“Yes, I don’t know what your costs are, but I’d love to talk about it. I really wish you could stay in Ember Falls, but I know that’s just my wishful thinking.”
Mine too. I want her to stay here—with me.
The thought hits me so hard that I clutch my chest.
“I wish I could too,” Tessa admits. “I mean, you know, because…all of my clients are here.”
Although, in her voice, I hear something else. A longing. One that I feel in my heart.
“Not because of any other reason?” Hazel nudges her.
“He’s also my client.”
“He is, but…why can’t you stay? Do you like it here?”
Tessa nods quickly. “I do. I love Ember Falls. It’s such a great town and, I could see myself here, but…my job is in New York. I can’t imagine that Brynlee or Thea would let me just move here.”
“Think of all the travel you’ll save on,” Hazel says with a laugh.
I watch as Tessa shakes her head, seeming to search for something to say and then settles on, “I wish. For several reasons.”
Hazel reaches her hand out, resting it on her shoulder. “If one of those reasons happens to be the owner of this ranch, I think it’s a good one.”
“Even if I could, I can’t.” Tessa laughs and then tucks her hair behind her ear. “I know how that certain owner feels and…you know, I wouldn’t want to just assume.”
“I don’t think you know anything,” Hazel informs her and then grabs one of the boxes, putting it in the car. “Let me ask you this then, if you had permission from your boss and Killian wanted you to stay, would you?”
I wait, my heart pounding against my chest, not realizing how much I want the answer to this. How badly I want more days and nights with her. Not understanding that while we’ve been telling ourselves this is casual, and my attempts to make that be the case, it hasn’t been.
She’s more.
So much more.
But I want her to live her life, chase her dreams, and not be some guy in another state who holds her back.
I want to be the man who makes her dreams come true, not robs her of them.
Tessa smiles. “Yes. There’s nothing I would want more than to stay.”
Her answer takes me by surprise. I thought she wanted to go back to New York and live the life she’s worked so hard for, but this…this changes everything.
If she wants to stay, even if there’s just a chance of it, then I need to show her that I never want her to leave.
twenty-one
Tessa
I’m lying on the bed like a fish. Just sprawled out—beat.
Today was the best and most exhausting day I’ve ever had.
Everything went great, and for that, I’m so happy, but I need to sleep for a week.
Killian is still at the arena, finishing up a few things while I came here to grab a sweatshirt, but somehow ended up flopping on the bed and am now unable to move.
As great as things went, my mind hasn’t stopped for a moment. It was planning, executing, breaking down, admitting my feelings for Killian are so much more than I ever thought they would be, and I want to stay in Ember Falls, realizing that’s never going to happen.
All of it, on top of the physical stress, has me just wanting to sleep and forget this ever happened.
