Page 128 of Duke
Wheeler bites her lip and nods. “Hot.”
“I think Wyatt stole them from my dad, and I stole them from him.”
Mollie makes a face. “That’s not weird at all.”
“Hey.” I shrug. “Our internet was slow. Needs must.”
Toeing out of my sneakers, I drop the boot on the ground. I bend over and carefully tuck my foot inside it, using the ear pulls to finish the job.
I straighten. Put my weight back in both feet.
Perfect fucking fit. There’s just enough cushion to make me think I could wear these all damn day but not so much that the sole feels mushy or my foot feels cramped.
When I open my mouth to say as much, I find I can’t breathe.
Instead, I meet Wheeler’s eyes. They’re uncertain but hopeful too.
She’s trying.
A tear slips out of my eye. I don’t know what else to do, so I take her face in my hands and pull her in for a kiss.
A messy, warm, trembling kiss.
I’m in love with you, I want to say.
“You made the fucking boots,” I say instead.
She nods. “You wanna travel—do something different—well, come make these boots with Mollie and me. Come sell them with us. Come do this thing with us, Duke. Not as our employee but as our partner.”
“We’d love to have you on board,” Mollie says. I can tell by the way her voice shakes that she’s crying too. “Sorry to be the third wheel, but I’m too obsessed with these boots not to be involved.”
I let out a gruff chuckle. “I’ll allow it.”
Wheeler pulls back, keeping her eyes closed as she rolls her forehead against mine. “If you can’t make it work with your cowboy schedule, I totally understand—”
“Ella’s graduating preschool soon. She can fill in for me.”
That makes Wheeler laugh. “She’d whoop all y’all’s asses.”
“God, I love that kid,” Mollie adds.
I run my thumbs over Wheeler’s cheeks. “I’ll figure it out. I wanna do this with you, Blue. I’m—Christ, so honored y’all would go out of your way to…”
I can’t finish.
“You’re making my dreams come true,” she replies steadily. “I want to do the same for you.”
“Oh yeah?” I sniffle. “What would those dreams of yours be?”
“For starters, having not one but two amazing best friends. Obviously you and I are more than friends too, but you get my point.” She searches my eyes. “I needed a friend like you more than I knew.”
“She means a friend with a penis,” Mollie explains.
I laugh. “Got it.”
“And then there’s this.” She grabs my hand and puts it on her belly. “We’ve got our work cut out for us. I’m still figuring my shit out when it comes to my parents and their whole…situation. But I really do feel hopeful for the first time in a long time, and that—it’s all you, baby.”
The words are on the tip of my tongue.
