Total pages in book: 78
Estimated words: 72074 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 360(@200wpm)___ 288(@250wpm)___ 240(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 72074 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 360(@200wpm)___ 288(@250wpm)___ 240(@300wpm)
“Casey,” she whispers again, and this time, I close the space between us, and I’m standing in front of her. I take the hanger out of her hand and toss it on the bed. She puts her hands to her face and sobs. I pull them from her face.
“I love you.” I finally say three words I’ve never said to anyone in my whole life, not counting my family. “I love you so much.” Her eyes light up. “All of you.”
“Cowboy,” she says, hanging her head and coming into my arms and crying in my neck. My arms wrap around her, and for the first time today, my heart beats properly. Like it’s found its missing piece.
I kiss the top of her head. “Don’t cry, darlin’,” I say, hugging her even tighter.
“I thought you wanted me gone,” she finally says softly. “You wouldn’t look at me this morning.” She doesn’t move her face from the crook of my neck. “I thought you were disgusted by me.”
“What?” I shriek out and push her away from me so she can see my face. “How can you think that?”
“You wouldn’t even look at me,” she says softly, avoiding my eyes, and I put my finger under her chin so I can see her, and she can see me. “I just ...”
“I left because I couldn’t stand the thought of you wanting to leave. I left because I couldn’t imagine you not here.”
“Well, that was dumb, cowboy,” she says and smiles. “I love you.” Her whole face lights up, and I see her shield is down, and that she is bursting. “I have never loved anyone like I love you. I didn’t think I was good enough for you,” she says. “I didn’t think you would want to settle with someone who has never had a family.” She wrings her hands together. “Someone who has such a dark cloud over her head.”
“You have more than you know, Olivia,” I say. “You are more than I deserve.”
“Ask me again?” she says, and I finally smile for the first time today.
“Stay with me.” I don’t really ask her. “Build a home with me.”
She looks down at her hands, and when she looks up, she smiles so big her eyes look like she’s squinting. “Yes.”
Chapter Thirty-One
Olivia
“Why are we doing this again?” Casey asks from beside me, and I shake my head and try not to laugh.
“We are doing this because Beau is one of your good friends, and he invited us over to help celebrate him winning the mayor’s seat,” I say, leaning over and kissing his cheek. It’s been one month since he asked me to stay and build a home with him. It’s also been a month since my dreams have come true. I called Meryl and was about to quit my job. I didn’t give a shit, but she just gave me the same deal she gave Kallie when she called her. When Casey found out, he called Kallie, and they redid the office exactly like it was at home. I was so overwhelmed that I thanked him right there on the desk.
“But I thanked him already.” Casey moans, and I look over at him. I forced him to wear slacks today, and you would think I asked him to pull out his wisdom teeth. He looked over at me and gave me a list of sexual positions we would have to do in order for him to dress like that. I rolled my eyes the whole time, but little did he know that I was probably more excited than he was.
When we get to the big mayor’s house, two men in tuxedos wait for us. One opens my door and the other runs to the other side and opens Casey’s. I step out and my heels click on the sidewalk as I wait for Casey to come around the truck. He grabs my hand and then kisses me silly right here in the middle of the sidewalk while people arrive. “I hate when you wear pants,” he says, and I look down at my white capri pants I wore for the night with my one-sleeved black shirt. “It just takes longer to do you when we get home.”
I shake my head. “Since when are pants an issue with you?” I ask him while we walk up the walkway. “Two days ago, I wore yoga pants at breakfast.” I smile, thinking back of how he just peeled off one leg and just left the other leg covered.
“That was not my fault.” He smirks at me. “You bent over.”
“To get a fork I dropped.” I throw my head back and laugh. “It was not an invitation.”
He shrugs when we walk up the five steps, and the door is opened for us. It’s an old Victorian house with the American flag hanging beside the front door. “Welcome.”