[ That's all Elena really wants: to be loved for who she is. The laugh is good, but she sobers a little when he says 'if' and tries to focus on the much better reasons part of things. ] Reasons like...it's driving you crazy not waking up beside me every morning and going to bed with me every night? [ She says it teasingly, but there's a thready longing to her voice as well.

The quiet has her leaning across the island to press a kiss to his temple before she pulls back and resumes eating her lasagna. ]

So tell me what she was like, besides being a great cook.