Page 21 of Trucker Daddy

“And I sold it when I told you I was stopping at an ATM,” I finish. “Figured it was better off funding your future than getting run over in a hotel parking lot.”

Her jaw works, but no words come out. I keep going, needing her to understand.

“I also had your car towed from that rest stop a few days ago. It’s in storage. Once things settle down with Charles and your parents, it’ll be waiting for you.”

Her expression crumbles, and tears spring to her eyes. I want to kick myself for making her cry, but before I can tell her so, she throws herself into my arms. Sienna kisses me hard, and I can taste the tears running down her cheeks.

“I can’t believe you did all of this.” Sienna buries her face in my neck. “How can I ever make this all up to you?”

“You don’t owe me anything, Sienna. I just want you to have options. You deserve that much.” I laugh roughly, holding her close. “I won’t lie, though. I planned on heavily persuading youto just move to Flagstaff if you really wanted to try and make it on your own. I would have kept an eye on you every step of the way. And I would have waited for you to come back to me.”

She stares at me for half a heartbeat before wrapping herself around me so tightly it knocks the air from my lungs. “I love you,” she says, her voice muffled against my chest.

Oh shit. She loves me. She fucking loves me. I’m the luckiest goddamn man on the planet. “Sienna…”

She leans back just enough to look up at me, her face streaked with tears but her eyes shining. “I love you, Garrett. I mean it. I don’t want a new life unless you’re in it.”

I don’t have the words to answer, so I just kiss her instead, right there in the parking lot of the cheesiest alien gift shop in Roswell, New Mexico. It isn’t until we both come up for air that I realize I’ve forgotten the most important part of this.

“I love you too, princess. God, do I fucking love you.”

My home is quiet and unassuming, tucked under the shadow of the pines. It’s cooler here at the higher elevation, and the trees provide just enough shade. The late afternoon sun makes the brick house appear bright red.

It’s not much, just a tiny three-bedroom with a wraparound porch and a swing I put up years ago. I step out of the truck, walking around to open Sienna’s door. She’s already leaning forward, trying to get a better look at the place, her alien store prizes tucked against her chest.

"This is yours?"

“Yeah,” I say, not sure how to read her tone. “It’s… simple, but it does the job.”

She takes a few steps forward, gaze sweeping over the porch swing, the empty flower boxes waiting to be planted, and the trees I thought would be perfect for a treehouse one day.

“Garrett,” she says, turning to look at me with a smile that feels like it could light up the whole world. “I love it.”

I glance back at the house like I’m seeing it through her eyes for the first time. I’m proud of everything I’ve worked for, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t cautious about how she would see it.

“You sure?” I ask, crossing my arms over my chest and squinting at the house. “I know it’s not what you’re used to.”

She steps closer, her hand brushing against my arm. “Trust me. This’s exactly what I want.”

Before I can overthink it, I grab her around the waist and lift her off the ground. She laughs, the sound rich and full of life, as I spin her around in a slow circle.

“This is home now, huh?” I say, grinning up at her.

“Definitely.”

Then something clatters to the porch floor, the sound sharp and out of place. I stop spinning, setting her down gently as I glance at the source of the noise. There, lying between us, is her phone. The phone I threw in a rest-stop trash can.

My stomach drops.

“What the hell?” I say, staring at it like it’s a snake about to strike.

Sienna’s face goes pale, her hands flying to her pockets as if she can somehow hide what’s already out in the open.

“I…I can explain.”

“Then get to it, darlin’, because I’d sure as hell like to be let in on the secret.”

CHAPTER 7

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