Page 111 of Pretend To Be My Cowboy
The thought of marrying Emma didn’t scare him in the least. He watched his gorgeous girlfriend light up with laughter at something his sister said, and he knew.
One day, this woman would be his wife. She’d be his wife, his partner, his best friend, and—God willing—the mother of his children.
And nothing had ever sounded so right.
36
Emma was still pinching herself the next day.
She woke up late, but this time she wasn’t overtired from a lack of sleep or a night fitfully dozing on the couch. Nope. She’d just stayed up way too late with her boyfriend discussing her future here in Aspire.
Her boyfriend.
She grinned at her reflection in the mirror as she brushed her teeth.
Boyfriend. She let herself revel in the word. She wasn’t sure she’d ever get used to it. Well, she probably would eventually, since they were already making long-term plans together.
She dropped the hand holding her toothbrush with a sappy sigh.
But even if she got used to having Nash as her partner, she hoped she never took this for granted. Finding love with such a kind, thoughtful, steadfast man felt like winning the lottery after so many crushes on guys who took her for granted.
She rushed out of the bedroom, eager to see him again, although she was sure he’d been up and working for hours already.
Sure enough, she found a new bouquet of fresh wildflowers on the kitchen table. She grinned and rushed forward at the glimpse of another note.
Sorry I kept you up so late. Is it crazy that I miss you already? So happy you’re here and not on your way to the airport. I love you, sweetheart.
Emma clutched the note to her chest, her heart so full she thought she might burst. She’d found herself a cowboy who left her love notes and flowers. A laugh escaped as she realized she was actually grateful to every guy who hadn’t returned her feelings or who had taken her for granted, because if that hadn’t happened she might not have met Nash.
The Lord knew best. He always had a way of making good shine out of the dark times.
If Frank hadn’t passed away and left his daughters this place, Emma may never have found her true home.
The thought of her decision to stay and Nash’s mention of her flight were the only thoughts that could mar her morning, and she found herself stewing over the fact that Lizzy still hadn’t returned her messages or her texts about not flying back to Chicago.
Either Lizzy had fallen into the same communication hole as Sierra and April or she was giving Emma the silent treatment for not coming back when she’d promised she would.
Nerves scurried through her and she got busy making breakfast to try and distract herself, or maybe fortify herself for the call ahead. One way or another, she was speaking to her sister today.
“Morning, beautiful.” Nash’s voice gave her a start and she spun around just in time to be snatched up in her new boyfriend’s arms.
“Morning,” she said, her lips still pressed to his in a lingering kiss that had more sizzle than the bacon frying on the stove. She nodded toward the pan. “I hope you’re hungry because I’m making breakfast for two.”
“Sounds great to me,” he said, all smiles as he opened the bread box and pulled out a few slices to toast.
He’d been smiling a lot these past two days, a fact that Emma loved. She’d been grinning a ton too, but she was a naturally smiley person. To see Nash so unabashedly happy made her insides light up with joy.
“You still feeling good about your decision this morning?” Nash asked as they loaded their plates with bacon and eggs, then took them out to sit in the sunshine.
“Of course,” she said quickly.
Maybe a little too quickly because Nash arched his brows in a silent question.
She rolled her eyes. He couldn’t possibly doubt that she was happy about staying—they’d spent hours laughing and talking and dreaming up all the new adventures she’d have this summer in Aspire.
“I’m not having second thoughts,” she said, because clearly he needed to hear it. “It’s just…” She sighed. “I’m not looking forward to telling Lizzy about my new plan. I need to give notice to my school, too, and that’s leaving me feeling bittersweet.”
He nodded, reaching across the table to squeeze her hand. “I know there’s a lot going into this. It’s only natural that there will be some drawbacks to moving. If you have second thoughts, I hope you know you can talk to me about them.”
