Page 34 of Entwined Hearts
It was a ridiculous thought to have since we’d hardly interacted with each other, but I knew there was something between us still. I just needed to be patient and show her there wasn’t anything to be scared of. My Sav worried over everything like it was a full-time job, and I didn’t think anyone here knew just how much it affected her.
But I did.
A sharp elbow caught me in the ribs, and I grunted, turning to find Delilah giving me a knowing look.
“What?”
She arched a red brow. “Take a picture, it’ll last longer,” she said, but not loud enough for anyone else to hear while they talked about the indoor and outdoor arena spaces.
I shifted on my feet, not knowing what to say. I had told Colt and Beau, but did that mean the girls knew? Had Savannah told them? Had Colt and Beau told Britt and Claire, and it spread from there?
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I said to play it safe.
She scoffed. “I’m not blind, Weston, and neither is anyone else in this house. If you’re gonna stare at her, be a little more subtle about it.” She took a long pull from her beer. “I thought bull riders were supposed to have game,” she said, clucking her tongue.
Heat ran up my neck, and I nodded, feeling like a kid getting scolded for sneaking cookies.
Everyone must’ve known about us then, if Delilah was making comments. I felt…odd about that. For so long, it’d been this secret thing between Sav and me, something just for us, which was hard to come by in families as large as ours. I wasrelieved and a little disappointed that we didn’t have that privacy anymore.
“When it comes to her, I have no game,” I said quietly, glancing back at the woman I adored with every fiber of my being.
Delilah’s upper lip curled. “Keep that up and I’m gonna be puking with the baby,” she said, but then gave me a little smile. She leaned in towards me. “You didn’t hear it from me, but she’s definitely not over you, whether she wants to admit it or not.”
My head whipped towards her, far too eager, but I didn’t give a shit. Delilah was Savannah’s best friend with the inside scoop, so hearing her say that was like the clouds parting after a thunderstorm. And for the first time in weeks, I had actual hope that I could win her back.
“What did she say?”
She ran her fingers over her mouth as if she were zipping her lips and throwing away the key, and went to the other side of the table next to Claire. “And we’re going to convert the Golden Bridle stables into lodging for the equine therapy outreach program.”
How the fuck could she drop a bomb like that and then pretend like nothing happened? I wanted to shake her until the answers I was after fell out, but that’d probably earn me a right hook to the face.
“And what exactly is all of that going to entail?” Joseph asked her.
“It’s going to be a veteran outreach program. Or just anyone who suffers from PTSD,” Delilah replied, glancing at Emmett. “Studies have shown that working with horses has helped with anxiety and stress levels, and helped people learn how to rebuild trust and feel a sense of accomplishment.”
“There will be ten bedrooms for guests and Delilah will be our on-site therapist,” Beau added. “We’re gonna make it kinda like a wellness retreat.”
“I bet you’re all over this then, huh?” Joseph said to Emmett, who was sitting on the couch with Luke and Tess.
“Not really. Just passed over my contact at the Veterans Affairs office so they can advertise Golden Circle.”
Well, that was denial if I’d ever seen it. And I knew Beau agreed with the way he looked at me from across the table. If anyone needed this outreach program, it was Emmett. Dude was wound tighter than a spring. Although I wasn’t sure how calming working with Delilah could be. Tess and her boy could probably use it, too. Or a few sessions with a therapist, at least.
Hell, I might need some myself. Talking to Sav about the mess in my head the other day helped, but things weren’t like they were back when we were together. I couldn’t dump everything on her while she played with my hair and showered me with kisses until I was too turned on to care about my feelings. And I had a lot of shit to unpack if my career was going up in smoke like I worried it was.
I glanced back at her, the golden highlights in her hair soft against the light. I smiled to myself while she fawned over Hattie. She was everything I could ever want, and I couldn’t have dreamt up a better woman: smart, confident, and strong, yet sweet and compassionate with traces of my Sav in this new version of her.
I needed her the way I needed riding. And if I ever got the chance to hold her again, there was no way in hell I’d ever let her go.
A phone on the table buzzed, the screen lighting up. Savannah’s eyes went wide, and she snatched it up, glancing around to see who’d seen. Her eyes met mine, and she looked away quickly at her phone.
My brows furrowed when all the tension in her body melted away with something like relief, but then it came back with a vengeance as she read the message, her mouth popping open with an enraged scowl.
“Like hell they are,” she snapped, and sprang up from her chair, passing Hattie off to Claire.
“What? What is it?” Beau asked as she came over to the counter, ripping her laptop open across from me. She didn’t go anywhere without that thing.
“Levi just texted me that Sterling and Preston are planning to file a zoning violation claim in the morning. Those motherfuckers.”
