“I would never want to presume anything about anyone. There’s no pressure here?—”
“I want that.” Mia cuts me off. “Not that I ever thought this was how my Christmas would go, or anything.” She adds,looking a little embarrassed at how quickly she leapt into agreeing to this.
“Neither did I.” A curve tugs at the corner of my lips. “I certainly didn’t expect to stumble upon the prettiest girl I’ve ever laid eyes on, among a stack of books, who might just be the best present I could have hoped for.”
That has her blushing harder. Adorably so.
“Wanna get out of here?”
Her green eyes glint at me. “More than you could imagine.”
While I don’t exactly love the idea of setting her down, I reluctantly do so in order to open the door. Once we’re inside, this time, I don’t give her the choice of sitting all the way down the other end of the bench seat like before.
Reaching over, I bracket her outside hip with one hand and slide her over. Which produces the best little laugh of surprise when I manhandle her into the position I want.
Something to revisit later.
I put the truck in drive and grip her soft thigh the entire way.
If all goes to plan, this might just look like a whole lot of future moments with this girl. With her tucked between the two of us.
CHAPTER NINE
Ford:
He’s a smitten fucking kitten.
Can’t keep his eyes off her.
Boone:
The old man still has game?
Henri… you must’ve taught him a thing or two. FINALLY.
Landon Junior:
What the fuck???
I’m kinda drunk right now. Are we seriously talking about Reid?
Not much surprises me, after playing rugby at the top level and all my career entailed as an athlete, I feel like I’ve lived an entire goddamn lifetime all before I hit thirty.
Hell, I wasretiredfrom the game by thirty-four. Had to start over.
It’s a funny sort of thing to be racing a clock and trying to make the most of every opportunity when you know the next game could be your last. All it would have taken was an injury, a brutal tackle, something entirely out of my control… andpoof.
Yet, today? What started as the most unassuming of days, working on a commission piece of metal signage for one of the local ranchers, has ended up bringing the sort of surprise I’d have never seen coming in among the snow and ice lying thickly over these mountains.
An extremely beautiful surprise of emerald eyes, silky dark hair, and a shy smile. Along with the gorgeous sight of my guy looking completely stunned, knocked down on his ass, like his horse has just thrown him from the saddle to hit the dirt of the arena.
After all the years we’ve been together—a long fucking time of us holding out hope we might eventually find the right woman to fill that subtle space we both feel a yearning for—I would never have picked today to be the day such a possibility might have flickered back to life.
The two of them walk in the front door holding hands, and I’m instantly grinning at the sight of them. Judging by the way Mia hides behind his giant frame, by the way Reid’s chest is puffed up, they’ve certainly been up to no good.
I couldn’t be happier to see it.
Reid holds her so damn carefully, but firmly, I’d bet my left nut he’s already planning to ask her if she’ll stay forever. He’s a cowboy who doesn’t open up easily, certainly doesn’t trust manypeople in this world, but when he gives his heart, he’s all in. The kind of trust fall where he’ll cradle you the whole way down and put his body on the line to make sure you don’t get hurt. Reid is a both feet kind of cowboy. Diving deep with oxygen strapped to his back, ready to forsake his own in order to give you every last breath.
