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"I can't."

"You sure?"

"Positive."

"Want me to drive you over?"

She'd given me a look. "I'm perfectly capable of driving a golf cart."

"Didn't say you weren't."

"I don't need a chauffeur."

"Didn't say you did."

"Then stop looking at me like that."

"Like what?"

"Like you're about to throw me over your shoulder and carry me somewhere."

I grinned. “Again, I’ve never had any complaints.”

Her cheeks had turned an even darker shade of pink.

She shook her head and grabbed a piece of bacon off the plate. "Thanks for breakfast."

Then she'd disappeared out the door. Leaving me standing in my kitchen with a plate of eggs, a stupid grin, and the unsettling realization that I was in serious trouble. Because I hadn't just wanted her to stay for breakfast. I'd wanted her to stay. Period.

After eating alone, I cleaned up and got ready for the airport.

That was when I noticed the toothbrush. Hers. Sitting in the holder beside mine. A pink toothbrush next to my blue one. Two ordinary pieces of plastic.

Nothing special.

Except I'd stood there staring at them like they'd revealed the meaning of life.

I'd never had a woman's toothbrush in my bathroom. Not permanently. Not temporarily. Not ever.

And the sight of Mikayla's beside mine had done something strange to my chest. Something warm. Something dangerous. Something that made me picture a whole lot of mornings that looked exactly like the one I'd just had.

I didn't like how much I liked that picture.

So I’d quickly finished getting ready and got the hell out of there.

The drive to the airport had taken a little over an hour. Traffic had been light, which was a minor miracle in itself. I'd listened to the radio, checked the flight status at a stoplight, and tried not to think about how much I wanted to get back to the ranch.

Or, more specifically, who I wanted to get back to.

My phone buzzed in my hand. I looked down and saw the name displayed.

Wifey.

A grin spread across my face.

I'd saved Mikayla under that name long before we'd agreed to pretend we were dating. Long before she'd stayed at my house. Long before I'd had any legitimate reason to imagine a future with her.

It had started as a joke. At least, that's what I'd told myself. The truth was, from the first time I'd met her, I'd known she was different.