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The thought has my stomach rolling and I bring a hand to it, rubbing it gently until the sick feeling subsides. If he doesn’t want to be with me, then I’ll have to take the news like an adult and accept his reasons. I’m sure the decision has more to do with my father than anything, and it has me wondering if he ever went to talk to him.
Dad was pretty upset when I showed up a couple weeks ago demanding that he go talk to Beau, so maybe he never went. If he never went, then Beau still thinks my father hates him — which definitely isn’t the case. Dad’s just mildly upset with him for everything. I had thought going there and talking to him had helped calm him down, but perhaps I was wrong and it only made things worse.
When Beau comes to a stop next to me on his horse, I take a moment to study his face. There’s no fresh bruising around his eye or anything, so he hasn’t been hit recently. That’s a good sign, right?
Beau smirks and nods toward the large open field in front of us. “Where are we heading?”
I shake my head and look out at the bright green grass, squinting against the bright morning sun, and shrug. “I don’t have a plan. I was just riding.” It was a lot easier to be free when I was alone and I’m not so sure I can do that now.
When we get the horses put back into the stables, Beau follows me out of the exit with his hands hanging at his sides. The silence is only making me more nervous as we head up the hill toward my house and I spin around to face him. “Where’s your car at?”
He runs a hand through his hair. “Uh, I got a ride share over here. No car.”
No car? That doesn’t seem to help my confusion about his sudden visit to my ranch. “What are you doing here, Beau?”
“I was hoping we could talk.”
I scoff. “Oh, now you want to do that? The last time we had a conversation you wouldn’t talk to me, then you ended up leaving and I haven’t heard from you since.”
“I’m sorry, Piper, I thought it was the best thing for me to do at the time.”
“And now?” I ask, arching a brow in his direction with my arms crossed over my chest. My heart is beating erratically in my chest, threatening to pop out, and I wait with bated breath for his answer.
“Now,” he says, taking a tentative step toward me. “I know it’s definitely not the best thing - for either of us.”
My breath hitches and I blink, taking a small step back. “What do you mean?”
“I mean that there is nowhere else I’d rather be than standing here in front of you.”
“What about my dad?”
He shrugs. “I’m not too worried about him. See, I’ve spent the last couple weeks wishing you were in my arms. Missing your presence each and every second of the day, and the thing is, Piper, I don’t want to miss it anymore. I want to be here with you.”
Wait, what? I thought for sure he was going to tell me he didn’t want to be with me, that he wanted to focus on his friendship with my dad first. “Beau, this is a hard decision, maybe you need some more time to think about it.”
“It’s not that hard, actually. It’s pretty simple. I’m in love with you and I don’t want to spend another moment without you in my life.” He holds a hand out to me, silently asking me to take it, then smiles. “What do you say?”
Could this really work?
I’ve spent my childhood admiring him from afar, then wishing he would notice the woman I became, and now hoping that he would love me the way I’ve grown to love him. Could it really be as simple as this?
He loves me, and now I’m not speaking. There’s a crease forming on his forehead the longer I take to answer, then he’s slowly dropping his hand, but before it falls completely at his side I’m taking the steps I need and jumping into his arms.
Home.
I always thought home was the place standing perfectly in front of us, but being with him has made me realize it’s not. A home is where you feel safe and memories are made, that doesn’t have to equate to a slab of concrete though. It can be as simple as the person standing right in front of you, a goofy grin on their face as you look into their eyes.
Beau is my home. The way my heartbeat slows as he brings a hand to my chest is proof enough of that. Every worry I’ve had melts away at his touch and I lean into it, savoring the feeling.
“I’m in love with you, too,” I whisper, my lips dangerously close to his. That distance is cut in moments as his lips slam onto mine, stealing every breath from inside my body and making them his own.
There’s a heat spreading through my skin that only he can tame, and I bring my arms around his neck to pull him closer to me. He pulls away from me with a smile, then threads his fingers through mine and leads me up the front steps of my house. I’ve never felt more content with anything than I do at this moment, watching as Beau toes his shoes off in the entryway, making it look very domestic.
This is what I always dreamed about, and now it’s happening. He pulls me in the direction of the stairs, walking up them slowly until we are standing in front of my bedroom door. I’m burning with anticipation, wondering what this man is going to do to me now that we are back together.
I’ve been aching for this. I’ve been bringing myself to a release that doesn’t match the one he gives me, and I’m more than ready for it. Which is why I eagerly step through the opened door and push my jeans slowly down my legs, winking at Beau over my shoulder as I do.
The fire in his eyes only makes the moment that much more intense.
