Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 87179 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 436(@200wpm)___ 349(@250wpm)___ 291(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 87179 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 436(@200wpm)___ 349(@250wpm)___ 291(@300wpm)
“I made the bones, but you worked some serious artistic magic with the flowers. I hope that goes on your résumé.”
“It’ll be front and center on the homepage of my website,” she agrees with a nod. “Because yeah, it’s something. But working with what you built was a dream. It went smoothly, and that’s because you built it to be strong and stable.”
“I’m glad it was good to work with because you’ll be doing it often once this place is up and running.”
“You know, this is going to be an amazing venue.” She turns to me, her eyes bright with excitement. “Chase, it’s already stunning, and it’s literally just a tent. I love that Erin wanted to keep that side free from any flowers or coverings so we can all watch the mountains as the sun sets, and from inside, with a wall of windows?”
She kisses her fingertips.
“Chef’s kiss. This is going to be a wedding destination venue that will be in magazines and on TV shows. Once social media gets wind of it, it’ll be booked up years in advance.”
“I hope so.”
“I know so. I do this for a living. Charlie and I were talking about it this morning, and we know that it’s going to be a big deal. Hell, Sharla’s already decided she wants to snag a husband, just so she can get married out here.”
“Wow.” I raise an eyebrow and can’t help but laugh. “And what happens after the wedding day?”
“I don’t think she cares, honestly.”
We laugh, and I tug Summer over into my lap, wrap my arms around her for all to see, and don’t give a shit if anyone looks at us sideways.
She isn’t a secret. She’s mine.
“How long do we have to stay?” I whisper in her ear.
“It’s your brother’s wedding,” she reminds me with a wry smile. “So, I’m going to say at least until after they cut the cake.”
“What’s taking so long with that?” I grumble.
“Oh, there was a huge cake issue,” Summer informs me. “But Charlie got it managed, and it should be here soon.”
I scowl over to where a cake sits on a table. “It’s right there.”
“It’s fake.” Summer’s voice is light as she smiles down at me. “It’s just for show. The real cake is on the way.”
“I didn’t even realize.”
“Exactly. That’s what you have Charlie for.”
“Well, it better get here soon.”
“What’s your hurry, cowboy?”
I run my fingertips up and down the smooth skin of her back. “I just discovered that you’re not wearing a bra under this dress.”
“There’s no place to put a bra under this dress.”
I groan, and she laughs and wraps her arms around my neck, kissing me sweetly.
“Don’t worry, you’ll live.”
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
SUMMER
Holy shit, I’m going to die.
I bolt up in the bed, yanked out of a dead sleep, my right calf cramping and seizing so bad, I’m sure that this is it.
This is how I go out.
“Shit. Shit. Shit,” I moan as I try to rub the cramp out of the tight muscle. When that doesn’t work, I stand up and try to walk it off, stretching it out. At first, it’s absolute agony, but after a few minutes, the muscle starts to relax, and I’m left with an ache and I’m pretty sure a little PTSD.
Suddenly, it occurs to me that Chase isn’t in the bed. I frown at the clock and see that it’s just past three in the morning, and when I run my hand over the sheets, they’re cool to the touch.
He hasn’t been here in a little while.
We got home from the wedding late. Not only did we stay for cake, but we danced and enjoyed everyone for hours, and we ended up being some of the last to leave. Despite being exhausted, we still managed to strip each other naked and make love.
One thing I’ve learned since I’ve been with Chase is that the man is almost insatiable, and he’s patient. He’s teaching me things about my body that I never would have known before.
Bless his cowboy heart.
Wrapping his white dress shirt around me, I go searching for him, frowning when I don’t find him in the house at all.
Even my dog is gone.
“Did they go for a walk in the middle of the night?”
I prop my hands on my hips, and that’s when I see the light on in the garage. Slipping my feet into some flip-flops, I make my way outside and spot the man, dressed in jeans and a plain, green T-shirt, bent over a piece of furniture, sanding it by hand.
The lights in the garage cast a soft yellow light, and it’s quiet out here, with just the sound of crickets setting the tone of the soundtrack. Lily’s head comes up from where she’s curled up in a little bed that Chase must have carried out here for her, but at first, Chase doesn’t notice me.