"Next week?" Liv asks. "So soon?"
I nod. "Yes. It's where I belong. And it's where I want to be. I'm done with college. I put in my time at Buckle Down. I'm going to let John know that I appreciate everything he's given me, the opportunities I've had there, but it's time for me to come home. It's time for me to be with family."
Liv smiles. "Family. That makes sense."
"And what about your family?" my mom asks. "What do they do?"
"My parents are both attorneys and..." She smiles tightly. "They're pretty busy. Work has always been their priority, and making sure I had everything I needed to follow my own passions." She looks over to me at that.
I smile, reaching for her hand. "Which is riding competitively?" I say, wanting her to know that I know.
She nods. "So you figured that out."
"Your uncle told me a bit, and I read up a little bit more."
My mom smiles. "Oh, you're a rider?"
"Yeah. I've been riding competitively for the last six years."
"She's modest," I tell my parents, explaining to them exactly what kind of riding Livingston does.
"Wow," my dad says, impressed. "So what are you doing out at Buckle Down Ranch?"
She smiles softly. "I was spending some time with my aunt and uncle. I love them, and it worked out pretty well because it gave me a chance to meet your son, who it turns out is pretty special to me too."
I swear to God, my parents look fucking stunned at how forthright Liv is, but I'm not. Livingston and I lock eyes.
"Yeah," I say. "I feel like somehow our paths crossed just at the right moment in time."
We pause for a moment, lost in one another's eyes before my dad clears his throat.
"So what are you kids planning on doing today?" he asks as we all return to our food.
"I was thinking of showing Livingston where I'll be living, the house on the back 40."
Mom smiles. "The house is lovely," she tells Livingston. "It was recently renovated. It's a great place."
"This is just an additional property on the ranch?" she asks.
Mom nods. "Yes. And we have about fifty cowboys who work here.”
"Wow," Livingston says. "This is a pretty massive property."
Dad gives her a flash of pride "Yeah. We're pretty proud of what we have going on here."
Liv smiles back at him. "You must be pretty proud of your son, giving him the opportunity to run it."
I appreciate her ability to bring me back to the center of the conversation. She knows what this means to me.
My mom beams. "Yes. Ledger will do great. Now, the house – I think you'll find it to your liking, though if you want to do any renovating, you're free to change anything. I'm not personally attached to any of it."
"Me?" Liv laughs. "It's not my house. I'm pretty sure it's Ledger's."
"Right," Mom says, lifting her cup of coffee to her mouth. "Right. Of course it's Ledger's house." She gives me a wink. "For now. Anyways, let me know what you think of it, darling."
When breakfast is over, I take Liv on that tour. I show her the horse stables and the barns, introduce her to some of the guys who work here that I've known since I was a kid.
I show her my parents' massive estate. She really likes the pool and asks if I'm much of a swimmer. "Hell yeah," I say, "though I prefer to go boating on the lake in the summer."
"Can you drive a boat?" she asks.
I nod. "Of course I can. Do you jet ski?"
She laughs. "Never. I'm scared of breaking any of my bones. My body is pretty much my instrument."
"Fair point," I say, looking at her two feet firmly planted on the patio. "Well, in that case, let's get you off the ground, Princess. Wouldn't want to break any of these precious bones of yours.” I pick her up and carry her toward my house.
Inside the house, I can see that Otis has already carried in her bags from her car.
Her eyebrows lift. "Wow. That's some service. I guess Jake was right. You really are a rich boy."
"Hey," I say, smacking her ass. "You're not allowed to say that."
Liv just smirks, looking around the large foyer. “So, your mom was making some comments about this place, telling me I could pretty much do what I wanted here. What was that all about?"
I laugh, grabbing her by the waist and pinning my girl to the door. "What do you want it to be about?" I ask.
"Well, why don't you kiss me first, and then we can talk."
So I do. I kiss that girl full on the lips, like I've been dying to do all damn day.
12
Liv
Pressed against the door of Ledger's house, I know, in that moment, how I feel. "I love you," I tell him, the words falling off my lips as if I've said them a hundred times before. "I know it's soon and we've just met, but..."