Page 54 of Faking It with my Billionaire Grump

“Goodnight, Tilly.”

Once I close the door to my room, I walk over to the bed and drop down onto the soft mattress.

Holy cow!

My mind is racing, and I find it hard to slow it down enough to think about one thing at a time. I mean, the kiss, the ring, the conversation on our walk, Jake’s protectiveness when Bryan arrived.

There’s too much pent-up energy running through me right now, and pushing myself off the bed, I pace back and forth across the polished wooden floor. Jake had bought those rings before I even left. He was that certain that we were going to be together forever; he had them before he even proposed.

That makes me feel bad again, and I shake my head at what I must have put him through when I left. He gave me a glimpse tonight, when we were talking, of how hard it had been for him. But while he told me he felt lost, he didn’t mention that he was going to ask me to marry him.

But then, we were Baskington’s sweethearts, right? Everyone and their mother had our future set out for us. In high school, we were voted the couple most likely to stay together, and then there’s the fact that we were prom king and queen.

And I threw all that away.

Don’t do this again, Tilly. You can’t beat yourself up forever. If tonight showed you anything, it’s that the town has moved on and forgiven you. Maybe it’s about time you did the same.

Maybe it is. After tonight, there are a lot of maybes going through my mind. Like, maybe I should have stayed. Maybe Jake was always the man for me. Maybe there’s still a chance for us.

Is that what I really want?

After that kiss, that tremendous kiss that brought back so many feelings I forgot I had, I can’t deny that I’m now beginning to wonder if it is. Whether I’ve acknowledged it or not, being around Jake has reignited how I used to feel about him, even if those feelings do scare me to death.

I’m not afraid of love. I’m not afraid of loving Jake. Maybe I’m afraid that I’ve wasted ten years of my life when I could have been happy all along.

The sun peeking through the blinds in my room is brighter than normal this morning, so I know I’ve slept in. I shouldn’t be surprised. As if all the excitement of the hoedown wasn’t enough, I also struggled to get to sleep last night.

Between indecisions, fears, and regrets, I just couldn’t switch off.

Padding down the stairs, I head to the kitchen. I already know that Jake won’t be there. He rises with the birds. At first, I thought it was out of necessity, having to run the ranch and all, but I’ve come to realize that he actually enjoys those peaceful moments in the morning. Having shared a few of them with him, I can understand why.

It’s past 10:00 when I head onto the porch with my steaming coffee. It’s already starting to get hot, and even though I still don’t feel fully awake, I think about what I’m going to do today. It’s as my mind is wondering if I should go and see Mel that my phone rings.

Checking the caller ID, I frown.

Why is my boss calling me?

“Hey, Sharron,” I say when I pick up.

“Tilly,” she breathes enthusiastically. “How’s it going?”

“Good. Things are good,” I reply, still wondering why she’s calling.

I don’t want to ask her outright. It might seem a bit rude. Besides, Sharron is a straight-to-the-point kind of person. I’m sure I’ll find out soon enough.

“You think you’re rested enough to come back?”

“Er, well…” I hesitate.

“Listen, I know you wanted a bit more time, but I really need you back on the Denby account. And I have great news. They’ve given you another promotion.”

“What?” I gasp.

“It’s true. You’re now brand manager. It’s what you’ve always wanted. To be able to work more closely with the client, creating advertisements for their brand. I mean, I did push it a little. You are the best on my team. I’ve probably shot myself in the foot because I’m going to lose your fantastic talent,” she goes on. “You’ll need to finish up what you’re working on, but then the job’s all yours.”

I’m completely dumbfounded. Partly because I’m still not fully awake and partly because I have coveted this position for nearly a year.

“It’s what you’ve worked so hard for, Tilly. All those late nights and long hours,” Sharron says when I don’t reply.

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