The End

Chapter 51: This Morning, Coffee with Her

Ellen was now wrapped in the sheet next to him. Her golden hair reflecting in the sunlight. Cold coffee on the night stand. His hand still draped across her bare waist. Her nose nearly touching his. A soft intimacy still dancing in the air.

"You have coffee breath," she giggled in only a way she could.

"Oh, now you tell me," A smile pulling at his lips as he tickled her side. Her contagious laugh filling the room making his chest swell with happiness. He held her eyes for a moment before kissing her lips. Then with a satisfied smile he climbed out of bed.

"You know..." she began as if she was about to say something profound, "You have a pretty nice butt for an old man." Her voice filled with amusement.

He pulled on his boxer and turned around, "Old man?" Patrick shot back.

"That's what you heard?" she teased.

"That is absolutely what I heard," his smile uncontainable. He shook his head at her, "Old man..."

"I mean..." she tipped her head with a shrug.

Patrick crossed the room, admiring the way she looked still wrapped up in his sheets. "Ok," he paused, playfully letting that sink in. He pointed to the nightstand where her coffee had gone cold. "Pass me your coffee, old lady."

"Excuse me?" her eyes widened.

"Yeah," he said feigning offense, "You heard me."

She laughed and threw a pillow at him. He barely dodged it. A quiet chuckle escaping his lips as he picked up her coffee. "You're impossible."

"You love me," he disappeared from the room, "And my butt apparently," He called back from the hallway.

Ellen rolled out of bed and plucked his t-shirt off of the floor. She pulled it over her head and touched her hand to her uncontrollable grin. As she glanced around the simple hotel bedroom she was struck with a strange thought. This may have been the happiest she'd ever been. Here, in the thick of the chaos, on the brink of exposure, facing the things she'd feared for 20 years, she was the happiest she'd ever been. All because she was floating through an ordinary morning with him.

By the time Patrick had made his way back, Ellen was casually propped against the pillows on the bed. His t-shirt brushing her upper thighs. "Well," he said, admiring her, "That looks a lot better on you than it ever did on me."

"Good," she smiled, "I wasn't planning on giving it back."

He handed her the warm coffee and sat on the edge of the bed next to her. His eyes wavered over hers, "Good," he repeated her softly, tipping his head ever so slightly towards her. "Any news," he gestured to her phone next to her on the bed.

"No news," Ellen responded thoughtfully as if he'd momentarily burst their bubble.

"No news is good news," he spoke. Somehow Goldwyn and Associates had bought them time. Delaying Jillian's filing and the details of their affair. He leaned toward her and kissed her lips quickly, "I'm gonna shower."

"Ok," she said returning her focus to the phone at her side.

"You wanna join?" He peeked out of the bathroom door for only a second to ask a question he already knew the answer to.

She looked up from her phone to meet his sparkling eyes. A small smile tugging at the corner of her mouth as he disappeared into the bathroom.

"Are you coming?" he called, his voice carrying just enough teasing warmth to make her laugh.

She shook her head, setting the phone aside. "You're very confident."

"Usually works out for me," he admitted playfully.