Page 65 of Mountain Pine
I toss my hands up. “What?”
“I said to stay in the tent!”
“But I knew it was Austin.”
“Which is why you should have stayed in the tent!”
I’m not about to hide from my ex. “He’ll be fine.”
“I already beat the shit out of him over a misunderstanding. Then I took his girl. Now I’ve made her scream so loud while coming, he got called to investigate a possible homicide.”
There’s no way I should laugh right now. It’s not funny.
Okay, it’s a little funny.
A lot of funny.
Doubling over, I can’t catch my breath with how hard I laugh, and I think something in my brain must have cracked because yesterday I couldn’t stop crying every time I had an O and this morning all I can do is laugh and not care about anything other than being super happy.
This is all Conner’s fault.
“Stop laughing, he’ll hear you!”
“Let him,” I wheeze. “Let everyone hear.” Snatching his waistband, I tug him to me. “Let the whole ass universe hear how deliriously happy you make me, Conner Montgomery.”
“He’s going to hate me even more for this. And I don’t even know why I care.”
“Austin doesn’t hate you. He never will.”
“I would if I was him. I took you from him.”
“No, you didn’t. He let me go.”
“What?”
“We brokeup mutually. And he said he knew you were in love with me and that I was in love with you. I couldn’t deny it, and he said, ‘Go get him, Taylor.’”
He runs his hand down his face. “He let you go. For me.”
“He’s selfless like that. A real stand-up gentleman.”
“Fuuuck.” Con dramatically collapses against me and presses his forehead to mine. “I’m going to have to buy him flowers, and dinner, and take him out for drinks, aren’t I?”
“Might need to buy him a pony, too.”
He kisses the tip of my nose then my forehead then my mouth. “Do you really have to go now?”
“Yes.”
I see the struggle he’s having that I can’t stay in this little bubble any longer. And I know he’s dealing with the fact that he can’t stay in this bubble for much longer either. He’s got bills to pay too.
“I love you,” he says, as we’re halfway through the woods, heading to my car.
“I love you too.”
“No. I mean Iloveyou, Taylor. Like I don’t think my soul could survive a day without you.”
I know what he means because I feel the same way too. I also know that he’s going full throttle again because he thinks if he doesn’t say it, our past will overshadow things and that’s just not the case. Nor will I change my mind about wanting to be with him for the rest of our lives.
