Page 79 of Falling for the Bad Boy
“You name it, you’ve got it.” I smoothed my hand over her hair, ready to promise her the sun, the moon, the stars. Anything.
She tucked her head against my chest and placed her palm over my heart. Then she whispered one word.
The word that could change everything.
“Stay.”
Trinity
I took in a deep breath, trying to immerse myself in his scent. The thought of letting him go threatened to tear me apart. I’d just found him—how could I bear to let him slip right through my fingers? He was the only one who believed in me. I’d never felt love and support from anyone else the way I did with Oliver.
His arms tightened around me. “You know I’d love nothing more than to stay here with you.”
“But…”
“But nothing.” He let out a long breath. “I’ve been racking my brain, trying to find a way to make sure that happens. And I think I might have found a solution.”
“Really?” A glimmer of hope sparked in my heart. If I had Oliver with me, I felt like I could do anything—even stand up to my family.
His finger traced small circles over my back. “Yeah. I told you Wyatt had me running numbers for him. I think I found a way to make it happen. He can move to a space across town and get a deal on his equipment. Then the numbers will work. He gets what he wants, you get what you want…perfect, right?”
“I’ll have to find a new tenant.” I kissed along his collarbone. I’d never get tired of having my lips on his skin.
“That shouldn’t be too hard though. It’s already set up as a bar. With the way this whole area has been expanding over the past couple of years, you’ll probably have a line of possible tenants before he even moves out.”
I breathed in, letting the sound of his voice and his confidence calm my worried soul. “And you can work for him?”
“Yeah.” He brushed my hair over my shoulder. “That’s the plan. Partners. Crazy, huh?”
“No. Not crazy at all. He’d be an idiot not to bring you on board. Are you sure your family is going to be okay with you not coming back though? What about the vineyard?” I knew what it felt like to lose a connection with family over a decision. I didn’t want to be the reason Oliver lost his too. I’d never met them, but the way he talked about them made it clear they were close. Their opinion mattered.
“About my family…” Oliver tilted his head, pulling back just enough to meet my gaze.
“What?” I let my hand skim over his biceps, soft and slow. Whatever he told me, it wouldn’t change the way I felt about him—or the way my future had started to come into focus. Crystal clear focus. With Oliver in the center.
He ducked his head and breathed in.
“What is it?” His hesitancy sent the tiniest ripple of worry through my heart. “You can tell me.”
Biting his lip, he lifted his head and cupped my cheek. “My family doesn’t own a vineyard. I lied to you.”
I blinked. Letting it sink in, my heart began to thud faster. “What do you mean you lied? Why would you lie about something like that? I don’t care what your family does or doesn’t do. All I care about is you.”
He caught my hand in his and brought it to his lips. “I was embarrassed to admit what they really do.”
“You can tell me.” I furrowed my brow, trying to will him to understand that whatever this was, I wanted to share it with him. To ease the burden. “Whatever it is, it won’t change anything.”
“They’re sheep farmers. We produce wool.” He looked away, his face tight with shame.
My hand found his cheek, guiding him back to face me.
“I love wool. You know that about me. Why in the world would that be a bad thing?” I smiled, a bubble of relief rising in my chest. I’d been so worried he was going to say something that might threaten what had grown between us.
But then his brow furrowed. A crease appeared right between his eyebrows.
“That’s not the only thing I’ve lied about.”
CHAPTER 35
