Total pages in book: 113
Estimated words: 110113 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 551(@200wpm)___ 440(@250wpm)___ 367(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 110113 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 551(@200wpm)___ 440(@250wpm)___ 367(@300wpm)
Really, I wanna date her forever if she’ll let me.
Pressing one last kiss to her lips, I pull back. “So now that that’s out of the way …”
She laughs. “This happened too fast.”
“Yes.”
“We’re being reckless.”
I grin. “Maybe.”
“But we’re going in anyway.”
“Definitely. Because there’s a good chance this is also the best decision we’re ever going to make.”
She’s smiling, the kind of smile that touches her green eyes. She arcs her thumb over the back of my hand. “I’m in.”
“Me too.”
She looks at me. I look back.
“Thank you. For turning a really bad day into a really good one.”
My turn to squeeze her hand. “That’s kind of my job as your boyfriend.”
“That makes me your girlfriend, huh?”
“I ain’t sharing if that’s what you’re asking.”
Her eyes get this bright, sated look in them. “I don’t wanna share you either, honey.”
“What do you think was the most upsetting part of your conversation with Dan?”
She thinks on this for a minute, her shoulders rising on a deep inhale. “My biggest beef with Dan when we were married was the fact that he didn’t seem to care very much about, well, anything except himself. He didn’t care about who I really was or what I really wanted. He just wanted me to be his perfect little wife who took care of him and made his life easy.”
I drape my free hand over the steering wheel, the deep rumble of the engine filling the quiet between us. “It’s really hard when you feel like you’re the only one who cares. Who tries hard.”
“Hell, who tries at all.”
“I get that too.”
“Dan didn’t care for years. And now all of a sudden, he wants to go through my phone to read the texts you sent me.”
“Bizarre.”
“The guy has balls of steel, I’ll give him that,” she replies with a mirthless laugh. “Anyway, just his insinuation that I’d ever put Junie in danger—that I’d just bring around random guys while she was with me—it was insulting more than anything, and it pissed me off. But when I get really mad, I cry, so …” She motions to her face. “I cried a lot today.”
“How did June react?”
“Luckily she was too preoccupied with her Kindle to really pay any attention.”
I curl my fingers around the wheel. “I don’t want to hate your ex—”
“I don’t want that either. Dan’s not usually like this, I swear. But … yeah, there’s many reasons we’re not married anymore.”
“He’s coming back to bring Junie home tomorrow, right?”
Ava nods. “You wanna meet him?”
“I do.”
“Leave the gun at home.”
“Ava, I’m not gonna shoot the guy,” I say with a chuckle. “I may give him a black eye—”
“Don’t.”
“Kidding. I’m not one to start a fight.”
“Nah.” Her eyes flash. “You’re better at starting fires.”
My dick leaps. “You wanna get out of here?”
“I mean, I wanna do that.” She glances down at my lap. “But I don’t know. I decided a long time ago that Dan wasn’t going to ruin anything for me anymore. Why let him ruin tonight? Let’s go dancing.”
We exchange another long look. I don’t ask her if she’s sure.
I don’t ask her if I can go down on her real quick before we head back inside. We start that, we ain’t gonna finish anytime soon.
I just kiss her mouth and kill the ignition.
I jump out of the truck and open her door.
Then I take my girl’s hand and lead her inside the bar, where Frisky Whiskey is playing a Johnny Cash cover.
Burns, burns, burns.
CHAPTER 30
Sawyer
GENTLEMAN
Kills me to drop Ava off at her place later that night after we danced for hours at The Rattler. We drank beer and sang along to the band and laughed our asses off. But we decided we wanted to have individual conversations with our daughters about our relationship before we do any kind of sleepover situation, so I drive home alone in the dark with the taste of Ava’s pussy in my mouth and a big, dumb smile on my face. Caroline says I look “really happy” when I relieve her from babysitting duty.
I let myself sleep in on Sunday morning—well, as much as Ella will let me, anyway—because that’s what I do now. I let myself rest when I need it. Ava’s rubbing off on me in all the best ways.
Then I get a pot of chili going—I told Ava I’d bring dinner over tonight so I could meet Dan when he dropped off Junie.
After that, Ella and I head to the barn and tack up my horse, JJ. I got him last year when Ella was obsessed with the show Cocomelon, so she named him after her favorite character.
Together, we ride out to the south pasture where Wyatt and the cowboys are working cattle. It’s a chilly, overcast day, but my daughter doesn’t seem to mind. She squeals with delight as we ride alongside the herd, her pink little helmet bobbing in time to my horse’s stride.