“Harrison, that’s not true. You bring so much to the table. The woman you end up with will be lucky to have you.”
Now I’m the one who looks away, looking back at the cabin.
“I’m not trying to be self-deprecating, but I’m probably the least jovial and approachable of all my brothers. Well, Hayden’s giving me a run for my money lately, I guess. I’m saying, I’m probably not most people’s first choice between the five?—”
“You’re my first choice.” My head spins to look at her, and her cheeks are bright red now. “Seriously, Harrison, I mean it. I’ve met all of you except Heath, and I like them, but you’re the one I want to spend time with.”
“Thanks, Bets. I’m glad because I really want to spend time with you, too.” I smile at her, and when the corners of her mouth lift upwards, my anxiety over her reaction eases a little.
Her gaze fixes on mine, and her face falls. “I need to pay you back for the tires, but is it okay if I do installments?” Her cheeks flame scarlet.
“There’s nothing to pay back. He didn’t charge me. I promise you.” I squeeze her hand.
“Still, you used up your favor. What ifyouneed it?”
I say nothing but rise and then offer a hand to help her up. She allows it, and when we’re face to face, I place my hands on her hips so she’ll not hurry to walk away.
“If I need something, I’ll get it, Bets. It’s not an issue. I swear it. Please let me do this for you, and I promise I’ll talk to you about things before I do them in the future.”
She stares at me, her eyes unmoving as they peer into mine. Then, without warning, she steps forward and wraps her arms around me. When she rests her head on my chest, it melts my heart. I immediately embrace her, pulling her closer with one arm circled across her mid-back, and the hand on my other side cradles the back of her head.
“This is really hard for me to be okay with, but I am grateful. Thank you, Harrison,” she whispers.
“You’re welcome.” I kiss the top of her head, and my lips linger there for several seconds as I breathe her in. The tension dissolves from my jaw, and I tighten my hold on her.
We stand like that for a minute, and I trace invisible lines up and down her back while I think. Her body relaxes against me, and I’m pretty sure I’ve never felt anything more wonderful.
Mine.
The word comes unbidden to the forefront of my mind, but it’s a perfect description of what this feels like. My heart knows without a doubt that she is mine, and I’m already hers, whether she realizes it yet or not. And I take care of mine—it’s what I do. Starting today, I’ll go at her pace, but I have plans for us. I’m going to learn everything there is to know about this spectacular woman. I want her to feel safe enough to let me take care of her sometimes. To help her heal and face whatever causes the sadness she tries to keep hidden by burying it deep in her heart.
I love her. How I didn’t realize it before this very moment, I don’t know. It doesn’t matter—it just is. I love Delaney, and I’m going to give all I have to show her and make her believe it.
I know what I have to do now, but there’s a good chance it will kill me. Okay, maybe not kill me, but it’s going to be damn hard. I loosen my hold on her and pull back. She looks up at me, and I cup her gorgeous face in my hands.
No, don’t say it, you fool.
I shove the devil off my shoulder and take a deep breath, then release it and loosen my hold on Delaney so I can pull back and look at her. When she glances up at me, I know this is the right thing to do for us.
“Bets, it pains me to say this, but we can’t have sex anymore.”
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Delaney
The instant I step out of my car, two things capture my attention. One, Tillie and Henry’s picturesque farmhouse is gorgeous. There’s a lovely wraparound porch with a vintage wooden swing and a few rocking chairs off to the side. I imagine this is a spectacular place to sit and have morning coffee, or maybe a glass of wine in the evening. The second thing, and even lovelier, is that I’m met by my six-year-old hostess bouncing up and down with barely contained excitement—Layla. She’s waiting for me on the porch and buzzing with energy.
When I reach her, Layla—wearing an adorable sundress covered in daisies—extends her hand to me. I glance up and notice Tillie standing behind the screen door, grinning at her daughter.
“Hi, Delaney!” I shake Layla’s hand, and when she pulls it back, she stretches her arm out, palm up, and uses it to gesture to the house and yard, much like a game show hostess would.“Welcome to our humble adobe.” Layla tilts her head to the side and turns her gaze upward.
I work really hard to maintain a serious face, especially when Layla glances over to the screen door with a furrowed brow and says to Tillie in a hushed voice, “Mom, did I get that right? I think… I think adobe is wrong.”
“It’s abode, sweetheart. Abode—with a B sound,” Tillie says in a feigned whisper.
Layla responds with a couple of vigorous nods and returns her attention to me. “Welcome to our humble abode.” She grins, and she’s missing a tooth on the bottom right, which makes her even more adorable.
“Well, thank you very much,” I reply. “So far, I love it.”
