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“How so?” It’s hard for me to wrap my head around the fact that meeting me could have that kind of impact on his life. That dating me has given him any kind of new perception on life and his career.
“I’m a workaholic.” He flashes me a grin. “You can even tell Palmer that I admitted it. I was so focused on making something of myself. My parents lived paycheck to paycheck growing up, and I didn’t want that. Don’t get me wrong, we never wanted for anything, and my sisters and I all went to college, but I still just wanted more. When I was hired at Patrick and Gordman, they were talking about retiring in a few years. I wanted to prove to them that I was someone they could trust their years of hard work with. I wanted to be the only logical candidate when it came time for that to happen.”
“And now?” I take a drink of my sweet tea.
“Now, I realize that what my parents, and my sisters, and even my buddies have been telling me is true. I’m working my life away. I don’t want to wake up in another ten years and have nothing to show for my life but a career. I want a family of my own.”
“You want kids?”
“I do. And a wife.” His eyes hold mine, and I try really hard not to squirm under his gaze. “Do you want kids? A husband?”
“It was always just assumed that I would marry Robert and give him an heir. It wasn’t something I wanted with him, but that was what my parents would have demanded if they’d managed to get me down the aisle with him. The choice was never mine. When I told my father that I refused to marry Robert, things got… heated, and that’s the night I left.”
“And now?”
“Yeah, I want kids. I want to be better than my parents. I want to show my kid or kids that they’re loved and that the sky is the limit to what they can do.”
“And the husband?” His voice is gruff.
You.
A vision of life with him by my side flashes through my mind. “I want a man who will love me and honor me. I want someone who will stand beside me and let me make my own choices. I want someone who is in my corner always but still not afraid to tell me when I’m wrong.” I quickly clamp my mouth shut when it dawns on me that I’ve basically just described Deacon.
“Do you plan on staying in Willow River?” he asks. There is a slight tilt to his lips, and at first, I worry that he knows I was describing him, but then I remember I’ve asked for honesty and have vowed to give it in return.
“I am. This is my home now. There’s nothing for me to go back to in New York.”
“Here you go. A pizza burger and fries.” The waitress sets a plate in front of Deacon. “And a bacon cheeseburger and cheese sticks for you. Can I get you all anything else?”
“Rams?” Deacon asks.
“No. Thank you, this is perfect.” I smile at the waitress.
“I’ll be back to check on you,” she says and scurries away.
“I can’t believe we’re eating at a place that serves burgers and fries for a date.”
“Were you hoping for something fancier?”
“No. Not at all. This is… everything I ever wanted. I just wanted to be normal. I didn’t like having to be ‘on’ all the time. Image was everything to Donald and Angela Smithfield.”
“I was hoping you would like this place. I went back and forth about where to take you and what we should do, but from our conversations, I just wanted to give you a little piece of what you missed out on.”
“Thank you, Deacon. This is perfect. I can’t think of a better night. Ever.”
A lazy smile tilts his lips. I avert my gaze and focus on my food before I just sit and stare at him the rest of the night. It’s so easy to get lost in his gorgeous honey-colored eyes.
“Well, what did you think?” he asks.
“I loved it. I’ve not seen any of the others, but I need to.”
“My girl has been sheltered,” he teases, wrapping an arm around my waist and guiding us to his car.
“I work three jobs,” I remind him as he opens the door for me. Always the perfect gentleman, even when no one is watching. He waits for me to be belted in before closing the door.
“Is that a ‘need to’ thing? Or just a ‘security’ thing?” he asks once we’re on the road.
“A little of both, I guess. I have a good nest egg, but I never want to be in the position of needing to rely on someone else for my basic needs. If Aunt Carol and Uncle Raymond hadn’t taken me in, I don’t know what I would have done.”
