Page 58 of Stirring Up Trouble
He dropped the number on the table, and his hands spread out against the worn tabletop.
"You do?" he asked.
"Yes, baby, I do." I eased my hands over his, hoping it would calm some of the anxiety I could see building in him. “And whether that means we’re long distance or I come visit you often or you come visit me, then we can handle it.”
He bit his bottom lip. Before I could tell him to stop, he asked, "What if I didn't want to do long distance?"
My chest ached at the notion of letting him go.
“Well, I'm not sure what to say about that. Does that mean you don't want to be with me?”
I needed him to clarify.
He shook his head. "No, Daddy. More like I want to live on the Anders Ranch. The other night when I talked to Wes, he mentioned how his partner had started over completely. I kind of like the sound of that. I have a lot of ideas for things we could do at the ranch to increase profits. And I really feel at homethere. Griffin already said that I could sell him my half of the clinic. It's not like there's anything keeping me there.”
This time, my heart raced for a different reason. "You want to live with me, baby?"
"Yeah, I do," he said.
Our food arrived before I could snatch him across the table and crash his lips against mine. The interruption was enough to calm me down.
As he dug into his food, I couldn't help but grin. I settled the past with my stepfather and gained a live-in boyfriend as well, all in a matter of an hour.
"Why do you look so happy, Daddy?"
"Because I now know that you're not leaving me when this is said and done."
He frowned as he licked excess cheese off his lip. “Technically, I have to leave for a little bit to go get all my stuff, but then I'll be back.”
I reached over and squeezed one of his hands.
He stared into my eyes as I promised him, "I'll go with you, and we'll bring it all back. You can build a home with me. And all those ideas are going to be perfect. I just know it. I'm open to whatever you're thinking because I trust you. I believe you want to see my family ranch thrive.”
"Of course I do," he said. "It's yours. It's a part of you."
If I had any doubt before that this man was perfect for me, then it disappeared with that statement.
We didn't need to say, "I love you," or get married or pledge our devotion for eternity. His actions showed that we were in this thing, that we were committed, and I couldn't wait to see how much we would thrive together.
There would be big changes for us both. It was nothing we couldn't handle as a team.
Twenty-One
Robin
Six monthslater
“Hurry up,Daddy! We’re gonna be late!” I bounced in the seat as we neared the exit.
“Baby, I’m doing the best I can. This city is a fucking NASCAR race. Why are people going ninety on the highway?”
“Maybe so they’re not late to the rodeo,” I replied, tone heavy with sarcasm.
His gaze cut my way, eyes full of a promise to make me learn my lesson later. Daddy wasn’t a fan of me being a brat.
To be fair, it was a rare thing. I just couldn’t help it today. This was far too exciting, and he was driving like an old slowpoke.
“Everything will be fine. Maddox said they’d wait for us to get started. Surely he and Leon can keep Jake from running off while we find a place to park. And hey, we don’t have to worry about the trailer this time.”
