“You were close?” I asked, unsure if they had a falling out or worse.
“She passed away a couple years ago.” She glanced down at the silver band on her finger, the one I’d noticed she always had on.
“She give you that?” I nodded my head toward where she was now fiddling with it.
She nodded again. “For my college graduation. She was so proud… It was hers, and I’d always admired it as a little girl. It’s one of the last things she ever gave me.”
I slid my hand over hers, rubbing the top of it with the pad of my thumb. “I’m sorry, Han. Always sucks losing someone.”
With a half-hearted smile on her face, she shook the somber mood away. “Enough. I don’t want to talk about it right now.”
She picked up her burger to take a bite, and I did the same. Her eyes roamed through the open floor plan as we ate in silence.
“When are you moving?”
“Soon. Tucker should be able to finish the place in a couple weeks or less when he gets back. He was gonna have his guys wrap it up while on his honeymoon, but I didn’t want him to have to worry about it. I’m in no hurry. My lease isn’t up for another month.”
She nodded, nibbling on another fry. “Can I ask you something?”
“Anything.”
“Why are you moving out there?”
I shrugged, leaning back in my seat, crossing my arms. “A number of reasons, I guess. Free rent, less of a commute.”
“Sounds like the dream job and location.”
“Sure. I guess so, for some.”
She tilted her head to the side. “Not for you?”
“Did I dream of being a ranch hand? No. I think we both know what my dream was before.”
She leaned in, resting her arms on the table. “And what is it now?”
You.
With the thought, I scratched at the back of my head, then roughed my hand over the top, knowing there was no way in hell I was saying that outloud. “I guess building a place on the land I took you to. Something simple. A small one, but big enough for a family, someday.”
“Someday,” she repeated, a slow smile building.
“Yeah.” I smiled. “Someday.”
“Sounds perfect.”
If she were a part of it, it very well could be.
Her smile weakened as her eyes shifted down to her plate as if she’d read my thoughts. I cleared my throat, changing the subject to lighter topics: her parents, what it was like growing up in Seattle, the jobs she applied for this week. As much as it pained me knowing how rooted she was in the city, I also loved hearing her talk about it. The way her eyes would light up as she spoke made it seem like this magical place.
Sitting back in her chair, she yawned, her hand covering her mouth.
“You tired?”
“A little… And my feet are killing me. I’m not used to being on them all day long.”
I stood from my chair. Moving next to her, I hooked my arms under her knees and behind her back, lifting her into the air and against my chest.
“Billy! What are you doing?” she squeaked, her hands locking behind my neck.
“Taking care of you.” I quieted her objection with my mouth, walking her down the hall and into my room.
Setting her on the edge of my bed, I toed off my boots. I reached over my back, tugging at my shirt and pulling it over my head. I discarded the shirt to the floor, followed by my jeans and socks, leaving me in nothing but my boxer briefs. Her eyes widened as she licked her lips.
“Lift your arms,” I demanded.
She raised them over her head, her brows following the same upward path, questioning my intentions.
Gripping the bottom hem of her dress, I peeled it over her head, dropping it to the ground with the rest of my clothes. “I’m giving you a massage.”
“Naked?”
“Is there any other way?” I smirked.
“I suppose not.”
“Lay back, sweetheart,” I crooned.
Scooting back onto the bed, she kicked up those long legs. As she peered up at me with those big, beautiful eyes, blond hair splayed across my pillow, I took a moment to commit the image of her in my bed this way to memory.
I crawled onto the mattress near her feet, lifting her leg and kissing down the length of it before starting to knead the sole of her foot with my thumbs.
“Mmm…that feels amazing,” she hummed.
That sexy little noise had my dick straining against my briefs. I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to stick to my plan and get through the full massage as I’d intended. I meant for this night to be about her—giving her what she needed, what she deserved.
Pressing a kiss to the inside of her ankle, I moved on to her other foot. She moaned again, her eyes falling closed as she relaxed her head on the pillow. I moved from her feet to her calves, her breathing slowed, her head falling limply to the side.
“Han,” I whispered her name as I crawled next to her. I laid on my side, elbow tucked under my head, staring at her beautiful face through the dark. I wanted all of my nights to end this way—her in my bed, sleeping peacefully. I ran my knuckles lightly down her cheek, gently pressing a kiss to her forehead, careful not to wake her. Using my arm, I tucked her into my side before closing my own eyes.
“How’d it go with Hannah?” Wes asked, walking up beside me as I poured my second cup of coffee.
Grams sure knew how to make a damn good cup of joe.
She had a whole setup for us early this morning: coffee, juice, and homemade breakfast tacos of various kinds.
I gave him a sideways glance, then shook my head with a smile, pressing the lid back onto my travel cup. “That’s none of your business, man.”
“I wasn’t asking for the details of your sex life, Miller. Just wondering how she took the news of moving out of my place. She’d been fightin’ mad the first time I told her she was moving.”
I took a sip, hiding my smirk. “I’d be too if I had to live with the likes of you.”
He scoffed a chuckle, lifting the carafe to pour himself a cup. “I see how it is. Gone and got yourself a pretty city girl and now you’re getting cocky. Don’t forget who writes your checks, buddy.”
It was my turn to scoff. “When you remember. You still owe me one.”
“Maybe if you hadn’t taken off so fast that day, you’d have it in your hands already.”
“Let’s not go there, man.” I clapped his shoulder as I walked off to where Wes’s dad, Beau, and the rest of the boys stood. Even knowing the truth about that day, what I’d walked up on was a sore subject for me.
I spent the rest of my day secluded in a combine, my music playing through the headphones of my phone as I plowed through the rows of wheat with only a grain truck traveling alongside me. I’d had a permanent smile on my face since leaving Hannah asleep in my bed this morning. I’d left her a key to my place with a note on my nightstand, hoping she’d see it as soon as she woke up. Once the sun had been up for a few hours, I couldn’t resist the urge to send her a text any longer.
Billy: Morning, blondie. How’d ya sleep?
I waited impatiently for her response, the gray bubble with three dots taunting me.
Hannah: Like a rock. Your bed is freaking comfortable.