Page 128 of Need You
“Hey, hey, it’s just me,” Colt whispered in her ear. “Chief Hottie from Hell?”
She sat up, trying to get her bearings, then giggled, still sleep induced. “That’s what I used to call you.”
Two dark brows shot up. “Chief Hottie from Hell? That’s not a compliment, right?”
“It sort of is.” She looked at him to make sure he was in one piece. “Did you get called out on something bad?”
“Nah. Mr. Finkelstein’s car got stolen again.” Colt rolled his eyes.
“In Glory Junction? Really?”
“It wasn’t stolen. He lost it, but that’s a story for another day. Why didn’t you tell me you were coming back?”
“Last-minute decision. Plus, I couldn’t reach you all day. It must’ve been busy.”
“You don’t know the half of it.” He pulled her back down, kicked off his boots, and cuddled her in his arms. “I arrested Pond Scum on public corruption charges.” Colt told her the details.
“A hundred thousand dollars?” She gulped. “Holy cow. Well, good riddance. After what he did to you, the jerk got what he deserved. Thank goodness your job’s safe now.”
“Yeah, about that ... I need to talk to you, Delaney.”
She turned on her side so she could face him. Running her fingers through his hair, she said, “You don’t want to wait until morning?” Truthfully, she was afraid of what he might say.
“Nope.” He took her hand away and held it. “I gave the city my resignation today.”
“What?” She popped up like a jack-in-the-box. “Why, Colt? You love your job.”
“That’s the thing, Delaney. I love you more.”
“You do?” The words stunned her because he’d never said them before, not even in the throes of intimacy. He didn’t even want anyone to know they were seeing each other. “This is a sudden about-face.”
“Not really. I think I’ve loved you since that first night you banged on my door with a pair of cargo pants in your hands.” He pulled her back down, tucking her head under his chin. “I’ll admit I’m not the best at expressing myself, or at relationships. I have trouble with trust, trouble with opening myself up, and trouble with compromise. But I’m working on it because more than anything in the world I want you and me to be together, and we both know how difficult that will be if we’re living clear across the state from each other.”
“But, Colt—”
“Let me finish. By leaving the department and working full-time for Garner Adventure I can make my own hours. TJ’s swamped with administrative work and this way I can help him, even telecommuting. I’ll have to come back to conduct tours, but at least I’ll be able to split my time between here and LA. Otherwise we’re doomed, Delaney, and I want to fight for this relationship. For us.”
A tear leaked from her eye and trickled down her cheek. He wiped it away with his thumb. “Tell me I’m not being presumptuous or making a fool of myself, here.”
She put his hand on top of her heart. “Feel that? It’s all for you. I love you, Colt. I love everything about you. The way you take care of this town, your family, and me. The way you cheered me on and helped me find my confidence again. But we’ve got a slight problem.”
He went instantly rigid.
“I’m not moving to Los Angeles. It won’t work for me.”
“Where then?” he asked. “New York will be more difficult but—”
“Glory Junction,” she blurted. “I got my deposit back on the office building. I have this crazy idea that maybe I can run the company from here.”
He sat up and rested his back against the bed’s headboard, and she could see the wheels spinning in his head. “What about your warehouse and your employees?”
“My designers can work anywhere and Karen is willing to move. With the sale of the LA warehouse, I could afford to build one here, if I could find the right property.”
“But will it be good for your business?” He sounded dubious. “I don’t know, Delaney.”
She joined him in an upright position and wound her arms around his neck. “It’s going to be good for me and I am the business. LA doesn’t feel like home anymore. I hate the traffic, the smog, the crowds. This is where I feel most comfortable. Right here in Glory Junction, especially because it’s your home. Home for me is wherever you are.”
“I think we should take some time to think about this, not be rash. I don’t want your business to suffer because of a bad decision.”
She put her fingers on his lips. “Colt, the biggest thing I learned from living here is that happiness is more than a thriving business. I had that with Robert and I wasn’t happy. Not like how I am with you.”
He lay there for a while, pensive, then finally said, “If it’s what you want, we’ll make it happen.” Then he covered her mouth with his, and whispered against her lips, “I feel the same way about you. You’re my home, Delaney. But this Chief Hottie from Hell thing ... we’ll have to talk about that. Later.” And then he kissed her.
