Chapter 43
W e spend the rest of the week tangled in the sheets. I take her in the bed, on the floor, in the shower, on the dining room table, in front of the fire, and in the jacuzzi tub.
I’ll never tire exploring every glorious inch of her body. We cook for each other and enjoy hours upon hours of conversation and laughter. I’ve fallen so hard for Isabelle—I'll never recover from the drop. And I don’t want to.
We leave today, and I'm sullen our bubble is going to pop. At least we’ll come out on the other side together. Unfortunately, the ranch and the horses can’t wait, and I’ve already asked too much of James and Greyson this week. So, back to reality we must go.
Over coffee and chai this morning, Isabelle playfully whines that she doesn’t want to leave. “The Dreamhouse is our place. So much of our journey happened here.”
She's right. The first time she was bare faced in front of me.
The first time I saw her nipples, and yes, this is a key moment in our journey, a core memory.
Telling her about the ranch and my family history.
Learning of her decade-plus long crush. Voicing my dreams for Lucky Spurs Ranch.
And her fucking sketch that captured my every wish.
And now, the best week of my wretched life. Our first Valentine’s. Fuck, she’s my first ever Valentine. The bobblehead armadillo I’ll be permanently mounting to my dash as soon as I get home.
Touching Isabelle for the first time, tasting her, fucking her. I’ll never forget that she gave me her most precious gift, and I'll never break the trust she handed to me.
These walls heard our first declarations of love and will forever contain the energy that we created with our passion. Hell, I’d buy the place for her in a fucking heartbeat if I could afford it.
But considering it’s worth more than several of Swift’s properties combined and is the company’s biggest moneymaker, I don’t have enough organs to sell to afford it. Instead, I promise myself I'll bring her back someday.
The bags are packed and loaded in the truck. We’ve cleaned up after ourselves and composted the floral shop’s worth of bouquets. There's just one thing left I need to do.
I find Isabelle daydreaming in front of the bay window. The sun shining into the room casts a halo around her. She's unequivocally the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen. And I need to officially make her mine.
I stand behind her and wrap her in my arms. She immediately relaxes into my hold and rests her head back on my shoulder. “Hi.” She sighs up at me, eyes sparkling in the morning light.
“Hi, sugar,” I say back, heart full of love and hope.
“There’s something I need to talk to you about before we leave.” Concern blankets her features. “Don’t worry, baby. Come sit with me.”
I lead her to what’s become our spot by the now cold fireplace. I pull her down to sit in my lap. She wraps her arms around my neck and quirks her head to the side, waiting to hear what I need to say.
“This has been the best week of my life. I'm a lucky sonofabitch to be the one who gets your love. I’m going to spend the rest of my life showing you how much I love and treasure you.”
Her eyes are smiling, brimming with tears. “I love you too, so much. This week has been magical, and I'll remember it forever.”
“Before we leave, it’s important to me that you know where I stand.” She nods with a furrow of her sculpted brows.
“The only way this works is if I'm yours, and you’re mine. I don’t want any question that you belong to me, and I belong to you.”
The little minx tilts back and full of mischief, quips, “Are you asking me to go steady, cowboy?” I know she's trying to be funny but yes, yes, I fuckin’ am.
“Call it whatever you want, sugar. I’m too old to be called a boyfriend but I'll proudly be your boyfriend. Your man. Your partner. And if you want to be called my girlfriend, you’ll be my girlfriend. My woman. My everything.” My fiancée. My wife.
She crushes a kiss to my lips, laughing the entire time. “Yes. Of course.” I love seeing her so happy.
“Let’s hit the road.”
I've never been so blissed out in my life.
Getting the red Power Ranger bike I wanted for my fifth birthday?
Winning my first football game?
Getting my first horse?
Literally any time I’ve felt physical pleasure in my life up until Isabelle?
It all pales in comparison to the manic happiness I feel now. Every. Day.
I can’t wait to marry this incredible woman.
We return to Swiftwater Friday evening and on our way through town, we stop into The Flying Pig for dinner.
We split a Greasy Spoon because we gorged on car snacks the entire drive back.
But of course, my girl needs her own Cherry Pepsi, so I pop up to the bar and ask Frank to add a skewer of maraschino cherries to hers just to make her smile.
One last dinner together before we re-enter the real world was exactly what we needed. Not that I don’t want to show my girl off to the world, that’s not it at all. But I want to protect the newness of our relationship for a little bit longer.
I’m reluctant to drive her home—the conditions she lives in drive me up the fucking wall. My girl deserves the best of all things. I don’t have a lot—a defunct ranch, early mornings and dead ass-tired nights, and an old truck with a bed full of baggage.
But what I do have is hers. Everything I do is for her and will always be for her.
I park the truck and turn towards Isabelle.
She's fiddling with the hem of her pink coat. She wears the damn thing every day and it puffs my chest with pride to see her wearing what I bought for her. I got it to keep her warm on the ranch, but I won’t lie and say it doesn’t stir up some possessive masculinity to see her wrapped up in it.
Is she as dejected to be leaving as I am to let her go?
“Come stay with me at the ranch,” I blurt out.
“Reid.” She laughs. “I have to go home. I’ve left Delilah with our mom for too long already.” She chews at her lips.
“Run inside and tell her to pack a bag. We’ve got plenty of room for her on the ranch. She can stay in the main house, or I can fix up one of the guest houses.” I’m rambling, grasping at straws.
I can see the wheels spinning in her head.
“Sugar, we’ve already been living together off and on for months. I don’t think I can spend a night away from you now that you’re mine.” Her eyes soften and her shoulders relax.
“I don’t want to be away from you either. But I haven’t even told my sister. I can’t exactly march into her bedroom and tell her to pack up her whole life because I have a boyfriend now who wants to move me in.”
In a teasing voice, she has a conversation with herself. “No, you’re right, I didn’t have a boyfriend five days ago. Yes, this is a lot to process. Chop, chop!” She looks at me, panic stricken.
Trying to lighten the mood, I deadpan, “I don’t see the problem.”
She whips her arm out and backhands my chest. My laughter fills the truck cab—damn, it feels good to laugh again—and it’s all thanks to her.
“Alright, alright. I know I’m moving too fast. I’m just fuckin’ crazy about you and now that I have you, I don’t want to let you go.” Simp. I’ve turned into a complete simp—and I don’t give a single shit. She makes me so fucking happy, and I’d like the chance to make her happy too.
I hop out of the truck and open her door. I unbuckle her seatbelt and offer my hand to help her down out of the cab. I grab her bags, and her hand, and walk her to the dimly lit porch. It doesn’t sit right with me that she isn’t going to let me help her inside, but I’m not going to push her.
I cup her breathtaking face, lightly rubbing my thumbs against her smooshed cheeks.
“Here’s what’s going to happen, sugar. You’re going to get your cute ass inside, drag your sister into bed to cuddle, video call Olivia and gush and squeal all about our week.” Her smile is so pretty it hurts, the way her eyes sparkle—fuck.
“You’re going to get some sleep and take some time to think about what you want to do. Because I’m telling you right now, my bed is going to be cold and sad without you in it. I want everything with you, but I'll take whatever scraps you’re willing to give me.”
I press a soft kiss to her smiling lips, and as she turns to open her front door, I slap her ass for good measure. She yips so loud it makes a neighbor dog bark.
She whips around on me with the least intimidating death glare I’ve ever seen, but I’m already walking backwards to the truck.
“Night, sugar.” I give her a wink.
“Night, cowboy.”
My heart aches with how much I love her, and from leaving her here. But soon enough, I’ll get her where I need her—by my side forever.
I drive home in a love-drunk haze. It’s early enough that I text the guys letting them know they're off the hook and take my time doing my evening chores. Long stints away are bittersweet. It’s always great being on an adventure, but I'm a creature of habit, and my routine grounds me.
Plus, I miss the whinnying beasts that clip-clop around in their stalls.
Settling in for the night, I’m thankful for my own mattress. Normally at this time of night, I’d plug in my phone and pass out because I’d be deadass tired. But I'm buzzing with hope for what comes next. I’ve never looked forward to tomorrow—to want the dark hours to fly by in a rush.
Instead of going to sleep, I check for the millionth time that the item I’ve ordered will arrive in time.