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“I needed a change.” He glanced at me. “My mom’s in the facility now and well cared for. The Alzheimer’s has progressed fast—she doesn’t recognize family anymore. It’s been hard.” He gripped the steering wheel. “I’m glad though that I had more time with her.”
“I’m so sorry.”
He took a deep breath. “Yeah, me too. My sister and I—we’ve both done the best we could, and it’s made us closer in some ways. A little distance to recover won’t be a bad thing. I plan on getting down there for visits. Mom probably won’t make it another year.”
“Your poor mama. I’m sorry, hon.”
He raked his hand through his hair. “She’s only sixty-seven. Made me realize how precious every day is.”
“That’s the truth.” My eyes were tearing up—I hadn’t known that damn disease would kill her so fast. “She’s such a good person. I’m really sad we’re gonna lose her.”
He smiled at me, his eyes watery as he blinked and swallowed hard. “She used to say to me, after we’d seen you, ‘She’s sweet on you.’”
“I was persistent.” We both sniffed, the truck stopped at a stoplight while a line of runners jogged across the crosswalk. “What happened with your ex-girlfriend?”
“Oh.” He frowned. “She’s another reason to leave Austin. My cousin dropped her. She started following me around and knocking on my door late at night. She’d convinced herself that none of it was her fault and everyone would be better off if we did what she wanted. She won’t find me up here.”
“You had a stalker too—I can’t believe you never told me. We could have compared notes.”
He huffed. “Like comparing a mosquito to a tyrannosaurus rex.” He glared at me for a moment.
“Wait,” I said, waving my hand around in the air. “That’s another topic. We’re talking about you moving up here.”
“For now.”
“What about your career?”
He stopped in front of the security gate, while I pulled out the remote and pressed the button to let us in. “I’ll miss some of the guys in Austin but police are needed everywhere. I don’t mind change, in theory. I’ll see how it goes with Eugene.”
Up at the house, he parked in my spot. He turned off the truck then pivoted toward me, while both of us unfastened our seatbelts. “Does it seem like a lot of pressure on us? Yeah,I want to be with you, but I’m not making any assumptions. Coming up here fits my life right now and I wanted to do it.”
I sighed, dramatically. “We’ll see if Charley approves. The fur baby has a lot more control right now than you’d imagine.”
He kissed me. “I’m ready.”
Charley was ecstatic to see me, then spent a few intense minutes sniffing Hank’s shoes, seemed to decide he was good people, and just like that, Hank was part of the pack. Hazel gave me all the doggie updates, then smiled a little at us holding hands and offered to take Charley out back while she cleaned.
“Thanks, Hazel. This is Hank by the way. And we’re taking a siesta until dinner.” I pulled Hank toward my bedroom.
“Nice to meet you, Hazel,” he called over his shoulder, his eyebrows up and his mouth twitching.
“You too,” she shouted over Charley’s barking.
Charley dashed down the hallway, ran a lap around us, then galloped back to Hazel, his tail wagging. “He’s going to love hiking,” Hank said. “I’m excited.”
I yanked him into my room and closed the door behind us. “I’m excited too,” I said, my eyes lingering on the jeans that hung off his hips a little.
He pulled me into his arms, smiling. Then he hugged me. He rested his head on top of mine and kept hugging me.
After a moment, I sank into him. “I realized something,” I said. “After we were together in Vegas.”
“What’s that, darlin’?”
I leaned back a little so I could cup his face with both of my hands. “I love you.” He startled, like he’d been shocked by static. “You’re it. I’m in love with you. And I’m really glad you’re here.”
He sucked a breath in, his eyelashes fluttering. “Whatabout being young and free for a while? Isn’t that what you wanted?”
I started unbuttoning his flannel shirt. “I thought it was. Not anymore. You were this special stunning man who I’d loved pretty much since meeting you. Dangled in front of me and always out of reach. I don’t have any doubts. If we can live within a hundred miles of each other, I’m in. All in. I know now—I’m a couple person. I want my mate in my bed and there with me at dinner.”
