“Nope.” I turn the wheel to the left and into the long gravel driveway that leads to the cabin. “No secret women. No not-so-secret women. Just no women, period.”
“Why not?”
I scrub my hand down over my beard and shrug as the cabin comes into view. “I don’t know. I just don’t have much interest in dating, I guess.”
“But you love taking care of me.” She scrubs her hands against her thighs as she talks. “I bet you’d love taking care of a family of your own too.”
I bite back the urge to tell her that’s bullshit, that I don’t date because the second I start getting close to someone else, I think of her, and deep down no one can compare.
“You are my family, kitten.” I put the truck in park and glance toward her. “I love you, so I take care of you.”
“That’s sweet,” her words are joyful and cute sounding, as though she’s trying to lighten the mood, “and you know I love you too, but don’t you want more? Like a wife and some kids? You’re getting up there in age, in case you didn’t know.”
My cock thumps at my zipper. The urge to speak my truth and fuck her tight, little core until she’s filled with my babies is overwhelming.
“I mean, look at this place.” She stares out at the cabin. “It’s huge! You clearly wanted a family at some point.”
It’s true, I did, except it was Nikki I imagined here with me. Her expanded belly, her bare feet on the lawn, her famous chocolate chip cupcakes in the oven, her clothes on the line as she sits next to me on a lazy Sunday in the rocker by the front porch.
“No, this is boredom. I started building it as an off-grid shack to stay during the winters and it turned into this. Can’t wait for the fucking tax bill.” I smile and hop out of the truck, rounding to her side to help her down and into the cabin as a warm breeze blows the scent of lavender across the field. I haven’t planted any, but there’s a lot of it growing behind the barn.
“Oh, the tax bill is gonna be huge,” she laughs, hopping into my arms so I can help her out of the truck. “But by the looks of the place, it’ll be worth it. This property is insane! You’ve got a full view of the western range!”
The western range is gorgeous. People come from all over the place to see the sun turn the mountaintops all kinds of colors, but Nikki is the best view I’ve had on this property since I bought it.
We climb up the front steps of the covered porch, the boards creaking under our weight as I fish the key out of my pocket, pretending to focus on the lock instead of her question. The evening air hangs cool against my neck, my gaze dodging hers as I push the door open.
Thankfully, she redirects her attention to the view inside.
“Oh my God, Reed!” She glances around and then toward me, her eyes wide. “This place is incredible!”
Her approval sends a rush of relief and a spark of pride through me I’m not expecting, and my body does that thing again where I want to lift her up onto the kitchen counter and welcome her home.
Except this isn’t her home and I’m pretty sure my cock splitting her in two isn’t what she needs tonight.
“These countertops, and the fireplace,” she smooths her hands over everything has she walks through the house, “you built all this yourself?”
I lower my head and nod. I’ve never taken compliments well. “It’s just a house.”
“This isnotjust a house. This is incredible, Reed! Like seriously.” She stalls at the pine carved mantelpiece as she speaks, her hand smoothing over the grain. “Can’t you see everyone’s stockings hanging here by the fire?”
My cock pulses. “Yeah, that would be nice. You, ugh, you hungry? I don’t have the place well stocked yet, but I think I have a frozen pizza I can throw in.”
She grins. “Sounds good. We can take it outside and watch the sky change colors. I’m going to make it my mission to find you a wife. Your life isn’t over, Reed. You should date for real.”
“Are you dating for real?” I reach into the freezer and pull out the frozen supreme pizza I grabbed one night I was working late. It’s the kind with the crust that puffs and it’s not that bad, though the thought of me dating is. Hell, the thought ofherdating is.
“No,” she laughs, lifting herself up onto the stool across from me at the counter. “Well, not unless you count the dinner dates for the house sales.”
My chest tightens. “Like the one you have with Troy?”
She staggers in a deep breath and bites back a grin. “You remembered his name.”
“I’m already stalking him,” I laugh as I pre-heat the oven and grab a pan from the cabinet nearby. “If you want me to play nice, he better be good to you.”
She pulls out her phone and clicks something before turning it toward me. On the screen is a tall, brooding man in his mid-forties. He’s clean shaven, strong jawline, and graying.
“Who’s this?” I ask, though my stomach is tightening like I already know who it is.
