She looked up at me, her eyes glistening. “Texas.” The silence between us stretched, heavy with unspoken emotions. “You make me happy,” she said finally. “What we have really works.”
“Uh-huh,” I murmured, reaching out to take her hand. “I’m not going to keep quiet about how I feel about you anymore. I’m going to Love You Out Loud.”
Her eyes widened slightly. “You’ve hidden how you felt?”
“Not hidden; I hope I’ve shown you when the words didn’t come. I’ve kept it to myself because I didn't want to rock the boat or send you running for the hills. Sunshine, you’re like a skittish mare when it comes to admitting your feelings.”
“This is hard. It's all so foreign to me.”
“For me too, but the good thing is we have each other, and we can get through anything together. You know that, don’t you?” I pressed.
“Texas, if things get tough for you, you won’t disappear for an extended time again and leave RJ and me without communication, will you?”
“No. And I know this is more than a day and many dollars short, but I’m sorry I left and didn’t reach out for months, just when things between us were starting to get good. I came back for you, and then I found out you were pregnant, and I never made amends for my disappearing act.”
“That’s not true. You’ve been amazing, but part of me has been waiting for the other shoe to drop, for you to leave again.”
“Shit, Sunshine, I’ve made you feel like that this entire time? You deserve so much better than living with that uncertainty. I’m going to step up and do better. I promise to make it right by you.”
I pulled her into a tight hug, and my heart soared when I heard the four words I’d been waiting for. “I love you, Texas.”
The air between us shifted, heavy with emotion and the weight of unspoken fears finally laid to rest. The vulnerability in her voice, the rawness of her confession, made my chest ache. I had caused her pain, and the thought of it twisted something deep inside me. But now, as she held me close, I felt the first stirrings of hope—a fragile, precious thing that I would protect at all costs.
My heart was full. I wanted to slide into the warmth of the woman I loved, who loved me back. The declaration was everything.
I stripped her of her pyjama shorts and tank top, my hands tracing her curves as I kissed my way down her body. With every touch, I worshipped her, claiming every inch of her as my own as we made love in a moment of pure passion. Her body arched under my touch, herbreath quickening with every caress. I lost myself in the rhythm of our connection, each moment intensifying the bond between us. Together, we surrendered to the passion, our love a flame that burned brighter with every heartbeat.
“I’m going to take a shower so we can get to bed. Maybe we can grab a few hours before we have to get up.”
With RJ away at a sleepover with Ashleigh, we could enjoy some time alone together and celebrate the new chapter in our relationship.
“While I’m showering, can you grab my phone for me, please? I left it on the table near the door,” I asked Jo.
I planned to shoot Andy a message and let him know my trip would be delayed.
My shower was quick, so I got myself clean and ready for bed in no time. I wanted to pull my Sunshine into my arms and fall asleep.
When I got out of the shower, Jo was sitting at the edge of the bed.
I couldn’t read her expression, and after everything we shared, that was the last thing I was expected.
The fuck.
She slapped my phone into my palm. “I didn’t mean to look, but a message came in for you.”
Jo was being cryptic, and I didn’t like it.
“Was it from Andy at Silver Creek?”
“No, not exactly,” she hedged, her brow furrowed.
“I took my phone from her and saw a message from Sally-Lois.” Her number wasn’t saved in my phone. If she hadn’t started the message with, “Hi, this is Sally-Lois,” I wouldn’t have had a clue who it was from. I didn’t have her number saved. My first thought was that something must be wrong with Big Terry.
There were many words, but the inappropriate picture of Sally-Lois in Daisy Duke shorts, her flimsy tank top barely covering her flat chest as she leaned provocatively over a bale of hay, was more than disturbing—it shattered my focus entirely.
“Ugh.” I hurled my phone across the room in disgust. “What the hell was that?”
Jo smiled for the first time since I had stepped out of the shower. “You didn’t request the sexy barn photoshoot pics from the blonde?”
