Lexi
Your brother asked Olivia to marry him!
Opening the text from Lexi, I frantically type out a reply.
We should celebrate. Where are you?
Lexi
My place.
Her text is quickly followed by a location pin. Little does this woman know, I’m well aware of where she lives. I spied her address on the registration papers for the Jag that still sits in my garage. Of course, it’s fixed, we just haven’t bothered to move it to her house yet.
And maybe that’s a good sign she’s on the same page as me in this relationship. She’s left me holding one of her most prized possessions. The car her grandfather left her because they used to take Sunday afternoon drives to get ice cream when she was little. A car she never let her ex-husband use.
Car started, I’m pulling out onto the street before I’ve finished buckling in. I can’t get to her soon enough. I may beabout to blow this thing up between us. But after Carter’s text and the way I felt all night not being near her, I know I’m going to lay it all out.
Put my heart out there and hope to God she cradles it in her hands.
My palms are sweaty, my heart racing, and I’ll admit, there is a good dose of fear zipping through my veins by the time I pull into Lexi’s driveway. I’ve barely stopped when the garage door in front of me opens and there she is, waving me inside.
I try not to let the gesture worry me. She isn’t trying to hide me. There’s plenty of space inside her four-car garage for my Thunderbird. Putting the car in park, I switch off the engine and pop my belt. The door opens beside me and I’m on my feet, the woman I’m in love with in my arms, my mouth on hers.
Breaking our kiss, I rest my forehead on hers. “Fuck. I missed you.”
Her smile is beautiful. “Same. To be honest, it’s been kind of strange being here.”
“Because this isn’t your home anymore.”
She pulls away. “What?”
“Home. It isn’t here. It’s my place. With me.”
“Garrett.”
“Let me get this out.” I cradle her face in both hands and focus on her eyes. “I love you. I’ve been in love with you from the start. I don’t want to hide behind closed doors anymore. I want to stand by your side and hold your hand at my brother’s wedding. I want to have a wedding of our own in the future. I want?—”
She presses a hand to my mouth. “My marriage was a disaster, and I swore I’d never get there again. Offer my heart and life to a man. But you, I never saw you coming, Garrett. You make me want things I thought had passed me by, and I cansee myself marrying you. Building a life with you. A family. I’m turning thirty?—”
“Don’t care,” I say against her palm.
“I’m going to want a family sooner than later.”
I grab her wrist and pull her hand away, weave our fingers together, and press them to my chest. “We’ll start tonight.”
Laughing, she shakes her head. “We can’t start just like that. I have to get my IUD removed?—”
“Tomorrow. Make an appointment to do it tomorrow.”
“Garrett.”
“Shit.” I drop my head back and stare at the ceiling. “I’m rushing you.”
“No. You’re not. It’s not that. I’ll make an appointment as soon as I can, but I want to do this right, I want to decide where we’ll live, get married, but first, I think we should tell our friends we’re seeing each other. They’re going to be shocked as it is, but if I turn up pregnant…”
“Fine. Let’s go inside and work it out.”
“You’ve never been inside my home.”
