He kissed her fingers before he put them down on his thigh again.“What gave you that idea?I don’t ever want to be without you if I can help it.There are things I need to explain to you, but I haven’t… just give me time, okay?”
Her mind racing, she stared out of the window.Two weeks.That was usually how long Becket Weston dated a woman.This coming Monday it would be exactly two weeks since the two of them had gone to Bozeman and she’d ended up in his bed.
Well, she’d known all along this would happen, she shouldn’t be upset, should she?Inhaling deeply, she willed away the tears threatening to clog up her throat.Crying wasn’t going to fix anything.
It was time she embraced her single status as spinster and made sure she got her cat.
*
By the timethey’d reached his house, Ellie had become very quiet.As Becket lifted her out of his truck, he held her close.He probably shouldn’t have said anything before he was ready, but he’d been worried she’d pick up he was distracted and jump to her own wild conclusions again.
His head hadn’t stopped whirling all day.Since he and Hayden had talked this morning, he’d been going over his brother’s words.Hayden didn’t have a problem should Becket decide to focus on his art.
Making his art a priority had always seemed impossible; he’d never even allowed himself to go there.Making serious decisions about anything, really, had never been something he’d thought about.He’d happily drifted along, doing what was expected of him.Well, not always, but mostly.So, before he could speak to Ellie or Hayden, he had to figure out a few things.
The dogs were all over Ellie the moment he put her down inside the house.Crouching down, she laughed as they slobbered kisses all over her face.
For so long he’d held on to the belief he couldn’t ever think of a wife or kids while his brother was lying six feet under the ground.He could date, have sex, but could never be serious about a woman.And then he’d met Ellie.
What he felt when he was with her was a first.What exactly it meant, though, he didn’t know.His brain had been wired to not think about the future for so long, how did he rewire it?
Ellie didn’t believe she was worthy of love, because the people who should’ve shown her what love was were the people who had hurt her.
Ellie grabbed his hand.“I’m ready for a shower, what about you?”As she danced down the corridor in front of him, his body was way too small to accommodate what he was feeling.He was probably not the right man for Ellie, but damn, he loved being with her.
It was only much later, when he woke up sometime in the middle of the night, that he remembered his thoughts.He loved being with Ellie.Love.
Turning his head, he looked at her.
She snuggled closer.“Becket.”
“Mmm?”he asked as his hand stroked lazily over her back.
“Just… Becket.”
Hugging her close, he drifted off.He had to finish some sketches…
*
Ellie packed thelast of her stuff before she left the room she’d occupied in Annie’s B&B since she’d arrived in Marietta.As she entered the kitchen, after she’d put the last of her things in her car, she had a hard time keeping the tears at bay.
“There you are, come on in, I have your breakfast ready,” Annie smiled as she rushed closer.“We’ve seen so little of you over the last week.I’m so happy for you, of course, but I’ve missed you.How are things with Becket?”
Ellie took her seat at the kitchen table.“It’s been nearly two weeks.”
“What do you mean?”
Ellie played with the cutlery.“Becket never dates a woman longer than two weeks.”
“Well, I’ve seen you two together.He can’t keep his eyes off you.”
“Oh, I don’t know, Annie.What do I know about love?I have no idea how a family is supposed to work.”Ellie put down the knife and fork again.She had no appetite.
“Sweetie, you had a raw deal as a small child, but your grandma loved you.And you’ve stolen all of our hearts right from the first time we met you.You’re warm and sweet and you have so much love to give.Don’t think for a moment you’re not worthy of love!”Annie scolded as she got up and walked around the table to hug Ellie.
“Anyway, he has a date with another woman this afternoon at Java Café,” Ellie said.
Annie’s eyebrows rose.“How do you know that?”
