Page 52 of Every Single Vow
Trace runs full speed, jumping into her arms.
It only took one evening at a family dinner for Trace to deem her his new bestie.
“Can I show you how I ride Tater Tot?” He beams up at her.
“Duh,” she says before he’s on the ground again, dragging her to where Maddox is sitting by the pony in question.
A warmth fills me as I watch them walk away, before my name is called. My dad comes down the hill, meeting me at the fence.
“Need a favor. Got three colts that need to be picked up next Friday. I’d go but I’ve got that appointment with the lung doctor and can’t miss. Can you and Kota pick them up?”
“Where are they?”
He shoves his hands in the pockets of his wranglers. “Lubbock.”
“That’s a drive.” I whistle.
“Yeah. Probably have to stop for the night. Maddox will be in San Antonio with Havoc, or I’d ask him.”
“Shouldn’t be a problem.” A spark of something like hope fires up in my chest.
The two of us.
Alone.
Overnight.
Away from Mayson Ridge.
I’ve been a patient man, but I think it was time to tell my wife that I was done with the charade. It was time to tell my best friend that I was in love with her.
Chapter thirty-three
Dakota
“How about we go down for a drink after I shower?” Cooper says before slipping off his boots.
“Sure.” I nod, trying to think of any place to be besides in here while he’snakedon the other side of the wall. “I need to call and check on Ari. I’ll be on the balcony.”
“You sure you don’t need one?” He lifts a brow.
“Nope.” I glance down. “I didn’t get dirty. You did most of the work.”
“Give me ten,” he calls before he closes the bathroom door.
I slip outside, calling Ivy to check on Ari. Of course, she doesn’t answer, so instead I take a seat on a plastic chair and gaze outover the rolling plains. It stretches for miles, and the raw beauty of it has my lips tilting up in a smile.
I was nervous to leave Arizona behind when Emmett asked us to make the haul to Lubbock, but Ruthie and Ivy promised me that she would have nothing but a night of snacks, pumpkin carving, candy, and a movie marathon. I reluctantly agreed and even let her invite Heather over to join the fun. Now I was sitting here questioning my life choices. Like the one where I surrendered to the wild idea that pretending to be married to the cowboy inside was completely rational. Just another day in the life of Dakota Sterling.Chaos coordinator.
We had driven a total of five hours today, stopping at a hotel not far from the ranch we will be driving out to in the morning. The ride consisted of my favorite playlist, my favorite snacks, and Cooper trying to convince me that Elvis Presley is still alive in some random mental institution. Needless to say, hours of being with the man in a contained space and not being able to climb across the console and kiss him stupid was doing funny things to my brain.
My gaze follows a group of fireflies when the sliding glass door breaks my trance. “Ready?”
Cooper grins, his damp hair peeking out from beneath his hat.
“Let’s roll.”
Following him out the door, we give a friendly wave to a couple walking past us in the hallway before we step into the elevator.
