Page 44 of Taming the Billionaire Cowboy
“We haven’t been seeing each other long,” I admit. “Not even a week. It’s too early to know anything.”
“So it is serious,” my aunt says, and I can tell she’s enjoying how she has me in a corner.
“Gina.” My mom gives her a gentle scolding. “Leave the girl alone.”
My aunt holds her hands up like she’s innocent. “I’m just saying it’s nice.”
My mom turns back to me, a glint in her eyes that tells me I’m not getting out of this. “Oliver seems to fit right in. A perfect match.”
I don’t know if she means a match for me or a match for Miralena, but either way, I really hope she’s right. Things have been wonderful between us since that day in the old stable, and that alone terrifies me.
The laughter all day long. The stolen kisses here and there. The way he just fits in with me and Bradley. Life isn’t supposed to feel this amazing, which means the other shoe should be dropping right about now.
“Oliver’s enjoying the slower pace, but I don’t know how long it will last,” I tell her. “You know his whole life is in the city.”
“He seems to like it here,” Aunt Gina says. “Bet he’ll stick around longer than you think.”
I twist my lips anxiously. Sure, he said that he’ll be around here more, but how can I know that’s really the plan? He’s clearly an impulsive person; buying a whole ranch on a whim just to get some relaxation proved that.
“Or maybe he’ll change his mind,” I say. “He could leave anytime.”
I try to sound casual, like I wouldn’t care if he did, but my mom hears what I’m not saying.
“And maybe he won’t,” she says, hope in her voice and her eyes, like she’s already in love with him.
I want to believe her. I want to trust that this is more real than my fear. I want to let go of everything holding me back, but if I do, I might fall too hard and too fast. I’m deep in this thing already, and I don’t know if it’s the best feeling or the worst.
The door to the back room swings open, and Bradley bursts out, his face lighting up when he sees me.
“Mom!” he shouts, running across the bar with crayons in one hand and a drawing in the other. “I didn’t know you were here.”
“I got off work early. Would you like to go to the movies?”
He doesn’t display his usual excitement for the movie theater, which is odd. “Uh… can we go see the horses?”
“Not today. I just left for the day, and?—”
“Oliver can show them to me.”
“He’s busy, buddy. Another day. Soon.”
“Aww, okay. Look what I made.”
He hands over a drawing of two people standing next to a stable with horses all around them.
“It’s you and Oliver working,” he explains.
“Looks just like me,” I say, my chest feeling weirdly tight. “I love it.”
He’s really into Oliver… Was that whole outing on the Fourth of July a mistake? If Bradley gets too attached, and then Oliver leaves…
“Guess what,” I say, needing to think about something else before I start to cry. “I ordered the cake for your birthday party. It’s beach-themed like you wanted.”
“And Oliver’s coming, right?” my mom asks.
I hesitate, not sure how to answer, but Bradley speaks up before I have a chance.
“Oliver has to come,” he says.
