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“Chloe, why in the world do you think you need a giraffe?”
“Wade loves them, Daddy. He’s watching one now, waiting for her to have a baby. We watched her eat her breakfast this morning and he told me all about them and how we need to protect them. Cause they are going to stink if we don’t take care of them!”
“Oh, Jesus. I think my ovaries just exploded,” Waylynn whispered as I covered my mouth to hide my chuckle at Chloe’s faux pas.
“Extinct, pumpkin. Not stink.”
Chloe stared at Steed, and my heart grew bigger for her, if that was even possible.
“Okay, well, can I get one?”
Steed chuckled. “No, pumpkin. You’ve got your goat you need to watch over.”
I almost died when I saw her hands go to her hips.
“Oh, larwd,” Waylynn giggled. “Here comes the Parker in her.”
“Then I’m going to go talk to granddaddy about a giraffe. He’ll get me one.”
The look on Steed’s face was priceless. “Have at it. Good luck with that.”
Spinning on her heels, Chloe marched out of Steed’s office.
Waylynn leaned on his desk. “You, my dear brother, are in a shitload of trouble.”
He rolled his eyes and groaned. “Tell me about it. Thank God the next one is a boy.”
I walked into the living room and came to a stop. My eyes landed on the coffee table. It was loaded with popcorn, licorice, Mike and Ikes, and fresh-cut fruit. Glancing at the TV, I smiled when I saw the screen.
Pride and Prejudice.
“Hey.”
I turned to see Wade with a small cooler.
“Hey, back at you. What’s going on?”
He set the cooler on the floor, opened it and pulled out a bottle of Bud Light.
“Did you get my invite?”
My stomach fluttered exactly like it had ten minutes ago when a note was slipped under my bedroom door.
“What are you up to, cowboy?”
He smiled, and my knees wobbled. “I figured if I can’t get you to read me the rest of the book, we need to watch it. I remember you said it had to be the one with Keira Knightley. So, I bought it off of Amazon.”
I wanted to look around for cameras. Men like this didn’t exist. How could his girlfriend have left him? He was amazing, caring, and so damn thoughtful.
“This is perfect!” I said as I made my way to the oversized leather sofa.
Wade sat down, leaving a buffer between us. “I wasn’t sure what type of snacks you liked.”
My eyes scanned the table again. A strange emotion rushed through my body, and I fought not to look at him. If I did, I was positive I would throw my arms around him.
“I’ve never had anyone go to this much trouble to watch a movie with me,” I said, struggling to keep my voice even.
Wade took my hand and squeezed it. “This was fun, Amelia. Not trouble. I think one of my favorite things is to see your smile. It makes me happy. So, the more I make you smile, the better it is for me.”
My entire body trembled. I wanted to tell him I loved his smile. His laugh. His kind heart. Instead, I looked away.
I wanted to let Wade in, but I was positive my heart wouldn’t survive if he broke it.
“Popcorn and M&M’s. That’s usually what I like.”
He dropped my hand and laughed. “Chocolate and salt. I’ll remember for next time.”
When he reached for the remote, I peeked at him. He didn’t seem the least bit phased I hadn’t responded to what he said.
I chewed on my lower lip for the first ten minutes of the movie. It was killing me to think I might have hurt his feelings by not responding. Or he only wanted to be friends, and I was reading into everything…
After another ten minutes, I pulled my legs up and tried to relax. Wade asked a question every now and then, and before I knew it, I was leaning against him, my head on his shoulder and my hand resting on his chest. I fought like hell to keep my eyes open.
Slowly drifting to sleep, I smiled slightly. I’d never felt so at peace as I did in that moment.
When Wade’s arm wrapped around me, pulling me close, I let sleep take over.
“How do I look?” Waylynn asked.
I pulled my gaze from the window. My sister was wearing a blue dress that fell just below her knees.
“You look beautiful in my boots.”
Waylynn grinned at my favorite pair of Ropers on her feet. “They’re so comfy, Meli. Please.”
How could anyone say no to those pleading eyes? Sighing like it was a big deal, I waved my hand. “Fine. Just don’t scuff them.”
With a small jump and clap, Waylynn headed into her bathroom. “Are you gonna get ready?” she called out.
Looking down at the dress I had on, I frowned. “What’s wrong with what I’m wearing?”
