He gingerly sits down while not taking his eyes off of me.
“My old boss called me. Well, technically, the owner of the firm called me.” His eyes widen as I keep talking. “Apparently, the douchebag that was my boss is under investigation and somewhere along the way my name came up, so they want me to come in and talk.”
I hold my breath, unsure of what his thoughts on this will be.
“Okay, what do you need from me?” he asks.
“Umm, I need a day off to drive down there, most likely Friday since we’re usually less busy. And I can spend the weekend with Larkin too.”
“Done. What else?”
His complete willingness to do whatever I need is something I’ve never had before. He isn’t obligated to do anything, yet here he is, not worried about his bottom line for the company but for his girlfriend who needs support.
Girlfriend.
“Am I your girlfriend?” I ask impulsively. I consider him my boyfriend, but we haven’t really had that talk outside of saying we’re dating.
“I was just thinking, and we haven’t really put a title to this, so I’m just wondering what your thoughts are on that.” Great, I’m starting to sound like him when he gets nervous now.
“Do you want me to call you my girlfriend?” he asks instead of answering outright.
“I think I do,” I tell him honestly. I’ve been thinking a lot about what I want lately, and the one thing that is clear is I want Ledger to be a mainstay in my life.
“Then I will call you my girlfriend.” The grin on his face is infectious and I join him, feeling like a giddy schoolgirl.
“So, just to recap. You’re taking Friday off to deal with the asshole and then staying the weekend with Larkin?”
“Correct. I’m sorry I’m ditching you again, but I think I need to do this. I need to shut the door on that job once and for all. I’ll check emails when I can and try to stay on top of things,” I offer.
“Stop. You’re not going to work at all.” He shakes his head in exasperation.
“But I can. It’s not a big deal to check in,” I say.
“It is a big deal. I’ll hold your laptop hostage if I need to. Listen, take the long weekend. Do what you need to do and then spend time with your family. There is nothing so important here that it can’t wait. And shockingly, I’m more than capable of checking my own email while you’re gone.”
“Are you ,though?” I laugh at him as he tackles me to the couch.
“I’m capable of a lot of things,” he murmurs against my neck.
Goosebumps trail down my arms as I embrace him.
“Thank you for letting me go down to Austin,” I whisper, wanting him to know how I see him and how it’s a huge deal that he supports me.
“Never thank me for that, Ains. If you ever need to do anything, all I want to do is support you.” He cups my jaw in both hands, looking intensely into my eyes.
“Don’t you realize I’ll do anything for you?”
“Ledg—”
“Just let me say this, please. I don’t want a response. I don’t need anything reciprocated, but I don’t think I can go another minute without telling you so you understand how much you mean to me. I love you, Ainsley. I will do anything to make you happy, to help create the life you want. If you need a weekend in Austin, I’ll make it happen.”
My heart stutters in my chest, and I know he means every word.
“I had such a crush on you in high school, but it pales in comparison to how I feel now. Never in a million years did I expect to see you again, let alone fall in love with you, but I wouldn’t change it for the world.” He leans down and kisses me, then does a push up to get off the couch.
“I’m going to go start dinner,” he says softly, leaving me to stew in the mess of emotions he just caused.
He loves me.
