There’s a sigh followed by murmuring, and I can picture my dad leaning back and scrubbing his hands over his face in exasperation. “Goddammit!”
“Dad?”
“I get it, Lawson. I understand every ounce of reasoning why you are there. Watching you suffer has chipped away at me. Hearing the hope in you
r voice right now lifts a huge weight off my shoulders. So, you have to understand that it kills me to ask you to think about what is happening here. I would never ask you to give up on Greer.”
I feel a tinge of obligatory guilt and decide to try to help with the limited resources available to me. “After I drop Greer off from lunch, I’ll ride back into town and find a place with solid internet. Have Janice send me a detailed outline of what needs reviewing. Between now and then, I’ll call Rob. By tonight, hopefully, we’ll have some of this shit sorted and everyone can relax for Christmas.”
He doesn’t have a chance to respond when the recognizable motor of the golf cart drones in the distance. “Shit! That fucking golf cart.” I shove my feet into my boots and yank on my hat, jumping from the bed.
“What’s wrong?” Dad asks worriedly.
“Greer’s on her way. I’m scheduled to pick her up in ten minutes at her house, so her showing unannounced doesn’t bode well.” I sling open the door, and sure enough, she’s flying across her lawn headed my way. “I need to go.”
“Did you say she’s in a golf cart?”
“Yeah, Kevin tricked out the thing with state-of-the-art heating equipment, including snow tires and a weatherproof cover that insulates the thing better than most full-service vehicles.”
“She’s driving a golf cart in this weather— in her condition? What the fuck, Lawson?”
In her condition… He knows.
“Picking my battles, Dad. This one I won’t win because she’s stubborn and set on disregarding me when I told her to stay off the thing. You mentioning her condition tells me you know about the baby, so we will discuss Clay’s big fucking mouth later. I don’t have time to explain right now, but she doesn’t know I’m aware of the pregnancy. Get Janice to send me the email. I’ll touch base later, but I have to go.” I disconnect and glower at the cart as it approaches.
When she stops, I’m at her side in a second, zipping it open and lifting her out, as I’ve done all the times she’s driven out here.
“Put me down!” She swats at my chest and shoulder, struggling to get free.
I lose my grip when we get inside, and she slips a leg free, squirming out of my hold. “You have to stop doing that!” she huffs.
“Not on your life, especially when you’re so hellbent on resisting my wishes that you stay off that thing until the weather gets better.”
She scowls, her glare shining with defiance. My pulse races and my dick twitches in my jeans at the sight. My eyes roam over her, taking in the oversized black sweater, skintight black leggings, and high-heeled red leather boots. She’s been wearing more and more baggy tops to conceal her tiny bump. I highly doubt the average person would notice such a small feature, but because I’m familiar with every inch of her skin, and made more apparent with her weight loss, there’s no hiding it.
My gaze travels top to toe, and I can’t stop myself from reaching out to skim my fingers over her neck, shoulder, and arm until I can link our hands. Slowly, I lift them to my mouth and kiss each knuckle. “Baby, you look incredible.”
Her expression softens, and the edges of her lips tip as she tries to hide her grin. My chest seizes in victory when she doesn’t pull away, instead giving me a small squeeze. “Thank you.”
A glimpse of the old Greer appears, and a sense of boldness takes over as I close the few inches between us. “Do you have any idea the thoughts running through my head right now?”
She shakes her head, her lips parting slightly.
“I want those red boots wrapped around my shoulders as I start my lunch here.”
Her breath hitches, and her eyes turn liquid green in a way I know intimately. Her hand in mine clasps tighter, her nails digging into my flesh harshly. “You can’t say things like that,” she barely whispers.
“I just did.” I press myself against her hips, grinding enough so she can feel the hardness through my jeans. “Feel the effect you have on me?”
“Lawson, we aren’t a couple anymore. I’m not sure things have changed.”
“Everything has changed, and this will be much easier for you if you stop denying it. I’ve told you we’ll go at your pace, but there’s only so much I can take, get used to hearing how fucking sexy you are.”
Her cheeks turn pink and she tries to drop her head, but I catch her chin with my thumb and force her face back to mine. “I love you, Greer.”
There’s so much more to say, but for now, those words seem like the most important.
Her bottom lip starts to quiver, and she bites down at the same time she sucks in a shaky breath. Her eyes start to shine as she nods. “I believe you, Lawson.”