Page 79 of Connor

“They are. But… how can it work? I'm from the city.” My voice cracks, my head a whirl, my heart a mess.

“Anything can work if you want it badly enough. So I guess the question is, do you?” he asks.

I don’t even hesitate. “I do. I one hundred percent do.” I’m not sure if I’m talking to my boss, my boyfriend's father, a mentor, or all three right now.

“You fit in well here, the distillery, the town, our family. I’d be proud to have you as part of my son's life.”

It hits me right in the chest as I realize that this is true acceptance. I’ve never felt this before. I have my parents’ love, of course, and the great friendship with Trisha, but with Connor, his family, this town, all of it makes me feel so welcomed, so accepted, just for being my true self. It’s refreshing and energizing.

“Wow…” I say on an exhale, almost speechless.

“But I need to know… Are you any good with goats?” he asks with a grin, breaking the heaviness of the conversation. I laugh heartily, and he tells me more about Victoria’s goat Gertie, and then he leaves me to it.

There’s no more time for me to overthink. The glam squad is waiting, and I need to get ready for the party.

38

CONNOR

The party is amazing. It’s been a big night, people everywhere. The distillery and spa look six-star quality, the room full of locals, suppliers, both new and old faces. And overwhelmingly, the response has been positive. All due to the amazing woman who I’ve been watching all night. In a black dress that makes her look like a goddess, with her hair long and shiny, the curls flowing down her back. Her bright-blue eyes sparkle, just how I like them. She takes my breath away every time I see her.

I step toward her, my voice almost gone from talking so much, and lean over her shoulder, whispering in her ear.

“Can I steal you for a moment?” I murmur as I grab her hand, and she politely ends the conversation with one of our new staff members. I’ve hardly spoken to her all night. I’ve been networking, and she’s been meeting and greeting people, taking them on tours of the new space. It’s been busy.

“Where are you taking me?” she asks with a smile as I guide her through the crowd and take her out a side door into the cool, crisp fresh air of Whispers. I remain quiet as we head down the side garden path, the night clear, the stars bright, and the silence golden. We walk down the length of the distillery, somewhere she hasn’t really been since her first day here when I gave her a quick tour. Thinking about that time makes me want to chuckle. How much she pushed me, how arrogant I was with her. The path ends, and we step out into a large, vibrant green lawn that I have since had landscaped.

“Oh my God.” Stopping abruptly, she looks up, her eyes nearly bugging out of her head, which has me even more excited about this reveal. “Connor?”

“I can’t take all the credit. Your father gave me the idea from his garden,” I tell her as she looks around the hundreds of Daisy bushes that surround us. All in full bloom, all planted together tightly, so all we can see is a mass of white and yellow with the backdrop of the manicured lawn. Looking from above, the bushes are positioned in the outline of a daisy, the middle circle a trimmed grassy area, where we are currently standing now.

“What’s this?” she asks, still looking gobsmacked.

“This is our garden,” I say simply.

“Our garden?”

“A place here at the distillery that’s just for us. For yoga, for breathwork, for picnics, long nights with a bottle of whiskey…” I tell her, not able to help my grin, thinking about the image my memory pulls of her from that night in my penthouse.

“It’s perfect.” Her expression is one of awe. “I love this. So much.” When she turns that pretty face to me, I can tell she’s ready to say more. But I just want her in my arms.

“Come dance with me.” This is only the second time in my life I’ve asked a woman to dance with me, her taking up the first time as well a few weeks ago at the bar.

“Here?” she asks with a tilt of her head, and I hit a button on my cell in response. The outdoor speakers come alive with the sweet sounds of Dolly and Kenny, as do some sparkly fairy lights that I had placed in the daisies. Our very own magical garden comes to life.

“Connor,” she whispers, her eyes glassing over slightly. “You’ve really thought of everything.”

“Dance with me, baby girl.”

She steps forward, into my arms, and I hold her to me tight as we start to sway.

“I thought you hardly ever danced?” she comments, smiling up at me. “I guess I must be a lucky gal.”

“Just with you. I’ll always dance with you.” The honesty tears through me almost violently. I feel vulnerable, my heart completely open. I feel a mix of nerves, yet so self-assured, like nothing else in my life has been the right decision but her. She stops swaying then and lifts onto her tiptoes, her lips touching mine in a way that seals us together.

Running my palm over her back, I wrap my arms around her tightly, the feeling of not wanting to let her go taking over. As Dolly’s voice filters through the night air, singing about doing something to me that I can’t explain, I feel those lyrics to my core.

“Come with me. I want to show you something else,” I say, pulling away from her slightly and taking her hand, leading her farther away from the party and past the thick daisies to a smaller clearing cocooned by large bushes of lavender.

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