Chapter 34
D ays pass with an ease I could get used to—a beautiful woman by my side, enjoying my job, and spending more time with my family.
For the first time in a long time, I'm satisfied with my life. More than satisfied. I find myself looking towards the future. I try not to let my daydreams drift to Isabelle being a part of that future, but there’s no use.
Every path forward I see is with Isabelle, front and center.
She's become my best friend. When something funny happens, she's the first person I want to tell.
If I have a problem, I know she'll help me work it out.
I want to drink my coffee with her every morning.
I want to take her to The Flying Pig for dates.
I want to bring her around my family. I want her on the ranch with me every single day.
I’ve fallen in love with her.
In some ways, my feelings for Isabelle feel sudden and unexpected. I’ve been alone for so long and have never sought female companionship. But it wasn’t unexpected, it was inevitable.
Somewhere between the miles of backroads, she became mine.
I walk into The Flying Pig, shoulders up to my ears and hands fisted in my pockets. Isabelle insisted I come to Delilah and Connor’s joint birthday party, and it’s become painfully apparent that I can’t say no to the girl. I’d follow her anywhere.
The pub is packed. It always is on a Saturday night but tonight is frenetic.
Boisterous laughter echoes from the wall of booths.
Sure as shit, the entire wall is decked out in balloons, streamers and blown-up photos of Connor and Delilah over the years.
Giggling pulls my eyes to my girl—her cheeks are flushed and her eyes glitter in the soft lighting.
Desire floods my body envisioning all the ways I could make her cheeks flush
She's stunning in a gorgeous navy-blue cocktail dress. It’s simple but fits her in all the right places.
It’s long sleeved with a mock turtleneck and hits her just below the knee.
It’s molded to her every dip and curve like a second skin—the material is doing the lord’s work I swear.
Watching her move around her friend group, I get a 360° view of her showstopping figure.
Her narrow shoulders sit proudly but relaxed, fawning over her little sister.
My brain can’t decide whether to look at her perfect, round tits, or her hourglass waist and hips.
She turns again and hot damn, that ass. I want to bite it.
That dress is so tight I’d bite through it like the skin of a peach to the tender flesh beneath.
I mentally reprimand myself because now isn't the time to pop a boner. I manage to get my dick under control just in time for Isabelle to notice I’ve arrived.
She gives me the cutest shy, excited grin and saunters towards me, hands clasped in front of her like she's afraid to reach out and touch me. She looks up at me through those pink glasses that fit her personality perfectly.
“Hi,” she chirps.
I place my hand on the small of her back and bend down to kiss the top of her head.
“Hi, sugar.”
The adoration in her eyes makes me feel ten feet tall. No woman has ever looked at me like this, like I hung the moon for her. She takes me by the hand and leads me over to where Delilah and Connor are holding court.
Connor’s the first to step forward and offer me a firm handshake. “Thanks for coming man. Quincy has always had great things to say about you. Thanks for being there for her through everything.” I look behind him to find Quincy sitting with their parents. She meets my eyes and gives me a sad smile.
Pain shoots through me but it’s dulled by Isabelle’s small hand rubbing up and down my back.
All I offer in return is a small nod and a “Happy birthday.” Isabelle pulls me a few feet over to her sister.
The resemblance is uncanny, there's no doubt they're twins. Delilah’s a beautiful girl, but she doesn’t hold a candle to Isabelle.
Isabelle hugs her sister from behind and twirls her around to face me.
Delilah looks shocked to see me, but the surprise quickly morphs into a strained smile.
“Hello, Reid. Thank you for coming.” Her tone is a bit sharp. I’ve always known Delilah to be quiet as a mouse, but I have no doubt in my mind she knows every ugly detail of how I’ve treated Isabelle. I can’t blame her for being leery of me and protective of her sister.
“Wouldn’t miss it. Thanks for letting me join the party,” I say with as much warmth as I can. Delilah looks into the depths of my soul but must be okay with what she sees because her mood lightens, and the girls start chattering away.
I love watching Isabelle float around the room, so comfortable in her element.
I’ve never seen her like this. This isn't the guarded, wounded dog ready to bite anyone who comes too close.
She's become more confident in her own skin and my chest puffs with pride. I’ve taken a seat out of the fray and spend most of the party people watching.
Isabelle comes to sit with me as often as she can but is frequently pulled away into other conversations.
I don’t mind one bit, because my girl is flourishing.
My body thrums with need when she’s near and aches with longing when she moves away.
She throws her head back laughing, and my heart soars.
When her eyes search for me and meet mine across the crowd, I know I'm going to marry Isabelle someday.
The people I spend the most time watching are Delilah and Connor. They’re drawn to each other like magnets. Where one goes, the other follows, like there's an invisible tether connecting them.
I’m extremely entertained and intrigued as I catch Connor checking Delilah out several times, and Delilah making moon eyes at Connor whenever he speaks. There's definitely something going on there.
When Isabelle comes back to sit with me, I come right out with it and ask. “How long have your sister and Connor been hung up on each other?” She laughs. Full on belly laughs like I told a hilarious joke.
“Oh my god, you made my day. Olivia owes me ten bucks. I knew you’d catch on right away to their ‘we don’t want each other but we secretly want each other’ thing. She bet me you’d be too busy looking at me to notice their nonsense.”
“Oh, I was busy looking at you alright, baby. But I’m glad I could help.”
They want each other, whether they admit it to themselves or not. I have no room to judge considering neither Isabelle nor I have put words to what's growing between us. It’s far past time that I make my intentions with her clear.
And that’s exactly what I’m going to do.