Chapter 33
thirty-three
Tessa
“Ican’t believe you’re going to give all this up,” Brianna says as I’m packing up the remainder of my things.
I smile at my roommate who truly made my transition into living in New York seamless. Brianna made sure I never felt alone and always made me smile. I’m going to miss her a lot.
“In a way, I really can’t believe it either.”
“The food, Tessa. Think of the food.”
I laugh. “Hence why I ordered a bunch of things I know I won’t get in Virginia,” I tell her.
“At least I’ll have leftovers,” Bri says with a grin.
Yes, she will. When I got home from work, the two of us placed orders from four places.
She demanded I spend the rest of my night eating all the things I won’t have again.
Of course, Brianna won’t be here to eat with me since she has a fashion show she’s working, but I’m going to have a bite of all my favorite dishes.
“You know I’m going to miss you, right?”
She moves the packed box on the floor so she can plop on my bed. “How could you not? I’m the best roommate who ever lived in the big city. Tell me again why you’re moving? You hated small-town life.”
“I thought I did,” I admit. “Well, I know I did, but it’s different in Ember Falls. It’s not like Indiana. I don’t hate it there. The people are kind and…there’s him.”
Brianna grins. “He must be something special for you to be giving up your dream here.”
He is. He’s very special.
“I’m not giving anything up,” I tell her. “I’m keeping my job. I’m just moving where I want to be.”
A week ago, Thea and Brynlee called me into the office to let me know that they made a decision. I’ve been given three months in Ember Falls and then we can reassess. If it’s working out, with both my relationship and with Hazel and Penny, then we can extend the trial period or make it permanent.
The other part of the agreement is that I need to bring on at least four more clients in the south to make it make sense for me to be in Virginia.
I’m excited and eager to prove myself.
“If you say so, babe.”
“Killian is really great. He’s beyond excited that my bosses signed on to this. Even if it’s just a temporary agreement for now.”
Giving up my apartment was the hardest part. At first Brianna tried to convince me to keep my room since it’s just a three-month trial run, but I don’t see myself coming back regardless. If Killian really wants to open up the camp, that’s what I would rather invest my time in.
Not to mention, I can save the money I was spending on rent and help my mother or put it toward other things I want or need. Killian wouldn’t even let me finish when I said I wanted to pay rent to live with him.
“You know you can always come back,” she offers.
“Yes, I’m sure your new roommate will just love that.”
“She’s already annoying me, and she hasn’t even moved in yet.”
I laugh. “Everyone annoys you, Bri.”
“Yes, I know, but that’s because everyone is dumb.”
I’m not even remotely surprised she thinks that. “I annoy you, and I’m not dumb.”
She lies back and sighs. “I know, but you do it in an…‘I’m so cute but annoying’ kind of way. Your annoying doesn’t make me want to throw things.”
“I guess that’s a good thing.”
Brianna nods. “It is, but now you’re annoying me because you fell in love and are leaving me.”
“You could always come with me. I’m sure they need great hair stylists down south.”
Her laugh is loud and almost like a cough. “Absolutely not! I will never leave the city—it’s like my lover.”
“I found a new lover.”
“Yes, yes, your older, very sexy, very related to Meredith, lover.”
I snort. “Thanks for that last part.”
“You’re welcome.”
I roll my eyes. “Are you going to help me?”
Bri gets up and kisses my cheek. “Nope. You’re leaving me, you’re on your own, kid. Plus, I have to get to work. Some of us don’t have sugar daddies.”
I definitely don’t have that, but arguing with Bri is futile. The good part about my life here is that I don’t have a lot of stuff. We have a tiny apartment, and I pretty much just have what’s in this room, so packing didn’t take me long.
I hear Brianna leave a few minutes later and grab my phone to video call Killian.
“Hi, sweetheart.” His beautiful face fills the entire screen, and I can’t help the stupid grin on my lips.
“Hi.”
“Are you packing?”
I sit on the edge of my bed. “I am. I’m almost done. What are you up to?”
His long sigh, accompanied by his disgruntled look, tells me it’s not something he wants to be doing. “Well, I’m preparing for a Moms’ Night Out at Buck Wild. You know, that event you said you’d be back for?”
I give him my most apologetic smile. “I know, and I thought I would be. I didn’t think I’d be gone for two weeks.”
I wasn’t really sure how long I’d be here, but Thea and Brynlee asked me to at least give them a bit of time to discuss things, and I felt I owed them that much.
As much as I really love the idea of the camp, I also love my job.
I have a lot of great ideas that I want to implement and my hope is that I can do both until I can decide which I really want.
The camp is going to take a lot of time to get up and running, and I explained to Killian that the one thing I promised myself was that I’d never be like my mother.
I wouldn’t give up my job, my life, my hopes and dreams, and I’ll never be dependent on a man. No matter how amazing he is.
Killian understood and said he supports me no matter what I decide to do. He even said he was willing to move to New York, if that’s what I wanted.
Just knowing he was willing to do that meant the world to me, but when I thought about it, I realized that it wasn’t what I wanted. I want to be in Ember Falls.
“It’s fine. Just means I’m hanging up decorations. Also, Gary wanted me to let you know that under no circumstances is he taking these girls out to the falls after what happened with the last group.”
I laugh, imagining Gary’s face when they all decided skinny-dipping was on the agenda. “He does realize he works for you, right?”
Killian’s huffs. “Tessa, I love you, but Gary is my only ranch hand and proving to be a trainer, and I’m not losing him over this.”
“I know, I know. I’ll be there in two days, and then I promise I’ll handle everything with Buck Wild.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
“Do you miss me?” I ask, rolling onto my stomach and kicking my feet up.
“More than you can imagine.”
“I miss you too.”
There’s a knock on the door. “Hold on, my food is here,” I tell him and rush to the door.
However, when I open it, it’s not my food.
It’s something so much better.
“Killian?”
He grins. “Hi, baby.”
I launch myself into his arms, holding on to him with everything I have. “What are you doing here?”
“I missed you.”
“You said you were doing stuff at the farm.”
He laughs and then kisses me. “I lied.”
It’s a lie that I’m not even the slightest bit upset over. “Best lie ever.”
I pull him into my apartment. “Come in. Brianna just left so you won’t get to meet her. I…can’t believe you’re here.”
He wraps his arms around my waist, kissing my neck. “I didn’t want to spend another day apart. Besides, I haven’t been to New York for a while, so I figured maybe my girlfriend would show me around for a few days.”
“A few days?” I ask. “I was heading back to Ember Falls soon.”
“I think we could do with a mini-vacation, don’t you?”
I don’t even know what to say. I’m in shock at it all, but I’m also over the moon happy.
“If you say so.”
“I do. Now, can you pack a bag for a few days? I booked us a room. We have dinner tonight and a show.”
I blink. “We do?”
“Yes, angel, we have a weekend-long date.”
I smile, moving closer, my hands resting on his chest. “Is this another lesson, like your date was?”
He shakes his head. “No more lessons. My hope”—he pulls me to him—“is that we’re done with lessons. All you’re going to have from now on is me, treating you like the beautiful, intelligent, and worthy woman that you are. You’re mine, Tessa Rivers, and I’m going to keep you.”
My stomach dips, but my lips tilt up. “I’ve waited my whole life to find a man I wanted to belong to.
Someone who made me happy. Saw me, quirks and all, and was willing to love me.
I never thought I’d find him, but then you sat down beside me and told me not to get fish at the bar.
Little did I know that night I’d find something I wanted far more than food. ”
I found a man I love. A man I would fight the world for. A man who has shown me just how much I mean to him. He’s here, in New York, even though I was going to be with him in just a few days. He planned an entire weekend just to be with me and give me a little more time in the city I love.
Killian and I may have had every single thing stacked against us, but somehow, we found a way to the other side, and I have never been happier.