“City boy. Fan-fucking-tastic. Now, hear me out. I asked you what made you fall for Cove, and your answer was, get this”—I hold up a finger like I’m instructing the guys on city boy’s world-class debacle, and count through his mistakes—“her looks. Her ability to be a micromanaged servant in your world of corrupt businessmen. And that her so-called cock sucking skills are comparable to a stripper’s. Did I miss anything?”
This fucker has the audacity to smirk. He must think I’m a man who lets shit go. Wrong again. “Sounds about right,” he mutters his last words.
“Wrong answer,” Prater comments, and I know he expects a blowout, but I’m choosing a different route. A softer, more planned-out condemnation.
“There are very few moments in our lives where we get the opportunity to come in contact, even for the briefest of moments, with a woman like Cove Davenport.” My eyes are on her and have no intention of ever leaving. At this point, let them all talk. I’ve got more money than I could ever need, and it’s about time I threaten to use it in order to solve life’s problems, or better yet, give myself a sliver of the good I hopelessly crave. “I’m not sure you appreciate that enough for my liking. So, let me remind you of the good thing you have, yet nowhere near deserve.”
A gulp and a nod are all I get in response. Fair enough. I’m bitter when I’m angry, but I want my point to sink deep. Let him struggle to sleep tonight as he hears my words of praise for her.
“Now, I’ve only known Cove for what, a few days now? But here’s what I can tell you. And it’s something that even the wealthiest businessman can’t. Beauty is far more than what you could ever see with the human eye. It’s a matter of the heart. And I’ve seen Cove treat my family as her own since the second she walked through my front door. I’ve seen her patience shine deep with my crazy Aunt Marge, who I’m almost positive has felt up every guest—including women—at every gathering so far. I’ve never once missed the way she not only uses my favorite coffee cup in the morning, but washes it as soon as the last sip touches her lips before putting it back in my designated spot as if it never left. It’s rare to see a woman of such success and confidence put others before herself. That’s not to say there isn’t a little bit of devilry underneath, but we all need some edge to balance out the predictable. So, city boy, you’re very wrong. Cove’s outer appearance is only anaccessory to her pure heart. There’s no need to mar what’s already there with disrespect. Not when the perfect woman already exists.”
Silence. As expected.
But there are tears pouring from Cove’s beautiful brown eyes, making me frustrated we aren’t alone, so I could kiss her. I’d like to do more than just kiss her.
A knock on the driver’s window breaks our silence, my words still lingering in the thick of the air between us. “Let’s goooo,” Abigail chants, her child-free energy bringing a creeping smile to my face. “Kyle already shotgunned two beers. Your record isn’t looking good, Stetson.”
Children.Fifty-year-old children shotgunning beers at a lake.
He’d better take a breather because I’m feeling risky today. That’s if my current behavior indicates my actions to come.
We might not make it back home in one piece.
“You heard the lady,” Prater calls, swinging open his door and securing the speaker in the bed of the truck. “It’s time to get wet!”
I wave them off and seriously question if Austin is right in the head or just oblivious when he says, “Shall we, princess?”
“I’ll be right there,” Cove mumbles, searching through her bag for something. Austin and the group are out of the car, joining everyone else in seconds. I’m glad Nathaniel stayed back today; I’m positive his presence here would only make things worse.
He and I need to exchange words. I just haven’t had a second to corner him in private. I need to make sure Clay is nowhere to be found, or he’ll for sure impose. And Jules. Fuck. I keep forgetting about her.
She rode with Abigail to the lake, joining us again at the ranch this morning. At this point, I have no interest in seeing her again. And I couldn’t give two shits if she saw Cove and me last night.
My eyes train forward, dialed in on something, but it feels like nothing. I draw a blank, attempting to think through what I just did. “Stetson.” Cove’s soft hand meets my wrist. “You didn’t have to do that.”
I jerk my head. “I did. I want someone to defend you. I’m going to be that person. And this is just the beginning.”
She voices her quickest thought. “I want to be alone with you.”
I reach for Cove’s hand and run my thumb along her wrist, her eyes hypnotized by the motion. “I’m working on it, my love. Our time will come.”
It has to come.
“I think I’m just gonna sit here for a minute.” She holds up her tattered paperback, and I read the wordsPride and Prejudice, recognizing the familiar novel right away.
A memory strikes me from years ago, watching my mother from the doorway to her bedroom with her nose in a book. “My mother used to read. She had a shelf full of old English literature. Romances. Women’s fiction, too. My pops and I never understood the appeal, but it made her happy. That was all that mattered.”
Cove looks down at the book in her hands as if it’s rescued her from some dark times. “It’s escapism. A moment to press pause on reality. These books have been more of a friend to me than some of my own. Not that Betsy and Kimber aren’t great. They are. But it’s always comforted me to know that words from decades ago can still hold the same meaning today. All these years later. It’s remarkable.”
I never thought about it like that. Not sure I’ve thoughtabout literature to that extent at all, actually. Something in me wants to find out more, though.
“I know now isn’t really the time, but I’d love it if you told me more about it. Why you love books so much. Maybe even read one with me.”
A smile brightens her face. “You wanna read books with me, Stet?”
I nod. “Might just make a bookworm out of me.”
Cove’s eyes fall closed just briefly. “Sounds like a dream.Thedream.”
