Page 61 of Mine to Hold
I hadn’t planned on falling into bed with her as soon as we got back to her house, but plans changed. There were a lot of things we needed to talk about and a lot I still needed to say, but for right now, this was the most perfect reunion I could’ve hoped for after not seeing each other for so long and after the way things had ended.
I knew she wouldn’t have been in bed with me if she’d moved on. Ever since I’d spoken to Parker about giving life in Rockdale a try, I’d been worried that she might’ve met someone else. I’d assumed Teddy would’ve told me when I got here if she had, but even when my sister hadn’t said anything about another guy, I’d still been worried until the moment she’d kissed me back. Because now I knew for sure that she hadn’t moved on. She hadn’t already found someone else and I hadn’t lost her forever.
When I felt her starting to contract around me, I slanted my mouth over hers and kissed her until she cried out and took me with her as she tumbled over the edge. I exploded into her, trembling as I slammed my lips back against hers and rode it out.
Afterward, I rolled over in bed and spilled everything, wanting to get it over with now that I could see the uncertainty and confusion creeping back into her eyes. Draping one arm around her waist, I rested my head on the pillow beside hers, lying so close to her that our foreheads were touching.
“After you left me in Paris, I was so fucking unhappy,” I said. “Nothing made sense to me anymore. Nothing excited me anymore. I had this life that I’d thought was so great, but the longer you were gone, the more I realized that the only life that would really be great would be one with you in it.”
“Colt—”
“Don’t say my name like that,” I pleaded, lifting my hand from her waist to wipe away the tears that were gathering in her eyes. “Don’t make it sound like I’m a hopeless case and you don’t believe a word I’m saying.”
“I do believe that you were unhappy, but you can’t say that you want a life with me in it when you and I both know how much you hate this place.”
“That’s the thing, though. I don’t hate it. I thought about all of this a lot before I came back, Emma. It wasn’t a light decision. I missed you so much it hurt, but then I realized that it wasn’t just you I was missing. It was a home. A real life and someplace to build it. You know how extensively I’ve traveled, but whenever I thought about where I would like that place to be, I thought about Rockdale.”
I took a deep breath before I bared the deepest parts of my soul to her. “My parents had my sister and I here. They raised us here, they died here, and they’re buried here. You’re here, Teddy’s here, my childhood was here, and I think my future is here, too.”
“You think?”
“No, Iknowthat my future is here. All those places you showed me before we left are good places, as good as any of the places I’ve been, all in their own way. You showed me how good Rockdale could be. It just took a while for it to sink in.”
“Okay, but what happens if you can’t be happy here? What if you get bored and you want to leave again? What about your work and all your international clients? What about—”
I kissed her to shut her up when I heard the panic creeping into her voice. The kiss almost turned into something more, but I wasn’t done yet. Not until I’d dispelled her fears once and for all.
“I’m not going to get bored here, Emma. The world means nothing to me if you’re not part of my life. I know that now and I could never get bored with you or of you. Besides, we’ve got to get to work on building that family we both want. That’ll definitely keep me busy.”
“But your career? You can’t be serious about giving it up.”
I shrugged, exhaling through my nostrils since I knew this was a potential dealbreaker but knowing that I had to be honest with her. “For now, I’ve got project managers I trust on all my active developments. I might need to travel for a couple of days every few months to check on things, but if you want to and you’re able to make time, you could come with me and we could make a vacation of it.”
Worry flickered behind her eyes. “For now?”
“Yes, for now,” I said, stroking her soft cheek and silently begging her to make this compromise. If she wouldn’t, I was still all in on her, but it sure would make the logistics of my sudden move easier. “I’ve talked to the other stakeholders in the company. They’re willing to buy me out, but for the time being, I’ve got clients that I’ve committed to. I can’t just bail on them all. Until these developments are done, I’m going to be consulting for the company, but remotely. From here. If it works, I can keep doing it that way. I trained the guys who are managing my projects now, and they’re capable, so I know they can get the job done with minimal personal oversight from me.”
“What if it doesn’t work?” she asked softly. “Will you go back?”
“Never,” I assured her, pressing a soft kiss to the tip of her nose. “If it doesn’t work, then it doesn’t work. I’ll sell my stake in the company and I’ll start a small construction firm right here if I ever want to. Or I’ll become a fireman or work for you, like I said earlier. It doesn’t really matter. I don’t need to work. Whether or not I sell my stake in the company, I’ve made enough money to retire and live comfortably off interest and investments. If I keep my shares in the company, the passive income will be enough that I’d never have to touch the capital I’ve got. If I do sell, well, my stake is worth a lot. Either way, we’ll never have to worry about money and neither will our kids.”
“You love your work, though. You’re good at it. What if you start resenting me for making you give it up?”
“There’s construction happening everywhere, Em. I can do what I love right here, and I could never resent you for it because I’m choosing this, not you. This is what I want. Losing you just made me realize how much I want it. I’ve had my share of adventure and travel. I’m ready to settle down, as long as it’s you I get to settle down with.”
“You’re absolutely sure about this?” she breathed, the beginnings of a smile tugging at the corners of her lips. “You’re really moving back to Rockdale?”
“Yes to all of the above.” I chuckled as I kissed her mouth and held her a little closer. “Once you were gone, I realized that the nomadic life wasn’t for me anymore, either. I haven’t found a place yet, but I’m meeting with a realtor tomorrow and I’m planning on buying a house in town. Or I’ll buy a property and I’ll build my own house. I haven’t quite decided yet, but—”
“You could just move in here,” she suggested, and I heard the hope in her voice as she looked at me. “It’s not a house that you built yourself, but it’s right next door to Teddy and Scott and you could renovate it if you want to.”
I smiled against her lips. “I’d love to move in with you, baby. I didn’t want to be presumptuous, which is why I made the appointment with the realtor, but I was hoping you’d ask. Besides, maybe I could buy a property down by the river and build us a place for weekends. We could get a boat and raise our kids on the water in the summer.”
“That sounds great,” she whispered. “Are we really doing this, Colt? We’re moving in together and building a weekend or summer house on the outskirts of Rockdale?”
“One more thing.” I pulled away from her reluctantly, but this was the perfect moment to prove to her just how serious I was. As I got out of bed, I practically felt her eyes on my bare ass and laughed. “Give me a minute. I’ll be right back, then you can stare as much as you want and I’ll let you do whatever else you want. Just be patient with me for one more minute.”
When I found my pants, I pulled the square box out of the pocket and my heart skipped.Fuck, this is really it.
