Page 70 of Parading the Cowboy Billionaire (Bluegrass Ranch 4)

She drank in the sight of him, and he was cool, soothing water to everything inside her that was overheated and wrong. He still had some questions to answer though, starting with, “What are you doing here?”

21

Cayden swallowed, the sight of Ginny in front of him almost too much for his brain to handle. “I came to ask you if you think you could forgive me.”

“I have a painting class tonight,” she said.

“Yes,” he said. “I’ve had calls out to literally everyone I know. Everyone Spur knows, and everyone Blaine knows. Oh, and Beth too.” He smiled, though she still hadn’t yet, and he felt like the ground might disappear beneath his feet at any moment. He straightened his lips. “Once I finally heard that you would be here tonight, I called Barbara Delaney and begged her for thirty minutes alone with you. The class is still happening, but it starts at seven-thirty now.”

Ginny’s mouth dropped open slightly, and she didn’t look thrilled as she shook her head. This so wasn’t going how Cayden had pictured it would.

She’d told him she loved him one week ago. Had her feelings changed so fast?

“I’m sorry I hurt you,” he said, deciding he better get the most important words out first. “I was an idiot, and you were right, and we belong together.”

Ginny folded her arms, her expression masked off.

“I’m in love with you,” he said. “I have been for a long time. I hate that I wasn’t there at your side when you spoke to your mother. When I heard she was at the country house after the vow renewal, I saw this vision in my head. It was me and you, side-by-side, a united front. Even if she couldn’t see it and she didn’t allow you to keep Sweet Rose, we’d know how we felt about one another.” He gestured between the two of them, even taking a step toward her.

“I messed up. I should’ve been there. I shouldn’t have said no when you said you loved me.” He wanted to duck his head in shame, but Trey’s voice told him to maintain eye contact and to be strong. “I guess I just…I was worried that you’d wake up one day and realize that I am not worth everything you have to lose to be with me.”

“You’re not still worried about that?” she asked.

“Honestly? Yeah, I am,” he said. “I’m going to try every day, though, Ginny, to be the man you need and want. Every single day.” He continued to close the gap between them until he stood right in front of her.

“I love you, Ginny, and you’d make me the happiest man in the world if I could just take you to dinner.”

She looked up at him, searching for something. “How’d you find out I signed up for this class?”

“Barbara lives in the same neighborhood as Hugh, Beth’s brother. He was just casually talking to her about her art, and she mentioned that she’d finally filled one of her classes, and hey, it was an old friend she hadn’t seen for a while who’s registered last.”

He wanted to reach out and touch her, but he didn’t quite dare. “Hugh asked who it was, and she said you, and he called Beth, who told me, and here I am.”

Ginny reached out and touched one of the buttons on his shirt. Pure fire licked through him as she said, “Here you are.”

“Will you please go to dinner with me sometime?” He carefully and slowly slipped one hand along her hip and around to her back. She definitely lit him up, and Cayden couldn’t believe the difference in how he felt right now compared to the dark cloud he’d been operating under for a week now.

Everything was brighter with Ginny in his life. Everything was better. He had so much to live for.

She put her hands on his chest and slid them up to his shoulders. “You don’t need to ask me. Just tell me when and where, and I’ll be there.”

He grinned at her, recognizing those words as ones he’d said to her at the Gems & Gin event. “How set are you on taking this class?” he whispered.

“Well, I’ll feel bad if I skip it now,” she said. “Barb obviously seemed excited that she’d finally filled a class.”

Cayden chuckled, ducking his head to get closer to the scent of Ginny’s skin. “I love you,” he said. “These past several days have been torture without you. I love you, I love you, I love you.” He pressed his lips to her neck, glad when she sighed and leaned into the touch.

“I love you, too, Cayden.”

He moved his mouth to hers, the pure heat of love pouring through him.

* * *

Cayden wasthe first one to arrive at the arena on Saturday morning, the day of the Summer Smash finally here. That wasn’t that hard to do, because he’d slept in his office. The past couple of weeks had felt like a whirlwind in every respect, from his personal relationships with his brothers, to his improved friendship with his parents, to his love life.

Ginny had been working with him exclusively on the Smash, and they’d started talking about what she might do now that Sweet Rose Whiskey didn’t consume her every moment. She’d told him she wanted to work with Olli, and she’d been going over there some mornings.

Olli was resistant for some reason Ginny didn’t know, but she’d told Cayden she was working on finding out what the hang-up was.

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