Page 95 (1/2)
As calm as he appeared on the outside, on the inside his inner teenage boy was yelling, In your face, suckas, this girl is mine!
She blushed and fiddled with the collar of his shirt “So, ah, please don’t tell ”
He laughed He laughed until he cried Orbecause this woht her close enough to stare into her eyes and feel her stuttered breath on his lips “I’ up with you, but you should understand that I’ood at this because I’ve never said it before”
“Tell, you don’t have to—”
“Yes, I do I love you, Georgia I’ve come to some of those same realizations too I wanna be with you so much that I was ready to ether”
“You’d do that?”
“In a fkin’ heartbeat I want a lifetie, babies, havin’ our faoin’ out on the town, planting a garden and sinking our roots in deep I’ve seen my cousins so happy, and they’ve each built their own family I’ve wanted that for myself, but I didn’t think it was possible until you You s I’ve never felt before And yes, it’s scary as hell for rinned and said, “Wow That’s sorown-up stuff”
“Yeah Mushy stuff too” He kissed her fingertips “I love everything about you I love that you get everything about hed softly
“You ia And I will spend the rest ofrets” She kissed him with passion, heart and fire; he sucked it down like a narcotic Drugged on the taste of her, the feel of her, this woman who loved hi, but you don’t hafta get a job right away if you don’t want to I’ll support you”
“See hoeet you are?” She nipped his chin “Thank you I appreciate it, but I’ve got a few offers”
“Already?”
“Leah and Roxanne have offered me a job at the beauty shop Stephanie said she’d hiresystem Domini mentioned they’re always shorthanded at Dewey’s, so I could probably wait tables At the fundraiser, the cheerleading coach said there was an assistant cheer coach’s job for me at the school if I wanted it And the Sundance Cha for a part-tiot options The job doesn’t ht”
“Well, now that youaround the idea of takin’ on a roootta be soonna be a rancher the rest ofthe occasional rodeo A woman who knows I can’t cook A woman who understands that once she moves in, she ain’t ever movin’ out A woman who knows that I’ll love her and cherish her and protect her every day of her life That this is for keeps”