Sweet Home Cowboy by Nicole Helm

Author:Nicole Helm
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HQN Books
Published: 2021-12-16T12:42:25+00:00

CHAPTER ELEVEN

HOLLIS FINISHED DOING the rearranging in his living room and looked around. He had moved the picture. Not to hide it, not to pretend like it had never happened, just because the position that it held in his life had changed.

It would always be part of him. Part of his journey. But it was different now. He was different now.

He was so absorbed in taking in the new shape of things, that he didn’t hear a truck come up his driveway. And he didn’t hear anything at all until there was a knock on the door. He went over there, and he opened it.

It was Joey.

She had Band-Aids on her hands, and her hair was a mess, and her eyes were red.

“Joey,” he said.

“I’ve been building shelves,” she said. “Because I had some thinking to do. Not maybe the thinking that you think I might have had to do but, just some more thinking. And it turns out that I’m not very good at building shelves. And I hurt myself a bunch of times. I’ve hit my thumb with a hammer at least six times. I don’t like it.”

“I wouldn’t think,” he said.

“Well, it’s just a big pain in the butt, in general. But, I might get better at it. Just because I’m not good at it today doesn’t mean I won’t be. You know what I mean?”

“Not really.”

“I like knowing how to do things. I like being in control. I don’t like having to learn how to do something. I don’t want to take time. I think mostly I don’t want to be hurt. Well. I’m hurt. I’m really, really hurt.”

Tears started to fill her eyes.

“And I want to figure out how to do better. How to be better. But I’m going to have to learn. And it’s going to take some time. And I’m learning... I’m learning how to love you. And how to let you love me. And I want to learn how to share a life. I want to learn how to be together.”

“Oh Joey,” he said, and he pulled her into his arms.

Because he had known that she would come. He had known, but that didn’t make this less sweet.

Because he didn’t take anything for granted. Not now. It wasn’t money, a career, a cabin, that mattered. The greatest gift in life was this right here. Finding that person who could share your life—whatever it looked like—with you.

This was the prize. This was that field of bluebonnets.

This was what mattered.

“I love you,” he said.

“I love you too. I guess maybe you will be my baby daddy,” she said.

“Only if you want me to be,” he said. “I want whatever future you see.”

“Really?”

“Yes. Because my future is sweetest for having you in it.”

“Well, I think we should get married and have kids and in general be really sappy and ridiculous. And love wildly. No matter what.”

“That sounds like it could be dangerous,” he said.

“I know. But I’m up for it. I’m not afraid. Well. I am.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.