Page 115 of The Cowboy's Unshakeable Love

“So, what’s this condition?

“That you don’t call itmytub anymore.”

“I don’t get it – what should I call it instead?”

He glanced over at her. “It’syourtub, darlin’. That’s what I want you to start calling it. See, I doubt I’ll ever use it – unless you invite me to join you. And the way I see it, the house isn’t just my house anymore, it’sourhouse. I mean, I never officially came out and asked you, but as far as I’m concerned, we live together, don’t we?”

He loved the way her eyes shone as she smiled back at him. “We do. I know that you never officially asked me, and there was no one particular moment when it happened. But honestly, I feel as though we’ve been living together for a while.”

“That’s because we have. So, that bathtub? It’s your tub. The house – it’s our house. The whole place – it’s ours. You’re it for me, darlin’. That’s how I want it to be from now on, if you’re interested.”

“I’m more than interested.”

He didn’t like the way she worried at her bottom lip. “But? It feels like there’s a but coming.”

“It’s not a but, more of an and.”

“Okay. And what?”

“And…” She blew out a sigh. “I don’t know how this works – any of it. What I mean is that I have money now – money that Callie gave me so that I could buy myself a place to live if I wanted to. I don’t want you to feel like I’m trying to buy my way into your life, but at the same time, I do want to contribute to our life.”

He nodded slowly. “I understand what you mean. To be honest, I don’t know how it works, either. As you know, I’ve never been married. I’ve had a few relationships over the years, but not the kind where I shared a bank account or finances with someone.”

“And I’m the same. I haven’t exactly had much in the way of finances to share, but whatever I’ve had was always up to me.”

“We don’t have to figure it out right now.”

“No, we don’t. But Trav, it’s something I’d like for us to talk about at some point soon.”

“Do you want to talk to Callie about it?”

She frowned. “I can, but I don’t think she expects to dictate what I do with the money.”

“I didn’t mean it that way. I figure that she’s probably had to get smart about finances and how to handle things – given that she’s made so much money. And she’s your daughter, she’s going to want to look out for you.”

“We’ll figure it out. Like you said, we don’t have to do it right now, I just wanted to bring it up. If we’re going to live together, be together…”

“Spend the rest of our lives together,” he interrupted with a smile.

She smiled back at him. “Yes, that. Then we need to talk openly about that side of things and make decisions that will work for both of us. One thing that I do want to mention – I’m not looking for you to answer me right away, I just want to put it out there – is that if you want a partner in your business, I’d love to be a part of it. Not just because I believe in you and I believe in us, but because I believe in what you’re doing.”

Travis gripped her hand a little tighter. “I like that idea, Retta, darlin’. That’d mean the world to me. I don’t know that we’ll ever make much of a profit; that’s not the reason I’m doing it.”

She squeezed his hand again. “I know. It’s about so much more than money. That’s why I want to be a part of it.”

~ ~ ~

Retta sat back in the armchair and watched Travis as he filled the tub.

“You know, before you finally invited me to come upstairs with you, I used to wonder what it was like up here. You told methat both the bedroom and the bathroom were enormous, but I never imagined it’d be like this.”

Travis chuckled. “Gotta tell you, darlin’, I never saw myself as the kind of guy who’d ever have an armchair in the bathroom.”

She laughed with him. “I’m sure you never would have if it weren’t for me – and I appreciate it.”

He’d brought the chair into the bathroom for her when she first started sleeping in his bed with him. She’d insisted that she was fine to lean on the vanity, but he’d said – and he was right – that he’d be happier, and she’d be more comfortable, if she were able to sit down when she needed to.

“I want to say that you’re my queen and you deserve a throne, but in the bathroom, that conjures up the wrong images in my mind.”

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