Page 24 of Wild Bred

“Sounds great. Bye, Mackenna.”

I wave as she drives off. As soon as she’s out of sight, I check my watch and see that it’s almost three o’clock. And three o’clock is when Reid always comes by.

I try to distract myself by going into the office and ordering some supplies I’m running low on. But I keep typing the wrong product codes into the website, and when I go to the cart to check out, I realize I’ve screwed up the amounts.

I hear the sound of Reid’s tires crunching over the gravel as I’m putting the corrected order through. My heart jumping with nerves, I walk out of the office to say hi to him.

“Hey you,” he greets me, a warm smile on his ridiculously handsome face. He comes over and kisses me, a kiss that should be nothing but goodness but that instead makes me ache with sorrow over my inability to give Reid what he deserves.

“Do you have a minute to talk?” I ask.

“Of course. What’s up?”

I clear my throat. “I found someone who’s a good fit for the sanctuary. Her name is Sara. I’m going to offer her a job.”

He nods. “Okay. Cool.”

“You aren’t upset?” I ask.

“Why would I be upset?”

I worry my lip between my teeth. “I’ve been worried you’ll feel like I’m replacing you and pushing you away.”

“Just because you’re hiring someone, that doesn’t mean I can’t still come around, right?” he says.

I shake my head. “You’ve given so much time to the sanctuary, Reid. Too much.”

“Too much?” His eyebrows dip together as he studies me. “Did I do something wrong?”

“No. Not at all.”

“Are you sure, Mackenna? If I messed up, I want to know.”

“You didn’t mess up. You’ve been great, Reid. So great.” I take a breath. “I just hate that I’ve been taking you away from working on your house. You should be over there, not here.”

A softness comes into his eyes. He shifts closer to me and cups the side of my face with his warm, large hand. “Don’t you know why I bought that property in the first place? I wanted to make a life that I’d always dreamed of. Peace and quiet and solitude. But when I met you, Mackenna, that dream started to change. I want something entirely different now. I want a life full of you. I want to spend my days making you happy, and I want to give you everything you ever dreamed of. You’re the most important thing to me now.”

I’m so moved by his words, I almost can’t breathe.

“I love you,” I blurt out. “I’m sorry I didn’t say it before. I felt it. Oh, God, I felt it. I was just so scared to actually say it. But it’s how I feel. I love you, Reid.”

A smile spreads across his lips. “You do?”

I nod, chewing on my lip, feeling more vulnerable than I ever have in my whole life. Even though he’s the one who said them first, it’s still terrifying to say those three little words.

“I love you, too.” He closes the remaining space between us and takes me in his arms, pulling my curves snugly against him. “Mackenna Hale, I’m fully, completely, irreversibly in love with you.”

For the first time in my life, I feel like crying with happiness.

“I called you my boyfriend today,” I admit nervously. “Is that okay?”

“It’s more than okay.”

He leans down to angle his lips against mine. And despite all the times we’ve kissed before, this one feels like a first kiss. In a way, I suppose it is. It’s our first kiss full of admitted love. It’s the first of many, many more love-filled kisses.

Maybe even a lifetime’s worth.

And judging by the way Reid looks at me when we come up for air, I can tell he feels it too.

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