Page 48 of Take Me to the Valley

“Listen. I have thought this out. I really like having you here, but our time here is limited. If you stay here, I know it means talking to your brother. But I want you to be mine, and I want everyone to know.” I lay my cards on the table and watch her reaction.

Her eyes go wide, and I swear I see something like fear on her face. Fuck, maybe she isn’t ready for such a big commitment, and there is a good chance I’ve scared her off.

“We can move at whatever pace you want. We don’t have to tell Cody right now. But, baby, but I’m not going anywhere.” I squeeze her hand.

My words seem to be enough to calm her for right now. Though I hate the idea of continuing to hide our relationship from my best friend. But if that is what she needs, I will give it to her. At some point, we are going to have to talk about it. There’s a reason she is holding off letting her brother and family know about us.

“I don’t want Cody to know about us yet,” she whispers while looking down at our joined hands on her lap.

“If that is what you want, then so be it. But can I ask why?”

She looks up at me, and I can see the hesitation on her expressive face. Right now, she isn’t ready to talk about it. ButI’m stubborn and I want to know, so I wait it out. She’s going to have to give me something, anything.

“Because he will ruin it,” she says, tears welling up in her eyes.

Deciding not to push it, I pull her into my lap, wrapping my arm around her.

“I can’t be the reason you lose your whole support system. Cody, my parents, and my brothers are all Skye knows. I don’t have a great track record with relationships, and there is more to think about than just me with this one,” she says.

I know she means Skye.

“I’d never do anything to hurt my daughter, but Skye loves you. Even if things didn’t work out with us, I know you would still be in her life,” I say.

“I’m only here for another week or two. Until then, I think we need to get this out of our system. When I go home, this has to end,” she says, tears welling up in her eyes.

The emotion in her voice tells me that it isn’t exactly what she wants.

My heart breaks. The last thing I want to do is give her up and end this. But my heart is convinced we can make this work. When she’s ready to leave, I’m sure that I can persuade her to stay and make a life with me and Skye.

“If that’s what you want, then we will keep sneaking around,” I say.

She looks sad, and the thought of her being anything but happy kills me. But right now, she doesn’t know she’s mine, and this isn’t ending in a week or two. But if that is what she has to tell herself, then so be it.

I pull her in for a kiss.

She thinks she is walking away in two weeks. But I plan to make that impossible for her to do so.

Then, putting all that aside, I kiss her until she melts into me. My dick is hard and I all I want to do is strip her of her clothes, feel her luscious body against me and make love right here on the couch.

At least, that is the plan until someone knocks on the door.

“You expecting anyone?” She tries to pull away from me.

“No. Are you?” I ask, already knowing she isn’t.

“No.”

I bought this cabin in the mountains because there are no neighbors, and it isn’t the kind of place someone will just swing by.

“Stay here,” I tell her. Getting up, I grab the gun I keep locked up on the top shelf of the coat closet.

“Evan!” she hisses.

Ignoring her, I open the door, holding the gun in plain sight.

“Mind not pointing that at my wife?” Cash growls.

When I realize Cash and his wife, Hope are standing there with a casserole dish in her hands, I drop the gun.

---