Page 67 of Love for a Lifetime

Betsy’s head bobbed up and down as her attention jerked from his hand to his face.

Dawson turned his hand over and opened it. “Olivia is my girl. If you’re gonna be in her life, you have to make room for me. I’m not going anywhere.”

Olivia bit her lips between her teeth. If Dawson was going to stay in her life, she had to figure out a way to manage her feelings. She couldn’t pinpoint the moment when her crush on her brother’s best friend turned into love. It snuck up on her when she wasn’t looking.

Now, she needed to do damage control. After years of letting everything Dawson did burrow into her heart, he’d broken down her walls without setting off the alarms.

Betsy leaned forward, sniffed Dawson’s hand, then darted away.

Olivia brushed her hands over her shirt and stepped into the barn. “Hey.”

Dawson stood and flashed her a grin. “Hey.”

She shoved her hands into the back pockets of her jeans. Ever since their moment at the wedding, the urge to reach for him had been building. “I’m gonna head out. You need anything?”

Dawson’s jaw worked one way, then the other. He was giving the simple question a lot of thought. “I’m good. See you tomorrow?”

“Probably. I’ll be around.” They ran into each other often–sometimes planned, and sometimes not. Even in the times they weren’t together, she was thinking about him.

They’d worn a path in this routine. Why did it suddenly feel dangerous?

“Do you know where Betsy went?” she asked.

Dawson pointed to the back of the barn. “Probably playing with Hank and Henry.”

“Did she bother you?”

Dawson adjusted his stance and crossed his arms over his chest. “Nah. I think she’ll warm up to me. No worries.”

“I’m not worried. Women can’t help but love you.”

Dawson’s grin dipped a fraction of an inch before perking back up. “If you say so.”

“Thanks for understanding.”

He winked and started stepping back toward the exit. “Anything for you, my queen.”

That nickname sent her stomach tumbling every single time. Dawson was the king of making her feel special. Was he like that for everyone? Was she silly to think she was special?

Olivia turned to look for Betsy. She needed to put distance between Dawson and herself before she did something stupid, like run after him.

17

DAWSON

Dawson parked his truck next to Olivia’s car at Beau’s garage. Asa’s truck and another he didn’t recognize were parked in the side lot.

Twelve hours in his uniform was about all Dawson could stand, but when Olivia texted promising meatloaf at the garage, he couldn’t say no. No matter what Olivia was offering, his answer was always yes.

Pizza? Yes.

Spaghetti? Yes.

A lifetime of love? Absolutely.

Okay, he was getting ahead of himself, but he’d settle for meatloaf today.

He walked in and headed straight for the break room, the scent of spiced meat leading the way. Olivia, Asa, Lyric, and Jacob sat at the table with half-eaten plates of food in front of them.

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