Page 33 of Bride ’N Boots

He leaned down and kissed the corner of my mouth. “Barbecue sauce.”

My phone buzzed again with another text from Arden.

Arden

When will I see you tomorrow?

“She wants to know when I’ll be back in town,” I said.

His brow wrinkled as he pondered my question. “Tell her ten.”

My heart deflated at the idea of our time together ending.

“Oh, okay.” I hoped my disappointment didn’t show.

“Tell her ten,” he repeated. “And you guys can catch up while you pack.”

I frowned. “Huh? Pack?”

“Pack,” he repeated. “You’re moving in with me, gremlin.”

“I can’t,” I protested, but it sounded weak to my own ears.

“Why not?”

“Because I—you—we⁠—”

“Laugh together, have great sex, and want babies,” he finished. “So, what’s the problem?”

“You’re nuts.”

“About you? Absolutely.” He scooped up another bite of food. “Try the pulled pork.”

I pushed the fork away from my mouth. “Stratton, be real for one second.”

“I’ll be real for a few seconds.” He set the fork down and then turned to me to grasp my upper arms. “I want you, Maise. I want you for longer than a day and one night. I want you in my bed, in my cabin, in my town. I want you forever and I don’t care one bit that I just met you. Now stop being stubborn.”

I’d spent years in a relationship that had been going nowhere. That never made me feel half as alive as Stratton had made me feel in just a few hours.

“My parents are going to flip their shit,” I muttered.

“We’ll tell them together.” He leaned forward and brushed his lips across mine. “After all, they should get to know your husband sooner rather than later.”

“You’re not my husband,” I giggled.

“Not yet,” he said with a heated smile. “But I will be.”

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

“Just text Arden,” Stratton said the next morning as he parked his truck in an oversized parking space on Silver Street. “Tell her we’re running late, but we’ll bring her a pastry to make up for it.”

“It’s your fault we’re running late,” I said with a glare as I pulled out my phone.

“My fault? How do you figure?” he demanded. “You were the one who initiated.”

“Yeah, because you sleep naked you giant, sexy beast. It’s too easy to just roll over and get on top of you.”

“So, you blame me for your insatiable gremlin appetite?” he asked in amusement.