad. Why?"

He waves me off with his beer before taking another chug. "She just avoids the subject at all costs. And I don't know; there's something more than just the asshole thing, I think."

"I'm sure she'll tell you when she's ready," I say as I glance at my timer. "I'm going to go check on the muffins."

By the time I get back to the kitchen, my timer goes off, and I quickly open the oven door, finding them done to perfection. I take them out and let them cool for a few minutes as I clean up, and then take one out to Emmett.

He's almost falling asleep but eats the thing in about two bites before heading upstairs. I'm left to my own devices and decide to go out back and turn on the fire pit to read.

It hasn't snowed again since that night at Edward's, but I'm hoping for a white Christmas—especially if it might be my last.

Thanks to May, Nole, Fran, Brier, and Meg for prereading and Sally for Beta'ing.