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“It’s more than all right. It’s a dream bedroom for her. She loves the canopy bed, and all the pink.” Andrea accepts the wine glass I offer her and we take our drinks outside. As I watch her wide hips slide into the Adirondack chair beside mine, I feel a fresh surge of desire. I wish she’d come over here and slide onto my lap and let me savor those incredible curves.
Then she asks me the question I knew was coming. “Carter, why didn’t you tell me your life was like this?”
Guilt gnaws at me. “I didn’t know how to tell you without it sounding like I was bragging. I’m sorry. Are you upset?”
“No. Confused, yes, but not upset. I imagined you and your life to be a certain way, and it’s so much different than what I expected.” She pauses thoughtfully. “I’m happy for you, though. It’s amazing that you’ve done so well for yourself.”
“I’ve been lucky,” I say.
“No, it’s a lot more than luck, Carter. I know how hard you work. You’re the hardest working cattle rancher in the world.”
“Maybe too hard of a worker,” I admit. “I don’t do much else.”
I want to tell her that I’ll make plenty of time for her and Sadie if they come to live here with me, but I know that’s jumping the gun. I don’t even know if she has any sort of feelings about me beyond platonic ones. Fuck, just the thought of her rejecting me sends a sharp pain to my gut.
I look up into the sky above us. The stars are bright tonight.
“There’s the Big Dipper,” I say.
“Oh,” she says, awe in her voice as she gazes upward. “Wow. I’ve never seen the sky look like that. We should have come out here before Sadie went to bed. She loves looking for constellations.”
I look at Andrea admiringly, thinking about how good of a mom she is. I know it’s been tough for her, raising a kid on her own. Sadie’s dad hasn’t ever been in the picture—Andrea never had an actual relationship with him—so she’s truly had to do it all herself. I’m seriously in awe of this woman.
“You’re amazing, you know that?” I say.
Andrea’s eyes meet mine. “What?”
“You’re amazing, Andrea. I’m so in awe of you.”
Even in the warm glow of the firelight, I can see her cheeks turn rosy. “What are you talking about?”
“You’re such a good mother,” I say. “And such a good person. Such abeautifulperson.”
She chews on her lip. I can tell she’s overwhelmed by everything I’m saying. I stand up out of my chair, take a step toward her, and hold out my hand.
She looks at it nervously, then takes it. As I pull her up, she inhales a little surprised breath. As I start to lead us in a lazyslow dance, turning us in a slow circle as we sway, she rests her head against my chest.
“I’ve wanted you for so long,” I whisper against the top of her head.
She lifts her head, looking up at me in surprise. “You have?”
I nod. “For years.”
“I…” She’s suddenly a little breathless. “But I’m…”
“You’re what, Andrea?”
“I’m not…I can’t…” She furrows her brows. “Why me?”
“Whynotyou?” I ask.
She hesitates for a moment. Then says, “I just feel like someone else would be better suited to the kind of life you have.”
“You mean someone more outdoorsy?” I ask, smiling.
“No.” Her eyes drop from mine. “Someone used to all this luxury.”
“Well, darling, that’s not how I feel,” I say. I use a finger to tip her chin up. As I slowly dip my head down toward hers, her lips part ever so slightly in surprise. Then I’m pressing a long overdue kiss to her lush lips.
