Page 93 of If You Give a Grump a Christmas Tree Farm
I can’t wait to tell her, but I don’t want to disturb her. She needs sleep, too. But excitement surges through me for tomorrow.
We’ve got so many plans to make, and I can’t wait to see her again.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
Christmas Eve
JJ—
Pulling out at first light, I ride my bike hard toward home. That’s what the tree farm has become for me—home. And the only reason is because Rebecca is there. She has become home for me. I think about her every minute of the day. I want to be with her, and these trips away from her are tough.
She’s fast become my everything.
On the way, I make two stops. Each one has everything to do with Rebecca. I lay awake last night making plans, and today I’m putting them into action. I only hope she’s on the same page as I am.
If she’s not, it’ll destroy me, and that’s got a pit forming in my stomach. Everything revolves around Rebecca’s response. If I misjudged things, I know I’m sunk, and that’s a scary feeling.
I’ve tried to fight these emotions, tried to keep up walls, to play it off as a passing fling, but I can’t pretend anymore.
Risking everything is terrifying.
Somehow, I survived a loveless childhood where I never lived up to my parents’ expectations. If I’m being honest with myself, it’s the reason I’ve kept most women at an emotional distance, never having any lasting or meaningful relationships with them. I’ve been protecting myself, and opening myself up to that possible hurt again with Rebecca is a big step for me. Huge.
At this point, I have to trust my instincts, let go of fear and trust in my heart.
When I turn onto the gravel drive at the farm, I spot a pickup truck pulling away from the cabin and see Rebecca standing up on the porch.
The logo on the side of the driver’s door reads,Skyland Development Holdings.
Fuck.
Richard Soren.
What the hell is he doing here? The timing couldn’t be worse.
I bring my bike to a stop, and he brakes next to me and gets out of his vehicle.
“Oh, good. A man to deal with,” he says. “Glad I caught you, JJ.”
I shut my bike off and climb from it. “I don’t appreciate you makin’ cracks like that, Soren. Don’t belittle my business partner for being a woman. That’s an asshole way to treat her, and an even worse way to do business.”
“I’m just saying, she doesn’t understand this deal. I came by with the paperwork. I have authorization to up the offer to ten million dollars. That’s a damn good offer. She wouldn’t even look at it.”
He shoves the papers toward me. I snatch them out of his hands and rip them in half, tossing them in his open truck window.
“I told you I wasn’t interested.” I take a step toward him, and he retreats a step. “You see that woman up there?” I point toward the porch. “There’s no amount of money that I’d take to steal the joy out of her eyes at owning this place. It’s her dream, and I won’t rip that from her. Now get the hell off this land, and don’t come around here again. Don’t call. Don’t email.We. Are. Not. Selling.Is that clear enough for you, asshole?”
The guy turns pale and jumps into his truck, then roars off the property.
I feel like punching something. Turning, I see Rebecca coming down the steps, her shawl around her shoulders, and I stop short.
She’s got to be pissed.
I hold out an arm toward the highway. “I’m sorry about that, Becca. I swear I didn’t call him, and I sure didn’t ask him to come up here and…
She keeps walking toward me, and my words trail off.
When she gets to me, she kisses my mouth, and I frown, confused.
