Page 121 of Stormswept Colorado

Unshed tears ached in my throat. “Maybe I could come to Silver Ridge for a while. I’ve thought about it.”

“You have?”

I nodded. “Maisie and the O’Neal family are there. It’s always hard for me to leave when I visit Colorado. But I cause problems when I’m in town. Remember the riot over me last time? What if you resent me for that? What if you don’t want me around anymore? Because I’m too much trouble.”

His expression crumpled like my words had given him physical pain. “Ayla, I hate that I’ve ever made you feel that way. I was an idiot. You don’t cause problems. It’s other people, and that’s on them, not you.”

“But when the media finds out we’re together, they’ll put you in the spotlight. You know that, right? They’ll write articles about you. They won’t leave you alone.”

“It took me a while to figure it out, but the kind of trouble you bring to my life isexactlywhat I want. I’ll deal with whatever that entails. The more important question is, would you be happy not living in LA? You’ve worked so hard for what you have here. This house, your friends.”

I hesitated before I answered. Other musicians lived in small cities or towns, and they found a way to make it work with their careers.

“I do like it here. Being near the ocean. I’ve got the industry at my fingertips. And my friends are important to me too, especially because I know how hard it is to find genuine ones. But I like Silver Ridge and the people there a lot. I like you most of all.”

Teller grinned. “Do you?”

“I think I’m falling in love with you,” I whispered.

He took my hand and kissed the end of each of my fingers. “Then I won’t let anyone or anything keep you from me,” he said, voice low and rumbling. “Not anymore.”

We didn’t make any final decisions yet. It was only Saturday, andwe still had Sunday to talk things through. Figure out our next step. But we both knew one thing for sure.

Somehow, we would find a way to stay together.

We got out of bed, showered, and slipped on loungewear for a relaxing day together. Made breakfast and had coffee. My view of the Pacific was pretty great, but so was Teller in nothing but gray sweats. His sexy chest and arms on display, along with the scars that spoke to his history. Something about his bare feet in my kitchen was intimate and adorable.

Then we went to the living room. I’d picked up a fast-paced techno thriller yesterday, with a plot as far from my real life as possible. As I sat down to read, Teller picked a non-fiction book and snuggled in beside me.

I glanced at his book’s cover. “A parenting manual? Is that for Ollie?”

He shrugged. “Sure. I know I’m not his parent, but I like to put in a good effort at whatever I’m doing.”

Of course he did. “Would you ever want to have kids?” I asked, trying to be casual. As if this question hadn’t been burning in the back of my mind.

He set the book on the coffee table and turned to me. “I used to see kids in my future. Then I figured Ollie was the closest I would get. I love being in his life. I would never want to change that. But…if I had a chance to have kids of my own too? Yeah, I would like that. What about you?”

“I never gave it much thought before.”

He pinched my chin playfully. “Because you’re in your twenties.”

I smiled. “But Maisie makes me want kids of my own.” I put my arms around him and kissed his collarbone. “I think you would be an amazing dad.”

He kissed the top of my head. I glanced up and found Teller gazing down at me, so much love and hope in his eyes. My heart did somersaults in my chest.

Furious knocking pulled me from a dreamless sleep. “Ayla, you need to open up.”

It was Bryan, banging on the front door. Teller and I had dozed off on the couch in each other’s arms, books in our laps. I started to get up, but Teller held my wrist.

“I can go see what he wants.”

“It’s fine. I’ll go. It must be important.” I grabbed my cell from the coffee table and checked my notifications as I strode to the door. Whoops. Bryan had called a couple of times in the last minute, but my phone had been on silent.

I threw the door open. Bryan’s fist was raised like he’d been about to knock again. He lowered it. “Sorry to interrupt, but you weren’t picking up your phone, and I decided to skip the landline and come straight to your door.”

“Why? What’s up?”

“There’s a delivery driver here. With flowers.”

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