After sleeping for seven glorious hours, I rolled out of bed. It had been the best sleep I’d had in months . . . probably because I wasn’t lying to myself anymore. I took a quick shower, then threw on jeans and a sweater. I had a shop to clean, but the first order of business was to find Garrett.
My Garrett.
I walked into the living room and smiled. He was stretched out on my couch with his feet propped up on one end. The couch wasn’t big enough to fit his tall frame.
On the coffee table, was a box of doughnuts, and several were missing.
I knelt beside the couch and admired the man who’d shown me that love and friendship had lots in common. My fingers itched to trace the small scar below his right eye, a forever reminder of what had happened at Thanksgiving and the week we’d spent together.
With a book in one hand and a doughnut in the other, I sat with my back to the couch and read and ate. I wanted to be here when he woke up.
A half hour later, the couch creaked before warm fingers brushed hair out of the way, and Garrett dropped kisses on my neck.
“Mmm. Good morning, cowboy.”
Chuckling he sat up. “Are you going to miss the spy?”
I nestled into his lap and kissed his scar. “You’ll always be my cowboy spy. Lots of integrity and a little bit of mystery.” I combed my fingers through his brown wavy hair. “Think we can keep the move quiet until after Delaney and Eli get back?”
He scrunched up his face. “Maybe. In this town, all it takes is one person to see you carrying a box out of your apartment, and word will spread like glaze on a hot doughnut.”
“We should at least try. I’m going to get some food and then go clean. After that, I’m going to get boxes and start packing. You can sleep more.”
“I’m good. When dad found out that I hadn’t slept much, he sent me home. So I slept on your couch.” His smile made the implication abundantly clear.
I was home for him, which was perfect because I felt the same way.
Garrett checked the time. “If we go now, we’ll make it over to the dining hall in time for lunch.”
“Good because I’m starving.” I put on my shoes while he pulled on his boots. “Where’s your hat?”
“In the truck.” He laced his fingers with mine as we walked out the door. “When is your lease up?”
“End of the month. I was supposed to let them know at the end of December if I wasn’t going to renew, and I’d told them I probably wouldn’t but that I’d let them know for sure after this weekend.”
“You liked me.” Those blue eyes twinkled with the mischief of a little boy as he opened the truck door.
“A lot.” After climbing in, I grabbed his shirt before he stepped away. “You clearly get me, so you probably already figured this out, but . . .” I could say anything to Garrett, and now that my heart was unmistakably on the butchering slab, I was about to hand Garrett the cleaver. “If you ask me to marry you, I’m going to say yes. And when I’m married to you, I’ll sleep with you. I’ll want to. But I don’t want a long engagement. The shorter the better.”
Grinning, he leaned in and gave me a quick peck. “I’ll remember that.” He cupped my cheek. “I love you, and my heart is yours. To you, I will always be faithful.”
I leaned into his hand. “When you didn’t kiss me that night, you showed me you were safe. And strong.”
“I’m glad you like my kind of muscles.”
“And when you did kiss me at New Year’s, it was impossible to ignore what I felt for you.”
Smiling, he patted my leg before closing the door.
I watched him run around to the driver’s side.
He climbed in, then leaned over and kissed me. “I’m glad you love me.”
Clutching his hand, I watched out the window as he drove to the main house. “You kept showing up. I need steady. Scratch that. I want someone steady.”
“Steady, huh? Some people call it stubborn.” He winked as he parked the truck.
When we walked into the dining hall hand in hand, everyone clapped. I inched up and kissed Garrett, which garnered some cheers and whistles. What hadn’t been obvious to me had been obvious to everyone here, and I loved that for some weird reason.
Parker laughed. “Friends, huh? I need a friend like that.”
Garrett grinned as we sat down. “Normally, I’d give getting beaten up zero stars, but well . . . totally worth it.” He bumped my shoulder. “She didn’t even run me over.”
Just like he promised, Garrett helped me clean the shop, and then we started packing up my apartment. And after we’d cleaned and packed for several hours, the hot tub felt magical.
He eased into the water after me, and I didn’t hesitate to snuggle into his lap. “Why did you ask me out that day?”
“Does it matter?” He nuzzled my neck.
“I want to know.”
“I heard you defending Eli to the two women in the doughnut shop. You know, the one who wanted you to introduce her at New Year’s.”
I remembered. “They were the typical mean girls in high school. And some people don’t change. I still can’t believe she asked me if I’d introduce her to you at the New Year’s Eve party.”
“But you weren’t rude to them. In the doughnut shop, you just stuck up for Eli and Delaney. At the party, it was cute that you didn’t want to introduce me. I liked that.”
“So you asked me out because of how I treat people?”
“Part of the reason. Then you showed your true colors.” His arms tightened around me. “That night on the side of the road, I was scared. I don’t think I’ve ever said that. More than one car drove past me that night, and the later it got, the more despair I felt. I was in so much pain, and it was cold. I’d never been more miserable. But then you showed up.”
I blinked away tears.
“You could’ve decided that it was too scary to help a stranger in the dark alone, but you did more than just help me into the car and take me to the hospital. You cared. And that meant so much to me.” He kissed my head. “Also, you’re extremely attractive.”
“I’m glad you think so, and I’m glad you moved here.” I tilted my head back to look at him. “I really missed eating doughnuts.”
A chuckle rumbled in his chest as his lips met mine. Without breaking away, I turned and wrapped my arms around him, sitting sideways in his lap. With one arm holding me close and another tangled in my hair, he tilted my head, finding the perfect angle.
For several minutes he kissed me like a man who’d been craving it for months.
This hot tub was now my favorite place in the whole world. Really, anywhere with Garrett was my favorite place.
“Last night I told you I couldn’t remember all the things I wanted to say. I’m not even sure I can remember them all now. Thoughts were bouncing around in my head as I made doughnuts. But there are a few things I want you to know. I’d convinced myself that not dating was the way to avoid the risk of being humiliated again. But spending a week with you was like gasoline on my spark of attraction. And at first, that’s all it was. You’re attractive. And well built. Rather hot, actually. I was attracted to you.”
Garrett nuzzled my neck. “Keep talking. I’m listening.”
“But the more time I spent with you, the more those feelings changed into something deeper, and that outweighed my fear. I felt loved, and when I admitted to myself that I loved you . . .” I chewed my bottom lip, trying to find the right words. “I guess love chased out my fear.”
His lips captured mine, and his kiss felt like a promise of forever. When he broke away, he closed his eyes and sighed. “I think I’m going to like having you closer.”
“I’m going to love it.” I dropped kisses on his shoulder and along his shoulder blade. “The reason I didn’t talk to you in the hot tub after the wedding was because I wanted to show you how much you meant to me, like you showed me over and over again. But I wasn’t sure how to do that until the very end of the wedding. Maybe it was the groom’s cake that sparked the idea. And then I needed time to create the flavors.”
“Having Eli’s cake shaped like a doughnut was awesome.”
“Those two fell in love over doughnuts, so it was fitting. Have you texted Eli?”
“No. The man is on his honeymoon.”
“Good. I’ll tell them about us when they get back. I should probably call my mom. I did text her, but I just said I was busy enjoying my day off and that I’d talk to her later. They are on a second honeymoon. I don’t want to bother them. She’s going to be excited though. They really like you.” I had no doubt my parents would be excited about my decision. “Oh, and Mom sent me the picture she took of me sitting in your lap.”
“She sent it to me too. It’s a good picture.” He poked me in the side. “I like the way you’re looking at me in that picture.”
“I promised myself I wouldn’t think about us until after the wedding, but I thought about you all the time. Then all those guys dove for the garter, but you so coolly raised your hand holding it. I don’t know how you did it, but it made me think you’d fight for me. That’s a silly thing to assume from a garter toss, I guess.” I traced his jawline with the tip of my finger. “It’s possible I was thinking about our kiss when I was in your lap.”
“That explains a lot. And I’m hoping I didn’t accidentally break anyone’s finger or anything, but I was pretty set on walking away with that lacy little thing.” He brushed his lips on my ear. “I was also pretty set on keeping my promise to you . . . to expend all my energy to win your heart.”
“I figured out what you meant later that same day when I shared my fears with Delaney. She said you’d show me if you wanted more than friendship. Then you gave me this.” I dragged my hand through the water, stirring up the bubbles.
“I’m looking forward to all the Christmas mornings we’ll spend together and all the years we’ll ring in the new year with a kiss. And maybe more than a kiss.”
The gravel in his voice made me hope he wouldn’t wait too long to propose. I wanted him. All of him.
“I know I’ve asked you this before, but why did you help me?” He danced his lips on my neck, trailing kisses on my skin.
“I was afraid, but fear shouldn’t be an excuse to leave another person in pain.”
He met my gaze. “Now I love you more. But I didn’t mean on the side of the road. I was talking about after that. Why risk it? You could’ve just left me at the hospital.”
“You needed my help.”
He waited, clearly not satisfied with my answer.
“Your dad is well-known for his integrity and generosity, so when I found out you were his son, it didn’t seem like that much of a risk.”
“You had no way of knowing that I wasn’t a horrible person.” He brushed a wet hair off my face.
“I knew. Before I knew who you were, I knew. Getting you into the car caused you so much pain, and yet, you focused on wiping away my tears. Horrible people don’t do that.” I touched his cheek. “And Eli offered to set me up with you, and he’d never done that before. With anyone.”
“Remind me to thank him.”
“And you kept holding my hand. It felt good.”
Garrett kissed me. Over and over again.
I was going to love dating this tall, chiseled brick.