His hand traces my side, just like that night in my camper.
The touch is…familiar. Wrapped in the safety I’ve learned to accept from Oliver.
I’ve even grown to trust him.
Now I know why.
When I pull away, I can’t stop the tears as I bury my face against his chest.
“Oliver…I love…Biggie. The big ‘o’.” Tilting my head back, I look at him through my misty vision. “How did I not see that?”
His dark eyes crinkle when he smiles, then softly kisses my forehead. “I didn’t make the connection for ‘racing queen’. I thought at first it meant you liked NASCAR video games.”
“Oh, that’s wild. It’s crazy how our brains work.” Mine is still spinning.
He reaches down, cupping my thighs to bring my legs up to circle his waist. “Do you know what I’m thinking now?” His voice drops into a low growl, rumbling through where our bodies touch. “That it’s time to get you home, where you belong.”
For the first time, my arms wrap his neck and I get toholdhim. “I was ready to go to Oregon. Let me guess, not that far?”
His Adam’s apple bobs with a swallow. “You would move two states away, for me?”
The rush of emotions overwhelms me. All I can do is bite my lip and nod, fighting a new wave of fresh tears.
This is the man I shared my secrets with. My fears and deepest desires.
Who changed my tire in the pouring sleet and scooped me up from the mud when I was too weak to walk. He’s seen me tired, cranky, even sick.
And he’s been there, waiting.
“Was it me that you were talking about the other day? That you were trying to be patient about?” I cling to his broad shoulders as he carries me easily to the driver’s seat of his truck.
“It was.” He sets me lightly, then leans over me. “And it was worth it.”
After giving me another bruising kiss, he untangles himself from my legs and straightens. “I’ll be right back.”
Part of me is still in shock watching him walk away.
But I also suddenly feel much less guilt enjoying Oliver’s lean, muscular frame. Or the way his narrow waist carries his low-slung snug Wranglers.
Is this really happening?
When he pops the rear of my car and starts pulling out my bags, I hop down to open the back seat of his truck.
“Is this all of them?” He slides the last one in.
Fuck, he is adorable when he smiles. Did I not notice that before?
“Yea. I mean, I wasn’t sure, so it’s the necessities? Like, I was half-expecting you…well—” My hand waves wildly as the truth slips out. “—I was worried I might get ghosted.”
The heat of his palm tugs me against him, then he flattens them over my ass, pressing me close. “I made a promise of forever, princess.” Then his mouth lowers to the hollow below my ear. “I don’t make them lightly.”
“I’m counting on it.” I take a long inhale of his scent. There’s the leather and sandalwood, transporting me back to that first night in my trailer. “I’m ready.”
He goes to my idling Toyota and backs it down the lane to a wide spot, then he tucks the keys into the visor.
His crooked smile turns mischievous as he lifts me onto the driver’s seat of his truck again, then pulls out his phone. “Text your brother and tell him you’re safe, but you won’t be going to the bar.”
“Shit. I almost forgot about all of that.” Pulling out my own cell, it dings with a fresh message as I’m holding it.
