Page 23 of Sparrow's Grace

“Not long. Just long enough to hear the start of what you said,” he told me as he climbed back in and handed me the food and a big Styrofoam cup.

With a judgmental eye at the cup, I asked, “What’s in it?”

“Sweet tea. They have the best. Any normal person orders sweet tea with an all-the-way burger. And since you have really good taste, that’s what I went with.”

Giving him a raised brow, I opened the straw as he put the SUV back into gear and backed up expertly while I placed the straw into the lid and took a hesitant sip, and then I moaned.

It was the right amount of sweetness. Sugar coma, here I fucking come.

After I didn’t say anything as I savored the taste, he asked, “Good.”

With a soft sigh, I said, “Oh yes.”

Freaking right. I didn’t miss it when I said that his nostrils flared. That alone caused a little excited flutter in the pit of my stomach.

I knew I was pretty. But next to Zeke, I was so far out of my league that it wasn’t even funny. However, when he looked at me like he did at a red light? It made me feel as though I was the only woman on this earth.

That feeling, well, that feeling was a one in a million.

On the way to his house, I ate my burger after making sure he wouldn’t get offended if I ate in front of him when he didn’t have anything to eat.

His response was to scoff and say, “Angel, I’m the dumbass that ate in front of a pregnant woman. Don’t you dare feel bad.”

Ten minutes later, when he turned onto a gravel road that was lined with fields and fencing, I started taking in my surroundings.

He told me his house sat on ten acres and I assumed this was all part of it, and when I saw a line of bikes, cars, my truck, bike, and trailer, sitting outside of a gorgeous house that was my dream house to a T, I knew.

Every breath I had caught in my lungs as we came to a stop, clearing my throat I knew that I had to ask, “Okay, I need to ask you something.”

He chuckled and then said, “Name it.”

Staring in awe at the house, I asked, “Have you lived in my head for the past ten years?”

He looked at me with a raised brow as he put the SUV into park and turned the key to kill the ignition, then he asked, “I don’t think so. Why?”

“Because I saw an ad for something similar to that house when I was ten years old, made changes to it in my mind. Never did I imagine that I would ever see something like it in my life unless I had it built,” I whispered, while still staring at the house in awe from the corner of my eye.

“That right? Wanna know something?” I saw the excited glint in his eyes, and I nodded.

“Saw an ad when I was looking at houses. Saw this one and added the changes I wanted.” And with that bomb drop, he tagged his kutte, then stopped and said, “You wait for me to open your door.”

I shook my head and muttered, “Caveman.”

“All day, every day, baby.” And let me tell you something, I thought his smile was sexy… but that smirk over his shoulder.Mama, I’m home.

While I waited for him to round the SUV, I really took the outside of the house in.

It really was sitting right there. The house of my dreams. All the way smack dab down to the color of the support beams supporting the front overhang of the house. Dark walnut.

The house itself was white and looked to be about twenty-seven hundred sqft. It was massive and perfect. And the best part of it, he had window boxes that matched the support beams with cute little flowers. If I didn’t know any better, I would think that he was taken.

But he had assured me that he was indeed single. Because if he wasn’t? There was no way in hell I would be able to stay in this house.

Well… maybe that’s a partial lie.

I would break in when she wasn’t here just so I could carry the memory of stepping foot inside my dream house.

When Zeke opened my door and held out his hand for me, I smiled at him and then saw the garage door start to rise, and yes, the color of the door matched the beams.

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