No sign of Van, but if he was still sleeping, she’d let him. He needed the rest. She quietly opened the fridge.

Norma had left an assortment of containers, each one labeled with clear instructions about how to reheat it. The woman was kind of amazing. Monalisa set the oven temp, then put everything in except for the green beans and gravy, which Norma’s directions said to microwave.

“Did you sleep?”

She yelped and turned to see Van standing on the other side of the counter. “You startled me. Yes, I did. You?”

“Yes.” He was on his crutches again and back in sweats and T-shirt. The man could make anything look good. “I feel better. Ready to eat.”

He also had an insane appetite. “That’s great. Dinner will be warmed up in about half an hour if Norma’s instructions are right, which I’m sure they are.”

“I will find us a movie. What kind?”

“Whatever. I’m easy. You pick.”

He narrowed his eyes. “Is this a test?”

She laughed. “Maybe.”

He made his way back to the living room, Grom happily accompanying him, and fired up the television.

A wave of intense longing came over her. This was all so perfect. This house, this man, this happy life. She wanted it to be hers for real, but there was no way on earth to make that happen. Playing house was the best she was going to get.

Maybe she should stop holding back and give herself entirely over to the fantasy. See what it was like to be loved by a man like Van.

They were both going to get hurt when the truth came out anyway. But that wouldn’t be fair to him.

No, she would just enjoy the few days she had left here and hold on to the sweet memories she was making and pray that Van didn’t hate her too much when this was all said and done.

She wasn’t sure she could bear that.

Van flipped through the On Demand selections looking for a movie he thought Lisa would like. His interests, which typically ran to action flicks or moody thrillers, weren’t important. He wanted something that would make her laugh. Too many times today, when she hadn’t realized he’d been looking, he’d seen sadness in her eyes.

It hurt him to see such pain in her. Especially now that he was coming to care for her. It was his instinct, he knew, his inborn urge to protect. And it was especially strong around her.

He understood what that meant. His dragon wanted her. Hell, his dragon had already pretty much decided she was his. Didn’t matter that they’d only known each other a few days. His dragon side didn’t need a lot of time to make those kinds of decisions. It wanted what it wanted. So while his human side might be uncertain, his dragon side was already wondering what kind of ring she’d like.

He shook his head. A dragon and a dryad. Had there ever been such a pairing?

He laughed. Despite what his dragon side was planning for, he was getting ahead of himself. There was no telling where things would go between Lisa and himself. He was assuming a lot. Such as her liking him as much as he liked her. That she’d be willing to give up working for the League just like he was. That she’d want to live here in Nocturne Falls.

Maybe he should take her back into town again tomorrow. Really make her fall in love with the place. That should be easy.

He stared at the remote in his hands. If only he could make her fall in love with him the same way. But she had reservations about him, he could tell.

Maybe once this last fight was over and she saw that he really was ready to retire and settle down, maybe then they could make a go of things.

“Find anything?”

He glanced up to see her standing next to him. “Have you seen Choir Life?”

She snorted and popped one hip to the side. “You really want to watch a movie about college girls trying to find themselves through an a cappella group?”

He shrugged. “It might be good.”

“Pretty sure you would hate it.” She tipped her chin toward the screen. “Scroll a little.”

He did as she asked, paging through the selections.

“Ooh, there. That one. Red Widow. Helen Mirren and Tom Hardy take on the Russian spy world as a mother-son team.” She pursed her lips. “Or maybe that’s not your thing, seeing as how I’m pretty sure the Russians are the bad guys.”

He smirked. He’d already seen it twice. It was a great flick. “I am American now. This is a good choice.”

“You’re sure?”

“Positive.”

Something beeped in the kitchen. She jerked her thumb in that direction. “Cool. I’ll go get the food and be right back.”

He put his hands on the arms of the chair to push himself up. “I will help.”

“You’ll do no such thing. Sit there and rest. I’ve got this.” She took a few steps toward the kitchen, then stopped and looked at him again. “What do you want to drink? I saw beer in the fridge.”

He nodded. “Yes, that.”

“Okay, be right back.”

He watched her, smiling and feeling like this was the most perfect moment of his life. He wanted things to be like this all the time. This easy. This comfortable. This contented.

Whatever it took to keep Lisa around, he would do it. And whatever it took to make her happy, he would work on that too.

How hard could that be?

She returned with a cold beer, a plate of food, and utensils. “Dinner is served.”

He took the plate and utensils from her, then the beer, setting it on the side table. “Thank you.”