60
Hunter
Meg pressed one more kiss to my mouth then swung her feet off the bed.
“Unfortunately, it seems you did not develop a property with enough room for a table,” she said, walking over to the small kitchen.
I propped up my head on my arm, admiring her curvy figure, elated that she was finally mine.
But not for long.
Meg wasn’t stupid; she also didn’t suffer fools. And once she found out what I was playing at, wanting to get her to sign on to be a foster mom for my little sisters, she was going to lose it. And I would lose her.
Crawford’s plan was so stupid. I never should have agreed. But what could I do? I loved Meg, but my sisters were family. Maybe she would understand, though? Maybe I just needed to broach the topic delicately?
Just enjoy this. Enjoy this time with her. Stop borrowing trouble. Crawford’s plan is half-cooked and bound to fail anyway. I bet Dad outsmarts him.
Meg walked back over to me, balancing breakfast on a tray.
She shrieked as I grabbed her, bringing her down on my lap. I snatched one of the sausage, egg, and cheese biscuits from her, my other hand around her waist. I almost took a bite then stared at it.
“I might have needed some fortification,” she admitted.
I smirked up at her. “I think you earned it.”
“Ready for the bridal expo?” she asked me. “We’re judging the flower arranging.”
“I thought that was just for women.” I took another bite of the biscuit.
“It’s to showcase Harrogate as a great destination for weddings,” she insisted. “Weddings are big business, and you can get more bang for your buck out here in Harrogate while not having to go too far outside of Manhattan. Your brother’s girlfriend, Avery, started a business coalition specializing in the wedding industry in our area. This is one of the events they’re having to show that we’re capable of throwing a high-quality wedding in Harrogate. Plus, these types of events provide the low-skilled jobs that many of our residents desperately need.” She was so animated as she spoke, spinning the description of how this was good for everyone.
I peered at her. “You really love this town, don’t you?”
She looked down at me, wide-eyed. “You don’t?”
“I mean, I do, but you really love it—you love helping people. You love building up everyone in town. You’re really good at being deputy mayor.”
She seemed embarrassed. “I just think there are more innovative ways we can solve some of our issues. Barry never wanted to do anything different. Shoot, he never wanted to do anything at all. For example, there is the issue of a lot of our seniors needing to earn extra income, and we also have the problem of a lot of new young people moving into town who need somewhere to live. Why not change the zoning laws to allow people to build carriage houses on their property that they can rent out to one or two people? We could offer grants to build the accessory unity in exchange for the owners keeping the rent at a certain rate for a set number of years. People who need extra income could take advantage of it, and newcomers would have a nice place to live that isn’t in huge apartment blocks.”
“Dang,” I said. “That is a really good idea.”
She reddened slightly and dropped her head.
I tilted her chin up. “Did anyone tell you you’re super smart?” I kissed her.
“Not that you’re dropping out of the race or anything,” she quipped.
I huffed out a laugh. “You’re stiff competition.”
She reached down to cup my half-hard cock. “You’re not,” she teased.
I grabbed her chin and kissed her harder. My heart hurt, I was so in love with her. “Move in with me,” I murmured against her mouth.
She laughed. “What?”
“When’s your lease up?” I continued.
“End of the month.”
