Chapter 61
CHAPTER 61
OLIVIA
I n a feat I never would’ve achieved in the city, I spent all of Saturday afternoon and night unpacking, cleaning, and getting my life back in order after the week away. Back in New York, I’d always ended up being out and about, with client dinners at least a couple times a week and friends who loved dancing more than almost anything else.
A night in, by myself and getting organized, was exactly what I needed and I had genuine appreciation for the fact that I could have that here. As much as I would’ve loved to have spent all weekend with Charlie, I never would’ve gotten through the week knowing there was dust on the surfaces in my house and a bag full of clothes on the floor, still packed and unwashed.
Marveling about how a few small changes in my lifestyle suited me down to my bones, I started in the main bathroom and cleaned my way from there. I swept and mopped the floors, singing along to the Grease soundtrack after connecting my phone to the Bluetooth speakers in the house. Dusting, spraying, and wiping once the floors were done, I focused intently on my mission and tried to clear my mind.
Last night with Charlie had been incredible—and it wasn’t just the orgasms that were making me feel that way. I genuinely adored how he’d come right out and said that there was no one else, and I also appreciated that he hadn’t pushed things too far.
We were moving at a pace I was more than comfortable with and I felt like it was working. Both of us had some trust issues as a result of our respective pasts, and moreover, neither of us had been looking for a relationship when we’d fallen into the web of our attraction for one another.
The type-A in me loved a clean space with a candle lit, ordering in some dinner and having a reset. Right now, that was the goal I was working toward, and the process of getting there really helped me come to terms with the progress in my relationship with Charlie.
I went about the familiar routine one step at a time, intensely satisfied once I was finally done. To celebrate, I reached for the lighter I kept in a drawer in the living room and lit a gorgeous candle with the words “Book Boyfriend” on the printed label. This particular scent was sandalwood, leather, and spice, and I’d fallen completely in love with it the very first time I’d smelled it.
Charlie’s scent was similar to it, except that he had some undertones of earth in there as well, like the air outside on the ranch after that rainstorm. I smiled at the flickering flame after stowing the lighter back in the drawer.
Night had fallen outside and everything was dark and quiet. After lighting a few more handcrafted, artisanal candles, I clicked off the lights, then ordered some pizza for dinner and pulled my laptop closer.
Dave had sent me the rough cut of the “Twenty-four Hours on a Ranch” footage we’d shot before the conference, and there were some finishing touches I needed to put on before I uploaded it.
I lost myself in the video, absolutely crazy about what Dave and his team had done. It was everything I’d hoped for and more, and I spent a couple hours poring over it, adding little tweaks here and there while I ate until it was completely perfect.
As I hit save , I closed my eyes and sent up a quiet prayer that the Andersons would love it as much as I did. I set it to go live at midnight, excited for the world to get to see behind the scenes and also curious about what Charlie would think.
I sent him the final cut, somehow already missing him. It’d only been a few hours, but I was already wishing he’d have stayed. With the content waiting safely until it’d been scheduled to publish, my thoughts wandered back to him and how strange it was that he was now officially my boyfriend . I got up, suddenly having the urge to fetch the Boyfriend List I’d written out on my last day in New York.
Meanwhile, the playlist on my phone had circled back to Grease, and I chuckled as You’re the One that I Want started playing just as I sat down with the list in my hands. I looked it over slowly, realizing that Charlie met all of these expectations, even the silly ones I’d added later like, “ Must Have An Accent. ”
At the time, I’d meant a European accent, but hey, Texan still ticked the box. An accent was an accent, and Charlie’s sexy southern twang definitely counted.
“ Must Love Kids ” was the next item I’d added, and I laughed.
Do baby chicks count, I wonder? As I thought it over, I decided that yes, of course they did. They were something’s kids, after all. I hadn’t written down “ Must Love Human Children .”
On the other hand, I had a feeling that he loved those too. There was something about him that said he was probably amazing with them, one of those people that kids flocked to.
I was that person for some kids, but not all. Sometimes, my resting bitch face got in the way of them feeling comfortable enough to approach me. Either way, Charlie ticked that box, too.
Grinning, I folded the paper back up and yawned, my gaze skimming across the clock as I lifted my arms above my head in a stretch. It was after ten, and since I was still beat from the conference and not getting a whole heck of a lot of sleep last night, I got up off the couch, blew out the candles, and headed for my bedroom.
I grabbed a quick shower to rinse off the sweat I’d worked up while cleaning, washed my face, brushed my teeth, and climbed into bed. Before I switched off my lamp though, I grabbed my phone and texted Charlie.
Me: I already miss you.
A few minutes went by and I settled back in my bed, wondering whether he was going to respond at all when his reply lit up my screen.
Cowboy Charlie: I felt that as soon as I closed your door.
My heart skipped, a smile appearing on my lips unbidden. Boy, oh boy, but he knows how to make a girl’s heart beat faster.
Falling asleep with a smile on my face, I was up with the chickens the next morning, the ranch lifestyle somehow creeping into my own life. I loved it, though.
My weekend of self-care to decompress after the conference continued with London and I hitting up a hot yoga class, groaning and moaning our way through after a whole week of not doing any yoga at all, but I felt rejuvenated by the time we left the studio.
“Do you want to work out of a coffee shop for a while instead of going to the office?” she asked. “I know we’ve got some catching up to do, but I don’t really feel like being stuck inside.”
During our yoga session, we’d decided that we wanted to start the week as fresh as possible, which meant getting some work done today to clear the backlog, but she was right. I didn’t feel like being stuck inside either.
“There’s a bakery on a rooftop terrace just around the block,” I said. “I read about it in the pamphlet for the yoga studio. Apparently, they also make a mean smoothie.”
“Count me in,” she said happily, following me with a great big smile on her face after we grabbed our laptops from my car.
Once we were seated, we went over the client profiles for the Houston branch, updating projects and answering emails. We also planned our Monday morning staff meeting and put some final touches on the pitch I’d be making at the fair meeting in the morning. Thankfully, London and I had always worked well together like this and we managed to get enough done that we were even a little bit ahead for the week by the time I paid our check.
“People are absolutely loving the ranch video,” she gushed when I got back from the cash register. “Have you seen this? There are so many comments of people asking who the girl is with Charlie. It seems like they love you . There are even some comments saying that they’ve found Charlie a wife, and that it’s you!”
I laughed, secretly hoping that it would turn out to be true, but it was much too soon to start admitting to things like that. “I’m just so freaking relieved that they like it. I’ve been trying my best not to think about it all morning, but I’ve been dying to check the reaction. I just wanted to give it enough time that I could assess the general feeling rather than obsessing about every comment.”
“Well, the general feeling is that you and Charlie are meant to be.” She grinned at me. “If you put me in a pink bridesmaid’s dress, I’ll kill you.”
“What’s wrong with pink?” I teased as we packed up our laptops and made our way back down to the street. “You happen to look really good in it.”
She flipped her hair over her shoulder. “Yeah, but it’s not edgy enough. I need Liam to quake in his stupid cowboy boots when he sees me.”
Right . I’m not even going to ask about that.
After dropping London back off at her house, I ironed some of the clothes I’d washed last night, then showered and climbed into bed early with a book I’d been dying to read for months. My heart was aching with missing Charlie at this point, but I would be seeing him again in the morning, and now that he was my boyfriend, I was more excited about it than ever.
On Monday morning, I had to stop by the office for the team meeting before I would be able to go back to the ranch, and I almost skipped it. In the end, I only went because I knew I had to be seen there now that we were back in town.
When the staff gathered around the elevator to applaud me as I walked in, however, I was flabbergasted. Overjoyed but so completely surprised that I stopped dead in my tracks.
“You did a fantastic job at the conference, Liv,” someone cheered.
Another added, “We livestreamed it and we’re honored to work directly underneath you.”
I blinked hard, pinching myself to make sure I wasn’t dreaming, but it turned out I was wide awake. Grinning so hard that my cheeks hurt, I pressed my hands to my heart and tried to figure out when my real life had become so much of my literal dreams coming true.
“ Honor is a bit strong, but thank you all,” I said, while forcing myself to hold back tears of joy. “And I promise I’ll do my best to lead us to a bright and glorious future.”
It felt like the people here were finally claiming me and it made me feel more at home than ever. Yep. Texas has definitely been the best freaking decision I’ve ever made.