“Alex,” I gasp.
“You like?” He beams down at me.
A tear comes to my eye. He did all of this for me. My dream man did all of this for me. “I love it. I can’t believe-”
“Well, start believing. Because it’s only the beginning. You make me so incredibly happy, Sunny. I know it was asking a lot for you to move here with me. You left a job you loved and your family. I never want you to think I’m the one holding the cards. It means so much to me that you’d do this. But I honestly believe this is going to be the start of an incredible future.”
Alex is absolutely right. This is all new for us. It’d be easy to focus on the fear of moving somewhere foreign to me. Other than Alex, I really don’t have any friends here yet. I’ve met with Trevor’s girlfriend, Addison, about starting a business alongside hers. But it’s going to take a lot of hard work and planning to get a new company off of the ground. But ultimately, we need to go all in on this if we want it to work.
I’ve talked to my parents, and they’ve agreed to contribute a portion of the money they saved for college toward a Cygnature Blooms franchise in Sycamore Mountain. They will be silent partners in the venture. I’ll be working with Addison and a florist in the neighboring town to develop my business plan, based on their experiences here. It’s an exciting time. What’s more, it all seems to be coming together. As if fate had plans for Alex and I to move here all along.
“What’re you thinking about? You look so far away.”
“I’m just happy.” I pull him tighter against my side. “So incredibly happy.”
“Good.” Alex kisses my temple and starts to lead me toward the dining area, but abruptly stops. “Look, Sunny… “ He pauses, an almost anguished look upon his face. What the heck? Is the reality of this starting to shake his foundation? “I know I should be a gentleman. I really wanted tonight to be romantic.” He pulls away, swiping his hand down his face. “But can we keep dinner in the oven a little while longer?”
What?Are we about to have a long talk? “Sure,” I answer anxiously. “I’m not starving or anything.”
“Well, I am.” He says, bending to swoop me up into his arms. “I want dessert first,” he adds as he nearly races for the bedroom.
“Oh, my god.” He places me down, and I throw my head back in laughter.
Alex disappears into the bathroom. Looking about the bedroom, my hand flies to my heart. There are even sunflowers in here.
“Sunny, where are you? Get those clothes off and meet me in the shower.”
“Ha. Now, that’s romance.”
Chapter 2
Matt
“Hey. What are you doing out here?”
I look up to see my sweet girl stretching her arms overhead as she looks up at the morning sun. Her glorious tits are squeezed tight inside her thin sleep shirt, the indentations from her firm nipples poking through hard to miss.
I can’t wait to spoil Ellie with sexy lingerie. Curl up with her wearing satiny soft night clothes that hug her curves versus these old T-shirts she wears to bed. But I’ll need to approach this gradually with her. She’s so proud. I’d never want my gifts to make her feel self-conscious. “I’m wondering that myself now.” I wait for her eyes to meet mine before licking my lips.
A beautiful blush stains her cheeks in response to my innuendo. “You always get up this early?” She asks over a yawn.
“It depends on the day. When I’m doing my rough week of on-one-off-one twenty-four-hour shifts, I crash when I get home for a few hours before trying to do something productive with my day. But when I have a few days off in a row, I like to sleep in.”
Ellie comes over to sit in the chair beside me, drawing her knees into her chest as she watches a small gray bird sitting on the other end of the deck attached to her mobile home. “There’s still so much I have to learn about you.”
Reaching for her hand, I pull it to my lips. “I’m excited to discover every delicious detail.” I nip at her knuckle.
“Ouch.” She laughs as she rubs the top of her hand along her cheek. “You got here a couple of days ago. And I thought we got in a good workout last night.” She giggles. The memory of our all-night fuckathon has the corner of my mouth curling. “Can’t sleep? Is there something on your mind?”
My eyes flick back to hers. Her expression appears more concerned now. “I’m afraid to tell you.” Ellie’s jaw tightens, and I worry I’ve frightened her. “Oh, baby, nothing like that. I just hate that it feels as if the clock starts ticking as soon as I arrive. I’m so focused on the fact I’m going home without you, it’s hard to relax.
My beautiful girl unfurls her legs and quickly comes to sit on my lap. Those big green eyes peer down at me as she runs her fingers through my disheveled hair. I need to stay focused on the woman in front of me. Enjoy these moments rather than mar them with thoughts of leaving.
Ellie’s come a long way in the last few months. Her grandfather’s death really hit her hard. I’d expected as much, given he’s the only real family she’s had for so long. Not to mention, he was more like a father than her grandfather. I need to give her as much time and space as she needs in order to manage her grief. Not greedily push her to move back home to Sycamore Mountain with me. “I’m sorry. It’s selfish to feel this way.”
She leans in, dropping chaste kisses along my Adam’s apple. “You being selfish is what I need right now. Before you came along, it was just me and Pops. I have a few friends here to lean on. But you loving me, whether here or hundreds of miles away, gives me the fuel to keep going.”
I pull her tightly to my chest and rest my chin on her head. “I wish I’d had the chance to get to know him better.” Rubbing my hand up and down the soft skin of Ellie’s arm, I look up to the clouds and pray he knows I’ve got her from here.
