I want them all from him.
The good, the bad, and the fucking filthy.
35
EASTON
I’m pacingaround the hotel like a madman.
My mind is going haywire.
It’s as if the moment I saw Collie again, my entire brain chemistry shifted. Not in a way I’d call unexpected, but with more clarity.
I want her. And not just for a short weekend in Wyoming or Timber Heights. I want all of her tomorrows.
But I’m struggling with how to take steps in that direction without scaring her away. She’s not acting like herself, and I know it’s because we’re undefined.
Not to mention the fact that her sister, the single most important person in her life, is getting married tomorrow.
That’s partially why I battled my fight for possession over her all damn day.
I don’t want to worry her without having the time to really talk things through. I also don’t want her to feel obligated to do one thing or another.
I’ve got options.
For her, the only option is to run her fitness studio, be thehottest new instructor in town, and decide for herself if I’m worth keeping around in the process.
I intend to be wherever she needs me.
That’s the beauty of my job. I can work anywhere in the country at the drop of a hat. One phone call to my union steward and I’m set.
For once, it’s as simple as that. I’ve done my research.
Lucky for me, South Carolina is one of the best power companies in the United States. Not to mention being at the higher end of the wage scale.
I can do what I love and make an affordable living, all while watching my lost girl live out her dreams. It’s a win-win.
The only thing stopping me from packing up my shit and hightailing it out of Salt Hollow is her.
I’m procrastinating the conversation until after the wedding. But I have a gut feeling Collie is going to do something oddly…true to her nature.
Something unpredictable and likely to stir a fire inside of me.
I’m ready for her to be mine in every way that counts.
But more than anything, I want to do right by her. Nothing about what we are is typical for couples our age, but fuck. I don’t care. I’ve spent too many years of my life falling at the feet of other people’s expectations of me, and I refuse to be that man any longer.
I know without a shadow of a doubt, Ben would want that, too.
My current issue at hand is how I can’t stop checking my phone for a rescue call from Collie. Not like I expected one. The woman would rather walk her ass ten miles before asking for help.
But I never claimed to fully overcome my hero complex, after all.
I check my phone.
It’s almost midnight. You good?
I sent that an hour ago, and I’ve been worried sick ever since.
