Page 23 of Her Candy Cane Cowboy
“What a fucking third level asshole,” Dallas barks out, his brows drawing into a dark scowl.
“He is. Everyone was there,” I whisper. “And it was supposed to be a fairytale wedding. I was in my beautiful dress and tiara…” I close my eyes. I can still see that day clearly, still smell the scent of the flowers.
I’m not aware that tears are running down my face until Dallas wipes them away. “My beautiful, sweet Ginger…”
“I didn’t know he wasn’t going to show up. That’s how naïve I was. At first, I thought he was just running late, you know. That something happened. Like a car accident or whatever.” I squeeze my lips together, fighting back the urge to sob.
“It’s okay, darlin’. I’m here.”
He wraps his arms tightly around me. Against the comfort of his chest, I say, “I found out the truth when I started searching my phone. I checked his social media and there…there was a picture he’d taken of me at the beach. It was so unflattering and he…he’d captioned it Where I was with a whale emoticon after the words. There were so many hateful comments about me from strangers and memes too…”
“He better hope he never crosses my path. I will beat his ass.” Dallas rubs his hand in circles on my back, and I feel the tension in his body from his anger.
“I kept scrolling,” I continue. “And found that…that…along with my photo, he’d posted one of himself with his arm around my best friend at the same beach. She was in a bikini, and he’d captioned it Where I am now. People were praising her and congratulating him.” I pause to draw in a breath.
“That fucker never deserved you and that woman was never a friend.”
“I know. But to me worse than any of that was knowing how much my dad sacrificed for the wedding. Later that night, I heard him talking to a picture of my late mom and he cried about my heartache. That’s what broke me the most.”
As soon as I finish sharing what I went through, I cry hard. I cry for the tender-hearted woman I used to be. The one who thought everyone was a good person. The one who trusted love only to have her heart stomped on. I cry over the betrayal by my friend. Over the cruelty from my ex and over the ugly comments by people who don’t even know me.
Dallas holds me through it until my tears slow, then eventually stop.
Embarrassed after sharing how naïve I was back then, I pull myself together and scoot to the edge of the bed.
The mattress shifts and his arms close around me, pulling me back against his warm chest.
“Give me your doubts. The things you fear. Give me your broken pieces. Everything that hurt you. I’ll restore your faith. My love will be the glue that rebuilds those broken pieces. I’ll pour it over you, and it’ll fill every crack.”
The tears start again and I sniff.
He gives me a gentle squeeze. “I’ll make you happy for the rest of your life. I’ll protect you and provide for you. I’ll be a good father to our children, a good son to your father.”
“Dallas,” I whisper, needing him to know that the reason I’m scared to be together isn’t because of him. I don’t know how to overcome what I experienced. “I lost my mom. Then I lost my fiancé and even though he was a jerk, it’s still a loss. So, I want to believe in what you’re saying but…” This man is like a dream come true. And I’ve learned that dreams don’t come true. That love is love until it isn’t. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay, darlin’. It’s not your fault. It’s mine. I haven’t made you believe enough in me yet. I’ll work harder for you to have faith in me. And now I’m going to do something I’m reluctant to do.”
I turn my face toward him. “What?”
“I’m going to help you put your clothes on, but I’d rather keep them off you.”
I laugh and stand to gather my clothes and pass his to him. “Like I said before. You’re a good guy, Dallas.”
“You’re only saying that because you’ve had my big cock and you’re a fan. Next, you’ll be wanting an autograph.” He heaves a sigh. “It’s hard to have a good dick like mine.”
I laugh again. “I should go and finish what I need to do so I can take a shower in time for the party.”
He captures my hand and presses a kiss to the back of it. “I know you were hired to plan and set it all up but are you sure you have to be there?”
It’s not hard to read his mind.
I gently push on his shoulder. “I don’t have to be there, but I should.” If I stay with him, my foolish heart might urge me to take a chance. And if I do that, there’s no guarantee that something bad won’t happen.
Chapter 10
Dallas
Dropping Ginger off and leaving her is one of the hardest things I’ve had to do. The next several hours crawl by at a snail’s pace until it’s finally time for me to head back to town to the community center. I can’t stay for the entire event because the Christmas Eve bonfire will start soon, but I want to see her even if it’s for a few minutes.
