Page 25 of Loving Hard on the Highway

That should not have made my heart flip the way it did, but it did. I kissed his collarbone, lightly, then looked up at him. “You’ll be back, right?”

“What?” he asked, raising a brow. “Gabbie, in case you haven’t figured it out. I’m in love with you.”

I was stunned speechless.

“You’ll save me some breakfast,” Sean said as he got up and dressed.

“If you like blueberries,” I smiled, trying to recover. My heart was beating like crazy.

He looked appropriately scandalized. “You’re really going to make me addicted to those things?”

After pulling a t-shirt on, he fussed with his hair in the mirror.

“You know you look good without even trying,” I teased.

He laughed, a deep, quiet sound that rumbled in his chest. He went to wake Ollie, giving him a quick goodbye cuddle before handing him to me. And then he kissed me like he might miss me already.

“I love you,” he said and turned to walk away.

I grabbed his hand, and he turned back. “I love you, too.”

His eyes lit up, and he kissed me again. I pretended not to melt. As he left, I just smiled and lay back on the bed. This was as real as it gets.

?

I had nearly forgotten how spectacular California’s weather was in early summer. The air smelled of rosemary, fresh linen, and the soft sweetness of nearby magnolia trees. In the distance, the gentle rush of the Magnolia River hummed in the air. The view of the vineyard with the river behind it was simply breathtaking.

I couldn’t help but laugh as Ollie leaped and played rambunctiously with the much older golden retriever that lived in the vineyard. Even with the construction, it was a stunning house, a mansion, really. The decor was updated in a traditional style, with authentic and modern touches. Very cozy. It was the kind of place people dreamed of living in.

“Breakfast is served,” Rosa, a woman in her late forties who I assumed was Skye’s partner, called from behind me.

“Oh wow,” I breathed in deeply. “Everything smells divine.”

“Compliments of the Bundt & Grind Cafe,” Rosa said as she laid everything on the patio table. “They had blueberry muffins and blueberry parfait. If Kayla and I could actually cook, we would have made you blueberry pancakes.”

“Oh, no, this is perfect.” My eyes widened as I sat down to my feast. “Blueberry muffins are my absolute favorite. But doesn’t one of you need to know how to cook to do the breakfast part of the B&B?”

“We haven’t quite figured that out yet.”

We both laughed. Rosa was an absolute delight.

“Did you have a good night?” Rosa asked. “You are glowing.”

“Can you tell?” I must have been beaming. “The room is perfect, and this place is a dream.”

“And the company?” Rosa raised a brow.

I blushed. “The company was fire.”

“Glad to hear it.” Rosa smiled before heading back inside.

I gobbled down my first muffin like a starved hyena. Then remembered I had calls to make. With Rick showing up at my sister’s, I knew Evie and Laurel would be worried. I tried Evie, since Laurel should be at work.

“Hey, are you there? Are you safe?” Evie jumped right in.

“Hi, Evie.” I shook my head. “I’m here at the bed-and-breakfast, and I’m fine. Better than fine. Everything is perfect.”

“Oh my god, you two fucked, didn’t you?” Evie gushed.

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