Chapter 20 #2
"You know, it's getting farther away every day." I was starting to feel like I could live here as long as I was with Boone. But I had no idea where his head was at.
He winked at me. "I knew we'd make you a convert."
I laughed. "You seemed pretty worried in the beginning."
"I was concerned you wouldn't see how special this place is, and you'd come at everything with the city lens."
"I tried not to do that. I like to get to know each place I visit." And in this case, I got to know the entire family and one person in particular, who'd never leave my heart. I'd always remember my time here.
But I was worried it would be hard to come back and see Boone building a life with someone else. A woman who was from the area, who'd be all too happy to settle down with him and start a family. We didn't make sense. And I couldn't change to be with a man, could I?
That would be exactly what I'd fought against my entire life. I vowed I'd never put myself in a similar position again. I'd be a strong, independent woman who based her decisions on what she wanted, not on what a guy wanted. But at the same time, he hadn't told me what he wanted.
We were having a lovely night, and every minute we were together, I fell harder for him. I just wished I knew how he felt.
I shifted so that I was facing him. "Could you see yourself traveling more, seeing things away from here?"
He chuckled. "Why would I ever leave? This place has everything I could ever need. The businesses, my family, and the terrain I love so much."
Colorado didn't have me, and that was the problem.
I didn't have to worry about making a drastic change when he hadn't asked for me to make any. He hadn't told me how he felt in words. When we made love, I felt something. But was that love? Was it lust? Something else?
Was it a good time for him, or was it something more? My brain was starting to ache, and I wanted to enjoy myself.
The carriage stopped in front of the brewery. The lot was already full, and there were pink lights over the front porch.
"I love the lights."
Boone blinked at the sudden change in conversation. "I'm sure that was more Hattie and Clara's doing than Rowan or Beck's."
He got out of the carriage and helped me down. Inside, it was loud and boisterous. There were couples and large groups of women and men who'd come to enjoy the evening whether they were seeing someone or not. It was different than the vibe at the inn and restaurant, but I loved it here too.
He leaned down to say into my ear, "Let's hold out for the hot tub on your balcony, okay?"
I smiled. "Sounds good."
"We'll sip some brews, socialize and be seen, then continue the celebration in private."
"That sounds perfect."
Beck appeared in front of us. "I'm glad you made it. You want to sit with everyone? They're at the back table."
"We'll make our way back there," Boone said, leading the way through the crowd. He kept a tight grip on my hand so that we wouldn't be separated. When we reached the table, he took my coat and hung it on an empty chair.
I waved when everyone said hello at once.
"How was dinner?" Clara asked.
I touched my chest with my hand. "It was so good. Malcolm sent a little of everything on the menu. Probably one of my favorite meals of all time."
Clara grinned. "Always nice when you don't have to choose just one thing."
Her words rang a bell in my head. What if I didn't have to choose between Miami and the Harts?
What if I didn't have to choose between my business and Boone?
What if I could have it all? But I knew what the statistics said; people thought they could have it all, but it never worked out.
It was too much, and someone was always unhappy.
I'd heard plenty of stories about how difficult long-distance relationships were, and Boone said he didn't see himself in Miami.
When I sat down, Clara moved over a chair to sit next to me. "I heard you got a carriage ride here?"
"Another thing planned by Malcolm. He wants to ensure we have a great night," I said as Boone sat on my other side.
He was talking to Callum, who was to his right, but he rested his arm absentmindedly behind my chair.
I wondered if it was intentional or his way of saying that we were together.
Not in a traditional sense but that we were spending the evening together.
As far as anyone else knew, we were coworkers. Not anything else.
"When do you leave?"
I sighed. "My proposal is ready. I just need to meet with Judy and Raymond one more time. Then I can go at any time."
"What are you planning to do next?"
"Usually, I plan a few days or so at home to recharge, and then I'll take that time to choose my next job."
"Do you have a lot of options?"
"More than usual. I think word is getting around that I'm here. There is already buzz about the snow room going around online."
"That's great, then," Clara said.
I smiled. "It really is. I dreamed of this when I started out, and I wasn't sure it could really work. But it is."
"I'm so glad we booked you before you got too big for something like this." She gestured around at us.
"Yeah, I wouldn't want to have missed this." It truly was something special. It was possible that everything in my email was larger hotels in cities. Not that there was anything wrong with that, but I'd come to love this area. I glanced over at Boone. I'd come to love him as well.
How was I going to leave him and everyone else behind? I'd promised to visit, but how feasible was that when my schedule was only going to get busier, and I wasn't sure I could visit Boone? Would he be happy to see me, or would he move onto someone else?
"You have big things ahead of you. I can feel it," Clara said with a smile.
Boone's arm stiffened on the chair.
Had he heard what we were talking about? "I hope you're right."
Clara gave me a look. "Girl, you were made for big things. You own a condo on a beach in Miami. You're too grand for this."
My heart ached because I didn't want Boone to think that I felt too big for him or his family's property. I was falling more in love with the land and him every day.