Total pages in book: 25
Estimated words: 23525 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 118(@200wpm)___ 94(@250wpm)___ 78(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 23525 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 118(@200wpm)___ 94(@250wpm)___ 78(@300wpm)
“You don’t owe me anything, Sienna. I just want you to have options. You deserve that much.” I laugh roughly, holding her close. “I won’t lie, though. I planned on heavily persuading you to just move to Flagstaff if you really wanted to try and make it on your own. I would have kept an eye on you every step of the way. And I would have waited for you to come back to me.”
She stares at me for half a heartbeat before wrapping herself around me so tightly it knocks the air from my lungs. “I love you,” she says, her voice muffled against my chest.
Oh shit. She loves me. She fucking loves me. I’m the luckiest goddamn man on the planet. “Sienna…”
She leans back just enough to look up at me, her face streaked with tears but her eyes shining. “I love you, Garrett. I mean it. I don’t want a new life unless you’re in it.”
I don’t have the words to answer, so I just kiss her instead, right there in the parking lot of the cheesiest alien gift shop in Roswell, New Mexico. It isn’t until we both come up for air that I realize I’ve forgotten the most important part of this.
“I love you too, princess. God, do I fucking love you.”
My home is quiet and unassuming, tucked under the shadow of the pines. It’s cooler here at the higher elevation, and the trees provide just enough shade. The late afternoon sun makes the brick house appear bright red.
It’s not much, just a tiny three-bedroom with a wraparound porch and a swing I put up years ago. I step out of the truck, walking around to open Sienna’s door. She’s already leaning forward, trying to get a better look at the place, her alien store prizes tucked against her chest.
"This is yours?"
“Yeah,” I say, not sure how to read her tone. “It’s… simple, but it does the job.”
She takes a few steps forward, gaze sweeping over the porch swing, the empty flower boxes waiting to be planted, and the trees I thought would be perfect for a treehouse one day.
“Garrett,” she says, turning to look at me with a smile that feels like it could light up the whole world. “I love it.”
I glance back at the house like I’m seeing it through her eyes for the first time. I’m proud of everything I’ve worked for, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t cautious about how she would see it.
“You sure?” I ask, crossing my arms over my chest and squinting at the house. “I know it’s not what you’re used to.”
She steps closer, her hand brushing against my arm. “Trust me. This’s exactly what I want.”
Before I can overthink it, I grab her around the waist and lift her off the ground. She laughs, the sound rich and full of life, as I spin her around in a slow circle.
“This is home now, huh?” I say, grinning up at her.
“Definitely.”
Then something clatters to the porch floor, the sound sharp and out of place. I stop spinning, setting her down gently as I glance at the source of the noise. There, lying between us, is her phone. The phone I threw in a rest-stop trash can.
My stomach drops.
“What the hell?” I say, staring at it like it’s a snake about to strike.
Sienna’s face goes pale, her hands flying to her pockets as if she can somehow hide what’s already out in the open.
“I…I can explain.”
“Then get to it, darlin’, because I’d sure as hell like to be let in on the secret.”
CHAPTER 7
Sienna
When Garrett picks up the phone, his jaw clenches so hard I’m surprised the bone doesn’t crack. I freeze, my feet rooted as panic crashes over me. My pulse pounds in my ears, and my hands feel clammy. This is it. I’ve ruined it already. Why didn’t I just leave it in the hotel room?!
He lets us into the house so we aren’t arguing outside in front of the world, and I’m too distraught to even look around.
“Sienna.” His voice is low and controlled. “I’m waiting.”
“I…I wasn’t trying to lie to you. I just…” Inhale, exhale. Inhale, exhale. “I was scared.” The words tumble out before I can stop them. “I wanted to let it go, Garrett. I really did, but it felt like cutting off the last little connection I had with my parents, and I was weak. I’m sorry.”
His grip on the phone tightens, but his shoulders ease just a fraction. He’s listening.
“I know they tried to force me into something awful,” I continue, my words pouring out like a waterfall. “But they’re still my family. I still love them, even if I hate what they did. I was terrified of losing them completely.”
Tears sting my eyes, and I swipe at them angrily, hating how naive I must look right now. “I wasn’t trying to betray you, Garrett. I just…I missed them. I missed how things used to be when they were just Mom and Dad, and weren’t worried about finding me a ‘proper husband’.”