Page 56 of No Time for Traditions

“I live here.”

* * *

“I’ll leaveyou two to talk.” Scott smiled, then turned and jogged down the porch steps to his truck. Seconds later, he was backing out the driveway and onto the road. Greg watched until his truck was barely visible, then slowly returned his gaze to Brittany. She looked as shocked as he felt. If that were possible.

“Youbought the house?”

Greg nodded. “Would you like to come inside?”

Brittany tilted her head and looked around before answering. “Yeah . . . okay.”

He stepped back so that she could go in and then followed. He shut the door behind them, then stood against it. He couldn’t believe she was here. Only moments before, he’d wished he could see her. It was as if he’d willed her to come find him.

Brittany walked farther into the living room and looked around. Buttercup came in from the back, wagging her large tail. Brittany patted her on the back.

“That’s Buttercup.” Greg put a hand behind his neck and cleared his throat, not sure of how to begin with all he had to say. “I would offer you a drink, but my refrigerator doesn’t arrive until tomorrow.”

Brittany blinked and then stared at the Christmas tree. He thought about the night they’d decorated the space and wondered if she was thinking the same. What was she doing here?

After a few minutes, she turned back to face him. “Sorry, I’m still a little shocked. You bought Grandpa Barnes’s house?”

Greg nodded. “That was the surprise I had for you.”

Brittany walked to the antique chair across from the tree and slowly sat, keeping her eyes on him as she did. “Why didn’t you just tell me?”

Greg sighed. He still didn’t know how she felt about him so he’d have to tread lightly. “I tried, but you didn’t give me a chance.”

Brittany settled back into the chair and frowned. “That’s why the title was on your desk?”

“Yeah. We closed on the sale a few hours after you left.”

“Oh.”

“I hope you’re not upset. I wouldn’t have bought the place if I’d known it would upset you.”

Brittany’s lips curved slightly, and a tear fell from her eye. “I couldn’t think of a better person to live here.”

Greg’s heart pounded, but he couldn’t get too optimistic. Not just yet.

“Does that mean you’re not mad at me anymore?”

Brittany shook her head, more tears gathering over her beautiful blue eyes. “So you really did keep your promise to take care of the farmhouse.”

Greg nodded. “I’d already planned on talking to your dad about buying some of the land out by John’s fields, but then the more I thought about it, this place made more sense. I wouldn’t have to build, and I could make sure it went to someone who cared about it.”

Brittany wiped her eyes and blinked a few more tears. “Oh, Greg, I’m so sorry.”

That did it. Greg couldn’t stay away from her any longer. No matter how she felt about him, he couldn’t let her cry without holding her. He knelt in front of her and took her hands in his.

“Brittany, it’s okay.”

She shook her head violently. “No, it’s not. I said horrible things to you. Things I didn’t mean. I was just so hurt. I felt like everyone had lied to me, and then I saw you with that beautiful woman.”

Greg stroked her hands with his thumbs. “Brittany, it’s fine. Really. We shouldn’t have kept you in the dark. It just happened so fast. I honestly didn’t know if they would agree to my offer. Not so quickly. And Leslie—she was the Realtor we used for the closing.”

“I know that now.” Brittany sniffled.

“I’m so sorry for hurting you.”

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