“Ha ha,” I deadpanned. “Did I thank you for my jersey?”
“You did. But you can thank me again.”
“It was really thoughtful.”
“Since the moment I laid eyes on you, you’ve had a way of occupying most of my thoughts.” Dan let out a yawn and held me closer.
His offhand declaration tugged at my heart. For years—hell, for as long as I could remember—I was the one constantly worrying about the needs of everyone around me. Whether I was walking on eggshells around my parents as a child, keeping Teddy’s life running like a well-oiled machine, or keeping my high-profile clients off the front page of gossip magazines, I was the one constantly focused on everyone else. No one was ever focused on me, until Dan. My eyes started to prickle, and I was suddenly at a loss for words.
“Emma?” Dan called to me in an adorable, sleepy voice.
“Did I ever thank you for taking care of me that first night?” I wanted to change the subject, but it was the first thing that came to mind.
“Well”—Dan let out a heavy sigh—“not in words, but I didn’t do it for the recognition.” He kissed my shoulder again. “George and Harriet would never let me rest if I let you drive home in that car.” He smiled at me.
“Do you miss them?”
He answered me with a small moan of assent. “Every day,” he added with a sigh. “For the first couple of weeks after they didn’t return, I expected them to walk through the front door at any minute with a wild story about being lost at sea. They weren’t strangers to adventure, but when the resort returned their belongings,” he said, hugging me tighter, “it felt real. I’d been avoiding contemplating life on the farm without them, then you showed up and I didn’t have a choice.”
“Is that why you didn’t eat with me in the kitchen the night of the will reading?”
“That, and it was a stressful and confusing night.”
“Why?” I asked, then quickly added, “Aside from the obvious.”
“Because I’d met the most beautiful and infuriating woman in the world.” He tickled me. “And discovered that she held my fate in her hands.”
Dan’s words gave me pause. Cuddling naked in bed with a beautiful man who made you laugh and also made you come so hard that you saw stars was enough to make anyone forget their problems. That orgasm was enough to make me forget the definition of the wordproblems, but Dan was right. I did hold his fate in my hands, and the fate of so many others. I had also left behind an entire life in Atlanta. Yes, it was in shambles, but it was still mine. I couldn’t expect to hide out on this farm forever and pretend that it didn’t exist.
“I think I need to go back to Atlanta,” I said and turned my body to face Dan.
His heart raced under my palm that was resting on his chest, and he turned to face me. He was tired a moment ago, but now he was fully alert.
“Not permanently.”
He seemed to relax slightly, and my belly did a little flip at his initial reaction.
“You were right about what you said at dinner. I did run away from my life.”
Dan opened his mouth to protest, and I pressed a finger to his lips.
“I definitely needed a break, and coming to the farm was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made, but…” I let out a sigh. “I still have a life there: parents, friends—”
“Teddy?” he interrupted.
“In a way, yes. Our relationship is over, but we have over a decade of a life together to untangle.”
“Are you coming back?”
“Are you asking because you’re going to miss me?”
“I’m not asking for me.” He let out a sigh. “I just want to know what I should tell King Richard when he realizes you’ve gone.”
I laughed and snuggled into Dan’s arms, closing my eyes. The last thing I remember was him pressing a kiss to my head and whispering, “Good night, Emma.”
Waking up in Dan’s arms quelled the constant feeling of impending doom that had plagued me every morning I opened my eyes and realized that I was still on the farm. The feeling had lessened slightly every day I’d spent here, but today it was completely gone. I didn’t even mind King Richard’s raucous greeting because, by the time his morning yelling routine began, I was already awake, tucked into the crook of Dan’s arm and watching him sleep.
“Good morning, beautiful,” he whispered to me after peeling one eye open. “What time is it?”
