Page 53 of Imperfectly Ours

She watched me, compassion filling her face as she wrapped her arms around her body to keep warm. My stomach twisted. I was so angry, so tired. So sad.

“I just wanted our first date to be—”

“Perfect?” she cut me off.

I blinked, startled. Furrowing my brows, I slowly nodded, but didn’t say a word. She sighed, unwrapping herself as she tipped onto her bare toes and gently rested her palms against my cheeks. “My sweet cowboy, have you not figured it out yet?” she whispered.

I swallowed stiffly, watching her beautiful emerald eyes as they softened. “I never wanted perfect. I don’t need perfection.”

“But you deserve it. After everything that we went through to get here…”

“But that’s exactly why it doesn’t matter. Weston, all I wanted, all I want now, is to be with you.Especiallyafter everything that we went through.” She brushed her thumb across my scar and then let her hands fall away from my face. “You are the most stubborn man I’ve ever met, and that’s saying something. But think about it for a moment. I nearly died, more than once. Why would I care about having something go exactly perfect if that meant sacrificing even a moment with you?”

I stared at her, stunned.

“Besides, the memories that came from everything, honestly, those are better than anything perfection would have provided,” She smiled gently, brushing some of her wild hair behind her ear.

And I rammed my lips against hers. Grabbing her face, I held her tightly, kissing her with everything in my soul.

It all made sense. I’d been such a fool, ignoring when she’d been laughing anytime something went wrong. Or shrugging it off and being confused by her smiling when we were interrupted. She really hadn’t cared. To her, that was more than perfect. Better than perfect.

Because she’d been with me. Because I’d been with her. And I needed to learn to let go. All along, she’d been trying to teach me that it was okay to just simply be.

Pulling away briefly, I smiled. “My darling, Tenley,” I whispered against her mouth and then kissed her again. I owed my mom a bit of an apology for hiding things from her. I shouldn’t have cared so much that she would’ve meddled, it was all out of love for me. Just as it had been for Remington and Harper, and even Cash and Pearl. My mom merely wanted to be involved because she cared.

Though I wasn’t going to seek it out at this very moment because right now, all I wanted was Tenley.

Anything else could wait, had to wait.

All I could think about was Tenley.

How soft her lips felt, and her delicate skin beneath my hands.

Her chest pressed against my body as she fisted my coat and pulled me closer to her.

She gently broke the kiss, panting and spoke. “Follow me,” she whispered, and sank back onto her heels.

Her fingers slipped into mine, quietly pulling me into the house. I shut the door as softly as I could and quickly tugged my boots off. Carrying them in one hand, she flicked the light switch off, blanketing the house in darkness.

We crept across the rug and then past the hallway. Her feet padded gently against the carpet as we walked down the stairs. I followed blindly as she guided me into the basement and down another hallway.

Then she pushed open a door and gestured for me to enter. The window on the far wall let in a sprinkle of silvery light, dancing against the tousled sheets of her slept-in bed to my left. A lamp on one of her nightstands was dimly lit, a very soft yellow glow casting shadows across the wall.

One of her white vet coats was tossed on top of the dresser to my right. A closet door across from the foot of the bed was left half open, and a couple pairs of shoes were tossed randomly on the floor.

I smiled as soft fingers slid into mine again and tugged me forward. Tenley stepped in front of me, walking backwards to the bed, her round, green eyes wide and watching me. A yearning spread across her face as she bumped against the edge of her mattress and sat down.

Letting go of my hand, she slid backwards on the bed, slowly. I watched her, my pulse quickening. Was she offering what I thought she was? Her cheeks were glowing as I took a single step toward her.

A soft smile slid across her lips. She was, and my entire body soared with a peaceful excitement.

I set my boots down and shrugged off my coat. Then I placed my palms against the bed and crawled between her legs.

She gently laid back against the pillow, watching me through her lashes as I hovered above her. Placing a hand beside her head, I threaded my fingers through her hair and rested my palm against her cheek. So delicate and soft beneath my calloused skin, igniting a fire in my belly.

My heart thumped wildly as she grabbed the collar of my pearl snap shirt and gently tugged me toward her.

I watched as her fingers began to unbutton my shirt one at a time. Her chest heaved up and down, working its way farther down my body. And I didn’t stop her. I didn’t want to.

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