“Maybe a little of both? Neither one of them were in any condition to drive last night. They mentioned Jax driving them, so I’m hoping he did. I’m worried about Lauren though. I don’t think there’s any way the situation could’ve ended well.”
“I can try to call Callie if it’d help.”
“Please!” She desperately clings to my arm.
I pull my phone out and scroll to Callie’s contact. When she doesn’t answer, I leave a quick voicemail and then click into the messages app.
Me
Hey! Olivia is really worried about you and Lauren. What happened last night?
“There. I sent her a text too.”
“Thank you.” She looks up at me through her long thick lashes. “Is your sound on?”
A chuckle escapes me as I flick the button on the side of my phone up. “It is now.”
“Thank you.”
“You know I’d do anything for you.”
The earth-shattering smile she gifts me makes me feel on top of the world. The feeling is better than when I roped my first cow or when I finally finished writing my first song for the guitar. She feels like home, more than any other human being ever has, and it’s a reminder that I’m supposed to swallow my pride and finally tell her everything about my past.
Last night, hearing her affirm exactly what Callie told me, that she wants to stay but needs security and the knowledge that she can please everyone, made me more certain this can work.
I lead us inside, and we each dish up. As we sit at the table, I can’t stop thinking about what I’m going to say to Olivia when we talk. I know I should wait until after dinner, but I’m not sure if I can. The anticipation is killing me. Thankfully nothing has felt off between us since we didn’t kiss a little over a week ago, but I still want to set us on the right path forward.
“So, you’re trying to stay in Roots?”
Her eyes go round, and she presses her fingers to the bridge of her nose. “I guess I didn’t just dream about telling you I wanted to stay then, huh?”
“Nope.” Thankfully not. The memory of her lips gently brushing up against my ear last night still charges my blood. “What do we need to do to make you comfortable with the idea of staying?”
I try to act casual, but it’s nearly impossible not to get my hopes up. There’s still a big part of me that wonders if it’s even worth putting myself out there to tell her the truth if she isn’t going to stay here. I’m just warming up to the idea of a relationship in general. I’m sure as hell not ready for a long-distance relationship.
“I have a whole list of things.”
“What’s on that list?”
“I want to talk with my dad about what my job has been putting me through, to make sure he understands and approves before I leave.”
I instantly go into protective mode. “I hope that won’t be something that holds you back from going after what you want. You don’t need your dad’s approval to do what makes you happy.”
“I know. I believe his love for me will outweigh whatever expectations he has of me, but because of the respect I have for him, I need to talk with him before I quit my job.” I nod along, feeling a bit better. “I also need to find a place of my own to stay.”
“You do?” There’s no hiding the hurt in my voice.
“I mean aren’t I going to move back into the cottage in a few days when everything is finalized? And I was only supposed to be there until the end of July, which is coming up quickly. I don’t want to overstay my welcome. Plus, if we are going to try to be tog?—”
She stops, pressing her lips together.
“If we are going to try to be together, you think we shouldn’t start by living together?” She nods nervously. “I love having you here with me, and I honestly don’t want you to go back to the cottage in a few days, but if living somewhere else is what it takes to get you to stay in Roots and give things a shot with me, then I can live with that.” The concern on her face slowly morphs into joy. “You can stay in the cottage if that feels right. Stay as long as you want. I don’t have any other use for it.”
“Are you sure?”
“I’m positive.”
She purses her lips, looking uncomfortable. “Then you’d at least need to charge me market rent.”
