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Erin just smiles. “I’m sure you would have handled it.”
“Not like you. Not perfectly. Not with that much calm.”
She blushes and looks away with a shrug. She’s trying to pass off what she just did as no big deal, but I see the truth. The woman standing in front of me is amazing. A one-in-a-million human being.
As we wait for Keith to get stitched up, Erin and I sit side by side in the waiting room. I’m so grateful for her presence. It’s not just her quick thinking in a crisis, but her whole demeanor that makes her special. She’s smart, beautiful, and strong.
A woman like her deserves the world.
“Hey,” I say, breaking the silence. “I’m sorry about…” I spread my hands. “I’m sorry we’re not having that romantic candlelight dinner right now. I know you didn’t expect to spend the evening in the emergency room.”
Her laugh is light and buoyant. “I’m comfortable in hospitals. It’s where I spend most of my time anyway.”
I chuckle, feeling a sense of ease with her. “Well, I hope we don’t have to spend all our dates in the hospital.”
Erin leans in closer to me, a mischievous glint in her eye. “Would that be so bad? I could teach you how to put in a Hep-Lock next time.”
I grin, appreciating her sense of humor. “As much as I love spending time with you, I’d much prefer we spend our dates doing something a little more… romantic.”
Erin’s face softens. “Me too.”
It’s then that I realize how much I want to be with her. Not just for a casual fling, but for something more. I want to give our relationship every chance it can to flourish and succeed.
“Erin,” I say, taking her hand in mine. “I know we only just started seeing each other, and we said we’d, you know… keep doing it once you go back to San Antonio…”
There’s a lump in my throat. What I’m about to say is kind of embarrassing, but I have to put it out there. Once Erin goes back to San Antonio, I know that I’ll just drive myself crazy wondering whether or not she’s seeing other men.
And I don’t want that. I want—needher all to myself.
Her eyes meet mine, and I see the same longing I’m feeling reflected back at me. “What is it?”
I take a deep breath, steeling myself for what comes next. “Would you want to… be exclusive?”
Erin’s smile grows wider, and she squeezes my hand. “Josh, are you asking me to be your girlfriend?”
I gulp and quickly backtrack. “Maybe it’s too soon. Sorry.”
She bites her bottom lip. “I… I mean, why not go for it?”
“Really?” My pulse races.
Erin nods, her eyes shining with excitement. “I really like you, Josh. And I don’t want to see anyone else when I’m with you.”
A wave of relief washes over me, and I smile. “I feel the same way.”
We lean in and kiss, sealing the deal. As we pull away, I can’t help but feel like this is the start of something great. Erin is an amazing woman, and I can’t wait to see where this relationship takes us.
Before I can kiss her again, a nurse arrives.
“Keith is all stitched up. He’s going to be fine,” she says with a smile. “He has some quick-thinking friends.”
I wrap my arm around Erin’s waist. “It was all her.”
The nurse nods, looking at Erin with admiration. “Well, he’s lucky to have a guardian angel like you.”
Erin blushes, and my chest expands with pride. She’s amazing, and I’m lucky to have her in my life.
All of the things that bothered me before — spending every day on the ranch, being in a small town — now seem so inconsequential.
