Total pages in book: 23
Estimated words: 21569 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 108(@200wpm)___ 86(@250wpm)___ 72(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 21569 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 108(@200wpm)___ 86(@250wpm)___ 72(@300wpm)
The next video, she’s standing with another woman, holding up another book. “I’m here with Matilda Martel, and we’re talking about her book, Big Bad Daddy. He’s a grumpy mafia man, and she’s twenty years younger. There is nothing… I mean nothing, like a good age gap story, and this is one of the best.”
I run my hand through my beard. So protective cowboy and age gap.
I watch the next video, and Gia smiles into the camera. “Ooh, I have a treat for you on this one. I’m here with Elyse Kelly, and we’re talking about her superhot book, Sentinel. They fall fast, and it is insta everything. Instant love, instant lust, and instant big “o’s,” if you know what I mean. Go get this five star read from Elyse Kelly.”
Is this another clue? Protective cowboy, age gap, and instant love.
I click on the next video, and Gia is waving her hand in front of her face like she’s overheated. “Y’all!!! I’m here with Eve London, and we’re talking about Tempting the Tight End, and it is oh so tempting. Holt hires a nanny for his daughter, and even though it’s a little forbidden, he can’t resist her. Who doesn’t love a story where the man falls for the nanny? Super hot!”
I stare at the phone and begin to wonder how I missed it all. Protective cowboy, age gap, instant love, and a boss/nanny romance. She’s talking about us. Even with her gone, away from me, the ranch and the boys, she’s talking about me.
I push the button to play the very last video she posted, and it’s her at a gas station, putting gas into my truck. She talks about the event she just left and apologizes to everyone for leaving early, but she’s excited to get home. She looks up at the sky and then back at the camera. “I’m missing starry skies, holding hands, hugs that leave you sticky, brown eyes that you can get lost in, and kisses that make your toes curl and make you think about the future.” She trembles, and her smile gets even bigger. “I’m signing off, friends. I’ll see you in a few days.”
I sit back in shock, staring open-mouthed at the phone. Every video was meant for me. She wanted me to know that she missed me, the boys, and the ranch.
I walk toward her room, knock on the door, and push it open before she can answer.
She sits up, wiping at her eyes. It’s obvious she’s been crying, and the sight guts me. I did this to her.
“What is it? Are you okay?”
I don’t answer. I should have planned this out a little better. I stare at her.
She wipes her eyes again. “Dalton, are the boys okay?”
“Yeah, I’m the one that’s not okay.”
She sniffs. “Are you sick?”
I nod and take a step toward the bed. “Yeah, but it’s a different kind of sick.”
She looks concerned, and it kills me that I treated her the way I did. “What’s wrong?”
I move to the bed and stand next to her. I put my hand to my heart. “I hurt right here.”
She gets out of the bed. “Dalton, are you okay? Sit down and I’ll call for help.”
She puts her hands on my shoulders, trying to push me to the bed, but I stay where I am and put my hands on her waist. “You want to help me?”
She nods. “Of course.”
I pull her to me. “Then don’t leave tomorrow. If you do, you’ll be taking a part of my heart with you.”
Her mouth falls open, and she squeaks, “What?”
“While you were gone, everything fell apart. I saw your videos and saw how happy you were, and I knew that when you came, I needed to push you away. You needed to get as far from me as you could—”
“Why?” she asks, shaking her head in confusion.
“Because you deserve more than this,” I tell her, waving my hand around.
Her forehead creases. “What exactly do you mean, Dalton? Do I deserve more than a handsome, caring cowboy… or more than two of the cutest, sweetest boys I’ve ever been around? Or more than open skies, sweet kisses, knowing that I have someone in this world to spend my life with… what do I deserve more than because I don’t understand.”
“Ranching is hard, Gia. Some years are worse than others. There’s always something that breaks down on this ranch. Traveling is hard, I can’t remember the last vacation I went on. I have two boys that I have to think about, and—”
She pushes out of my arms. “And you think, what? That I just want to vacation, eat bon bons and—”
“No, I’m not saying that. I’m saying you deserve to live the life you want to live and—”
She cuts me off. “And when I left here, if someone had asked, I would have told them that this is my dream life. I’ve never felt like this about a man, his kids, and his ranch. I finally felt like I could possibly belong somewhere, and you pushed me away.”