Total pages in book: 44
Estimated words: 42171 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 211(@200wpm)___ 169(@250wpm)___ 141(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 42171 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 211(@200wpm)___ 169(@250wpm)___ 141(@300wpm)
She gets up and moves to the side of the bed and starts pulling back covers. As she gets in, I pull them up over her. “What are you going to do?”
“Once the food gets here, I’m stripping down to my PJs and climbing into that bed next to you.”
She bites her lip. “You wear PJs?”
“Har har. Funny. I thought that sounded better than saying I’m going to get stripped down to my underwear.”
Her eyes light up. “I like you in your underwear.”
I lean over her and position my hand on each side of the headboard next to her head. “Yeah, well, I like you…”
She reaches up and cups my cheek. “I like you too, Asher Wild.”
Because I can’t hold back, I lean in to kiss her. I mean for it to be a simple kiss, but it turns into so much more. It’s full of emotion, what ifs, and silent promises. I have to force myself to pull away. It takes everything in me not to tell her what is weighing heavy on my heart because there’s no way she’s ready to hear that I’m falling in love with her.
CHAPTER 17
MADELYN
I tug the hat farther down my head and continue pruning. It was an argument with Asher this morning because he wanted me to take another day off, but I refused. I felt great when I woke up this morning, and after spending all day working—even skipping a lunch break to eat a protein bar—I feel like I’m making some great progress.
I know that Asher has kept his eyes on me all day, even though he’s done it from a distance. When I feel his arms go around me, I don’t even jump. All I can think is it’s about time. I’m not sure how I can miss being in his arms when it was just this morning I woke up in them, but I do.
I lean back into him. “You’re a brave man, Asher Wild.” I hold up the pruning scissors. “These are pretty sharp.”
“You wouldn’t hurt me.”
I turn in his arms and search his face. “You’re right. I wouldn’t hurt you, but you do know you pay me to work. And I’m pretty sure you don’t pay me to flirt with the boss.”
I wait for him to laugh, but he doesn’t. “Go out with me.”
“What? You want to go out on a date… with me?”
This time he does laugh. “Wow, how come you sound so surprised?”
I shrug. “I don’t know… I just…” I shake my head. “Yes. Yes, I’d like to go out with you.”
“Come on. I’ll walk with you to the house.”
I hold up my pruning tool and point at the tree. “But—”
He pulls on my hand. “Come on. The tree will be here tomorrow. Let’s go.”
We get halfway to the house and I ask him, “So are you walking me home because you’re afraid I’ll have another run-in with a bee?”
He shrugs. “We’ll be prepared this time.”
I notice that he pats the tool belt around his waist. “Wait, what do you have in there, Asher?”
“I put one of your EpiPens in my tool belt. That way we each have one.”
I stop walking. “Seriously? You’re carrying an EpiPen around with you? For me?”
He brushes the hair away from my face. “Yes. I just need to know you’re okay.”
I gulp and shake my head. “That has to be the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me.”
He leans in and kisses me. “Good. I like being the one that does things for you.”
We walk the rest of the way to the house, and I can’t help but think about Asher. This has been a wild few days, but they’ve also been the best few days.
He kisses me at the entrance to my bedroom. “Go shower. I’ll meet you down here in thirty minutes.”
I nod and go shower. After I’m ready, I walk out into the living room to find him already waiting for me. “Wow!” he says when he sees me.
I automatically stand a little taller. “Thank you. You look pretty good yourself.”
As we walk outside, I automatically start walking to his truck, but he directs me to the side of the house. I gasp in surprise. “We’re going on a golf cart?”
He nods. “Yep. Is that okay?”
“That’s perfect.”
He helps me sit down and then walks around to the driver's seat. He drives us to the end of the property of the Wild Peach and then gets onto the golf cart path that leads into town. We go by Peach Springs Lake, and when we pass other people, they all wave.
When we get into town, he drives us straight through downtown. I look at all the signs for restaurants. Peach Fuzz, Pink Peach, Peachy Keen. “They really take this peach thing seriously.”
He just laughs and pulls to a stop in front of a restaurant called Peaches. I point to the sign. “Of course, it’s called that.”