“Did you make Juniper fall in love with you, Dom? Because she would have kicked your ass if you scared her the way you just scared me.”
He smiles, and god fucking damn it.
Why does he have to smile like that?
Lopsided, an eye crinkling at the corner, the damn cowboy hat framing his perfect face. It’s not fair being that good looking.
“I used to fight so hard for you to give me one of those, and now you’re just giving them out willy nilly like that?”
His smile grows wider than the length of this land. “What? This?” He points to his perfect, full lips, stretched out and beautiful.
“Yeah, that.”
“You’ve fixed my grumpiness.”
“Not even your mother would believe that, sir. You’re still plenty grumpy.”
I scratch Juniper’s mane as I ponder every interaction I’ve had with Dom—how no matter how mad I want to be at him, our banter, communication, and overall feel is so natural. He’s perfect for me.
And if this is scary for me, I can’t imagine how it feels for him, especially after knowing how much he blamed himself for his divorce.
“Were you taking her out for a ride?” he asks, pointing at the saddle.
“Yup. That was my plan.”
Dom grabs the bridle and stands next to Juniper, greeting her and slipping the reins over her head. “Where were you going?” He moves so effortlessly, it’s mesmerizing.
“I was going to find you.”
He freezes in place, sliding the crownpiece over the ears and lifting his gaze to meet mine. I love that his eyes remind me of night skies and deep river water, of smiles before skinny dipping and late night paint fighting.
His eyes hold all the memories of a summer I’ll never forget. The summer I got lost in him but found myself.
“Find me? For what?”
“To tell you something.” I don't smile. Maybe a bit cruel, but I love keeping him on his toes.
“Tell me what?”
I circle Juniper, landing in front of him but not taking my hand away from her. I peer up at him through my lashes and stay quiet.
And I wait.
Or I want to.
But I don’t for long. We’ve waited enough.
“That I love you too.”
He stumbles backwards, his eyebrows shooting up high. “Come again?”
I’m the one smiling now, from ear to ear, practically bouncing on the ball of my feet. “I love you.”
“Riles…”
“I do. Unfortunately for you, I fell in love with you first, so this is not news to me.”
“What do you mean?”
