Best Friend's Ex Box Set

“Uh huh. I figured you would,” she said with a wink.

Cheyenne was unlike any woman I’d ever come across, and whatever decision she chose, I supported her fully. Maybe we could make it work with her being a few counties north, even if it was only a temporary thing.

But I would be lying if I said that labeling us as ‘temporary’ sat well with me.

“Feel you in a couple of hours,” Cheyenne said.

And all I could do was laugh at her statement while I watched her walk out of the restaurant.

Chapter Thirty-Seven

Cheyenne

I woke up Christmas morning to the smell of snow on the ground. I rushed to the window and peeled back the curtains, and when the bright morning sun reflected off the white snow on the ground, I squealed in delight. I had learned it was Green Point’s first white Christmas in over a decade, and I couldn’t wait to get out in it and play. The horses would have no issues staying in today, which meant they would be very low maintenance, and I was still reeling from the sheer amount of money the silent auction had generated a few weeks ago.

Plus, the date Colt and I were to go on was today, and I had been anxious about it for weeks.

I spent Christmas over at Smith Ranch while everyone opened presents, and the entire thing was picturesque. Snow was piled on the windows, and the Christmas tree was decorated from top to bottom. Smells of cinnamon and apple wafted in from the kitchen with Colt’s breakfast concoctions melting in our mouths, and Michael had even joined us after the festivities with his parents.

All day, I kept glancing over at Colt. He still had yet to tell me where this date was going to take place, and I was nervous because I knew the snow would shut down most of the town. Whenever he caught my eyes, he’d smile, but never once did he make a move to tell me what we were doing.

And then, just before I went to leave for my home, he slipped his hand in mine and walked me out to my truck.

“How about you just meet me at the restaurant in an hour,” he said.

“I suppose I could do that,” I said with a smile.

I went home and changed into a nice pair of slacks and a cream-colored turtleneck. I pulled on some snow boots so I could get to my truck and shoved a pair of black flats deep into my purse. I was excited to spend time with just Colt on this beautiful Christmas evening, but a part of me felt a little guilty. I had been bouncing back and forth on the job offer all this time, and as it stood, I was seriously considering taking it. There would be no stress, no worries, and no issues with funding—all of which were concerns if I stayed here in Green Point doing what I was doing now.

I’d been scraping by spending only what I needed so I could pay people back if I chose to take the job, but I couldn’t get past how I felt about Colt. There was an evening a couple of weeks ago where he had come by after the restaurant closed and slipped into the house, and for a split second, I thought he was Bill. I had reared up and thrown my fist at him, but when he caught it, he wrapped his arms around my body and softly talked me out of the nightmare I was having.

Being pulled close to his body by those warm, strong arms was something I would miss. His laughter and his smile were some things I would crave late at night, and every time I woke up alone in the morning I knew I would cry whenever he wasn’t there. My body had become accustomed to having him there. He was like a drug I never wanted to let go. But there was something else there that night when he held me and rocked me through my nightmare.

Something I hadn’t felt until that very moment. In the darkness of my room, while my body cowered into his for warmth and security, I realized something.

I realized I was in love.

I knew I could be more help with so many more horses with my talents at the other job, but I loved Colt. I knew it would set me up financially and take the weight of the world off my shoulders, but I loved Colt. I knew I would never want for anything and that the job would make me exponentially happy, but I loved Colt.

I pulled up to the restaurant only to see that it was closed, and I wondered if there was another restaurant Colt meant that I hadn’t caught when I’d been staring up into those comforting, beautiful eyes of his.

I slid off my snow boots and slipped on my flats, then started into the restaurant. The lights were off in the front, but the door was open, and when I opened it, what I saw was nothing short of breathtaking. Candles had been shoved into every corner of the restaurant, and food I’d never smelled before was trickling by my nose from the kitchen. Dozens and dozens of crimson red roses were tucked away on the empty tables, and as Colt stood up from the table he was seated at, I had to consciously talk myself through breathing.

The restaurant was absolutely breathtaking, but it didn’t hold a flickering flame to the man I’d come to see. My heart fluttered with every step I took towards him while the candles played sharp shadows on his rugged features. The suit he was wearing was tailored to every single ripple of his chiseled body, and I could feel my pelvis burning for him before I even got to the table.

“You look incredible, Cheyenne,” he said.

“My God, so do you,” I replied.

He embraced me tightly before he placed a light kiss on my head, then he pulled out my chair and ushered me into my seat. His chef walked out with a beautiful plate of pineapple ham, and suddenly plates, silverware, and glasses full of wine appeared in front of us.

“What in the world?” I asked. “Why is no one here?”

“The snow, and it’s Christmas.” he said.

“But I didn’t have any issues getting here.” He did have a point on the fact that it was Christmas day. Not many people would want to go out to eat.

“Doesn’t mean other people wanna come. Plus, I figured we could have the place to ourselves,” he said. “It was wonderful having you at the house for Christmas.”