Page 78 of A Montana Fake Marriage

Grateful, Caleb continued. “My mother had always been good at budgeting. Looking back, I can see that now. But when my grandfather moved in with us, I did notice a change. Then I overheard my parents talking about how much they wanted to provide for us kids when it came to going to college and setting us off right. I’ll never forget feeling like I was a burden. And I never wanted to be a burden on anyone. Not my folks. And not my future kids.” He raked a hand through his hair so roughly that he likely looked a mess. “I think some part of me didn’t trust sharing my financial planning with anyone because it would put everything at risk.” Caleb shook his head. “That sounds crazy, I know.”

She reached out and touched his arm. “Not crazy. I get it.”

He lifted his eyes to meet hers. “You do?”

Sammie nodded. “We are made from our past experiences.” Something dark flickered across her countenance. He knew her well enough to know she was thinking about her relationship with her father.

Caleb reached for her hand and held it tight. “I guess you’re right,” he murmured.

Her focus dipped to the paperwork. “So, you really haven’t sent in the divorce papers? I told my dad we had.”

“I haven’t signed them yet,” he admitted with a grimace.

Sammie’s eyes widened further. “You haven’t?”

He lifted a shoulder, his thumb tracing the back of his hand. He couldn’t meet her eyes. “I couldn’t do it. And it wasn’t because I needed your inheritance. Like I said, I have a good start financially. It’s because…” Slowly, he lifted his eyes to meet hers. “I’m still in love with you.”

Her mouth dropped open. She didn’t even blink at his confession.

Swallowing down the fear and discomfort for what he was about to say, he held onto her hand tighter. “The more I thought about it, the more I realized that you probably needed me to be open about our finances. You needed to feel secure—to know that I love you for who you are and not the money that comes with you.”

Her cheeks pinked, but she didn’t look away.

“I’m willing to relinquish my need for control if it means I can have you back.” Those last words were nothing more than a whispered plea. He needed her to accept his offer. It was almost as if his life depended on it.

The silence between them was excruciating. He hated the way she studied him as if she could see past every defense he’d erected around himself. Absolutely hated feeling this vulnerable.

“I love you, too,” she finally whispered.

“You do?”

She bit her lower lip and let out a laugh. “Of course I do. I don’t think I could stop loving you even if I tried. You’ve always beenthere for me. I should have never allowed my dad to get into my head. I knew better.” A tear slipped down her cheek, and his chest felt like it was closing in on his heart. He couldn’t take seeing her cry.

Caleb reached up and brushed the tear from her cheek and shook his head. “Don’t cry.”

She released a watery laugh. “I can’t help it. I’ve been trying to get up the courage to come back to the ranch just to apologize for accusing you of being a monster when you’re the furthest thing from it.”

His palm pressed against her cheek and continued to trace his thumb along her skin. “We make quite a pair, huh?”

The way she leaned into his touch was heaven. Sammie brought her hand to cover his, and she closed her eyes briefly. “Yeah. But I don’t know what’s going to happen with my inheritance, though.” Her eyes locked with his. “I haven’t heard from my father or the lawyer.”

He made a face. “That’s probably my fault. The lawyer keeps trying to reach out to me. I have a feeling it’s because he knew you signed it, and he was waiting on me.”

Her smile warmed him. “I suppose it’s too bad I didn’t reach out to the lawyer again to find out what the holdup was. Then we might have resolved things sooner.”

Caleb shook his head, and she frowned. He clarified, “I think I needed the time to realize what it was going to feel like to really lose you. I needed to understand the pain that would entail before I could really appreciate what it is to be loved by you.”

Sammie blinked, and two more tears fell free.

He shook his head. “You don’t know how much it hurts to see you upset. I wish I could take all that pain away?—”

She moved his hand to her lips and kissed him. “These are happy tears. I don’t care if I get the inheritance or if my dad leaves me alone for the rest of my life. All I need is you.”

Caleb leaned down, moving his hand behind her head, and pressed a kiss to her lips. “I couldn’t have said it better myself.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

“We’re sohappy you’re home,” Tana gushed, pulling Sammie into a tight hug.

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