Page 89 of Crossroads of Love

“Of course I do. I wouldn’t say it if I didn’t. I told you that I wanted to be in a relationship with you, that means staying in Hicks Creek to build a life with you and Jayla.”

She gasps and covers her mouth. Tears roll down her cheeks. I lean forward and brush my lips against hers. The amount of love I have for her right now is overwhelming.

Aw dammit, this woman thought that I was going to leave her again? I guess I can’t blame her.

The thought of her being scared hurts. I thought she knew I was here for the long haul, but I guess I was wrong. I take a deep breath and silently vow that I’ll make sure she knows from now on.

“I want that, too. But I should probably head to bed,” she says softly, pulling away gently.

I nod, keeping my tone light, not wanting to push her. Big change, but I get it. Again, it hurts that she’s slow to trust me, but I can’t take offense to it.

“Yeah. Long day.”

She lingers for a moment, her eyes locked on mine, and I can see the battle she’s fighting, the pull to stay, to let me in fully, and the instinct to protect herself by pulling away.

“Good night, Gav,” she says softly, finally turning toward the hallway.

“Good night, Lena,” I reply, watching her as she walks away.

I watch her as she goes. A part of me aches to follow her, to be there for her in every way she needs, but I know she’s not ready for that, not yet. And it’s not fair to take it to that level yet when Jayla is involved.

I leave the house, locking the door behind me as I go. I scan the area outside to see if I can spot that snake Hank anywhere. I don’t. I’m reluctant to leave, though.

Would it be weird to sleep in my car in their driveway?

I can’t do that, but I will check in with Nate tomorrow morning to see if there’s any new information.

Chapter Twenty-One

Lena

“Are you feeling okay?” Tatum asks as she walks into my office and catches me staring off into space.

“Yeah, sorry, I guess I didn’t get much sleep last night.”

“It’s more than that. I know how you act on lack of sleep, and this isn’t it.”

I blow out a breath. “It’s lack of sleep.”

“Bullshit, Lena. Is it Gavin? Did he do something? Do I need to throw him in the hog pens at the farm?”

I laugh and roll my eyes. “There are no hog pens at the farm, strictly horses.”

“But I got a smile out of you, and that’s the most important thing. C’mon, tell me what’s going on. We can problem solve together.”

I drop my head onto my desk and take a second to breathe before I look back up at my best friend.

“Aaron had a child with another woman. He was engaged to her.”

“Excuse me? I don’t think I heard you correctly.”

“You did.”

“How did you find this out?”

“Gavin was going through paperwork at Henry’s. I guess…I guess he was looking into that and some other things.”

“What other things?”

---