Page 125 of Hometown Hottie

61

NOVA

After I left the barn, I went back to the cottage and started baking. I’d stored a crate of strawberries at my parents’ house and I was now going to use the last of them to surprise Carson and his mom with the pastries they loved.

Thank goodness he’s over at his place today.I’d been meaning to bake these all week, but we were rarely apart these days. As much as I loved being with him, it was kind of hard to surprise him when he was right there while said surprise was going into the oven.

Humming under my breath, I switched on the radio in my kitchen, donned an apron, and got to work. Making the dough was second nature to me and it made me feel all warm and tingly to be back in the kitchen, baking for those I loved.

This was how I’d started and, undoubtedly, how I would end when the time came. Simply baking what I felt like for people who weren’t paying me for anything in particular. It was weird, but getting back to my roots and the basics for a change felt good.

If anything positive had come out of the bakery burning, it was this. Well, this and all the time I was getting to spend with Carson now that I didn’t have to be running a business full time while still doing my chores as well.

Even so, I was looking forward to re-opening day and I was very excited for everything we were going to be starting on the ranch as soon as construction was done. For now, I was happy with the breathing room and ecstatic with life in general at the moment.

It really couldn’t be any better. I smiled, thankful that all the drama and the storms had died down—and then Carson walked into my house. It took one look at his face for me to know that my brief time of peace had come to an end. My spirits sagged, and my heart dropped to my shoes.

“What is it? What’s wrong?” I abandoned the rolling pin and walked around the counter, embracing him and not giving a damn that I was getting his shirt covered in flour. “You look like you’re going to be sick, but you’re weirdly happy about it, but also worried. What on earth is going on?”

He chuckled, hugged me tight, and kissed the top of my head. He pulled back, spotted the crate of strawberries on the counter, and flashed me a hopeful smile. “I thought you said all of those were gone.”

I groaned. “It was supposed to be a surprise. That’s why I didn’t tell you there were any left, but you’re going first. What’s going on with you?”

The look in his eyes was a mixture of caution and hope. “We need to talk about that broadcasting job I mentioned to you the other day. I need to make a decision about it, but I need you to know that I meant what I said the other day. I’m not leaving you, not even if I take the job.”

My breath got stuck in my lungs. I’d known he was considering taking the gig, but I’d been hoping that we’d have more time together before he needed to take off. Staring at him now, I looked into those bright green eyes and imagined only seeing them on video calls for a couple months at a time and it made my insides ache.

Everything inside me hurt at the idea of him leaving so damn soon. “I think you’d be great at it.”

He sighed. “You’ve already said that, baby. I don’t really care if I’d be any good at it. What I care about is talking about what it would look like for us if I take it.”

Realizing that he was weighing his options based on my opinion, I pushed past the hurt and shoved away the disappointment. It would all be back with a vengeance later, but I couldn’t let him turn it down just because I was worried about not seeing him for a little while.

“You should do it,” I said evenly, lifting my chin and looking right into his eyes. I couldn’t hold his gaze, though. I averted it and pretended to have to watch the dough while I kneaded it instead. “It’s a wonderful opportunity for you and a logical step after you stopped playing professionally. The fans would love to see you.”

“Nova,” he said, but I still couldn’t look at him. There were tears welling in my eyes and I didn’t want to hold him back. “Nova. Look at me, baby. Please?”

“I can’t.” I squeezed my eyes shut and inhaled deeply. Then I finally lifted my gaze to his and let out a huff of sad laughter. “I’m sorry. I didn’t want you to see this. Don’t let the tears stop you, Carson. I’ll get over it. You’ll be back soon, right?”

Sure. Once or twice. Then the commute will become too tedious.

The stool he’d been on scraped against the floor as he pushed it back. He came over to slide his arms around me. Chest to chest, I felt the heat of him and got enveloped by the scent I loved so much. In that moment, I couldn’t imagine being away from him for even a day.

“I will always be back and it will always be as soon as I can, but if you want to, I want you to travel with me.”

My jaw dropped and I tilted my head back so I’d be able to see his eyes. “Are you sure?”

He cracked the tiniest grin as he nodded. “I’m very fucking sure. I want you with me, Nova. Always. But I also understand that you have obligations here, and if you say no, then that’s okay too. It wouldn’t mean that we’re over. We’d just be long distance for a little while at a time, and it’d suck, but we’d make it work.”

I pulled away from him a little more, turning my head to look at the ranch stretching out beyond the kitchen window. That view had been what I’d woken up to almost every morning since my parents had brought me home from the hospital, and it was an amazing view.

During the time I’d spent at college, I’d missed it every single day, but I wouldn’t be leaving it for years this time. If I said yes, if I followed my heart and went with him, I’d still get this view to come home to often.

So many thoughts shot through my head all at once. I stared at my mountains in the distance, the puffy, ice-white clouds in the beautiful blue sky, and all the green in between. Would the ranch be okay without me? Would my family cope with all the renovations if I wasn’t here to help? Was it fair to expect them to?

I didn’t know the answers to any of those questions, but as Carson kept gently holding me, not pushing for an answer and waiting patiently for me to sort through it all, I realized that for the first time in a long time, I had a bit of breathing room.

Just a few minutes ago, I’d had that exact thought. I’d forgotten about it when Carson had walked in, but I finally had some space to be me without worrying about all the responsibilities of being part of a family who owned a ranch.