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“‘Course. It’ll still be full price?—”
“I’ve got you,” Jett grumbled, pulling his wallet out and handing the man a wad of cash. Her eyes widened as the man quickly counted it, then tucked it safely in his pocket. Guilt clawed at her insides.
Why did she keep ruining the day? Why couldn’t she just be a normal person who didn’t snoop or ask to make sex tapes or be terrified of horses?
Jett made his way to her, his hands in his pockets. “I’m sorry, baby,” he murmured, standing on the bottom step and looking up at her. “I didn’t realize you were scared of them.”
“I’m sorry, Daddy,” she whispered, twisting her hands together as she looked down. His footsteps were loud on the rickety porch steps as he climbed them to her. Rough fingers gripped her chin and tilted her head back.
“You have nothing to be sorry for, pretty girl.”
“But I ruined the surprise.” Tears burned the back of her nose, and she roughly sniffed. “I hate disappointing you.”
“Oh, baby.” His arms felt amazing as he wrapped them around her, squeezing her so tightly, she thought she might pop. “You could never disappoint me. Ever.”
“But—”
“No buts.”
She didn’t want to argue, but guilt still ate away at her. “I can make dinner,” she offered.
“Why would you do that?” He pulled away and tucked her hair behind her ear.
“Because I messed everything up.” She threw her arms out. “If I make dinner, that’ll make everything better. You’ve done so much today?—”
“Dinner is part of your surprise,” he told her, and the words died on her lips.
“But the—the beast?—”
“Was our transportation,” he muttered. “But I still have my truck. I’ll drive us.”
He wrapped his hand around hers and led her to the massive black truck. “I didn’t ruin the surprise?”
“Of course, you didn’t, baby girl.” He said it so casually, like it wasn’t a big deal she’d climbed him like a tree and had an actual meltdown over a silly horse just a few moments ago.
Maybe it wasn’t a big deal. Maybe he really believed she hadn’t ruined anything. And maybe she hadn’t.
He lifted her into the truck, and she kicked her legs as he slid the seatbelt over her, securing it in place. Instead of immediately pulling back like he usually did, he paused, his face only a few inches from hers.
“You did nothing to ruin anything,” he told her firmly. Some of the guilt and tightness loosened at the words. He pressed a gentle kiss to her lips, letting them linger.
“I love you,” she breathed, feeling those words penetrate to her core.
She truly didn’t know what she’d do without him or how she got so lucky to have him in the first place.
eight
. . .
Jett rounded the truck, trying to keep his expression neutral. He didn’t want Abbie to see how truly upset he was. He’d somehow managed to fuck up every surprise he’d planned for her today. All of them except this one. How hard was it to fuck up a picnic?
It was supposed to be a perfect day. Everything was supposed to go right. And then, at the end of that perfect day, he was going to propose, and she was going to say yes, and they were going to live happily ever after.
Would that even happen now that he’d fucked everything up? Why would she ever want to marry someone who couldn’t even plan and execute a simple Valentine’s Day?
Pulling open the truck door, he found her staring at the park. “Why are we here?” she asked.
She’d asked the same thing when she realized where they were headed, and again when they turned down the street heading toward the park, and again when he pulled into the same parking space he had the first day he met her.
