Chapter 27

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

E mmerleigh

Warrick always seemed to know what I needed before I did. Blurting out my trust in him, followed by a quick and heated coupling against his truck, was exactly what I needed to soothe the nerves that were trying to derail something good finally happening in my life. But it was when we snuck back into the house and he tugged me toward his bedroom, slowly undressing me and climbing under the sheets to snuggle, that I realized just how well he'd come to know me. All those glances of his these last few weeks had been him measuring me, tuning into my emotions, studying what made me tick.

Everything about the way Warrick loved me was the complete opposite of my previous experience. I hadn't trusted it at first, for obvious reasons, but now that I'd paid attention, now that I'd given it some time, I was willing to open up my heart again. Those three little words echoed through my brain, making me feel warm and comforted. But I wasn't ready to say it back yet. I couldn't. Not until I knew I was completely, wholly, and forever in love with Warrick too. And that would take time.

Warrick nuzzled his nose against the back of my neck, sending shivers down my legs and stirring up a desire for him yet again. I turned my face into the pillow, embarrassed that I already wanted him so soon after having him. His hand traveled up and down my body, gently kneading muscles and making my eyes droop with exhaustion. Then his fingers swept over my hip and delved between my legs. I whimpered and the answering rumble of his chuckle was the only sound.

"I'll give you what you want, my wife," he whispered, gently lifting my leg in his hand and guiding his erection to my opening.

He slid inside, gentle and slow. My hands found purchase on the sheets and I arched my back, giving him better access. The rhythm was slow and unhurried, the opposite of our moment outside at the pond. Waves of pleasure rolled over my skin, lighting me up inside, but also keeping me right on the edge of sleep. The heat built between us and he finally reached around my thigh and found my clit, pressure there making the orgasm instantly shoot through me. It was long and low and deliciously lazy, a pleasure that kept going and going. I whimpered softly into the pillow and Warrick didn't stop his movements until the last tremor shook me and then stilled.

My eyelids were so heavy. I felt Warrick behind me, and in the back of my brain, I felt him slide out of me. I wasn't sure if he'd finished, but work and lack of sleep and worries about my life had led to an exhaustion that couldn't be held at bay. I slid into a peaceful sleep that only someone who trusts her partner explicitly can manage. With Cayden, his pleasure had always come first, or certainly had never been ignored. If he hadn't come, I would have needed to stay awake and take care of that for him. The fact that I didn't worry about that at all with Warrick was a surprising revelation and one that stacked another log in the towering pile of trustworthiness .

I woke early, as all mothers do, sliding out of Warrick's bed and finding one of his soft, expensive T-shirts. The sun wasn't quite up yet, but I had a jobsite to get to and caffeine would be a must. Warrick had already said he'd watch Georgia for me. Tiptoeing out of the bedroom, I headed for the kitchen and got the coffee pot going. I was reaching for the mugs in the upper cabinets, stretching as far as my short self could when the kitchen lights flipped on.

I squeaked and turned around so fast I whacked my hip against the new countertops. Gigi stood there in a bright blue bathrobe with a smile splitting her face. Glasses were already jammed on the top of her head. I stood there like a deer in headlights, my hands tugging down Warrick's shirt to hopefully my knees. Had I just flashed my entire ass to Warrick's mom? Kill me now.

Gigi shimmied her way into the kitchen with impressive moves, sliding up next to me and getting her own mug down from the cabinet. "Top of the morning to you, Em!"

"G-good morning," I stammered, wondering if I could just slink out of the room and we could forget this ever happened.

She poured both of our cups of coffee and turned to look at me expectantly. "Listen, if I had an ass like that, I wouldn't wear pants either."

I rolled my lips in and felt my face heat to approximately one hundred degrees. I stared at my toes like they might fall off if I didn't keep an eye on them.

Gigi's laugh was a friendly tinkle. "Oh, honey, don't be embarrassed. I'm so happy my son is in love, nothing could make me think less of you. You got that man to finally set his sights on a worthy woman."

I lifted my head, shocked. Gigi just shook her head and looked out the window. "For awhile there, I wondered if he'd ever find his match." Then she turned her head and patted my arm. "My son has a big heart. Always has, and while that's a good thing, a mother worries he'll be used for it. Acts of service is his love language. I'm sure you've seen that in action. That boy clearly loves the two of you."

No words came out, but she was right. Warrick did show his feelings through acts of service. I'd spent most of our time together refusing those acts. Warrick had also assured me that he told his mom this was all temporary. How could she be saying these things, knowing I'd used him to help with my court case?

"But…"

Gigi took a slurping sip of the hot coffee and then set the mug on the counter. "Oh, I know, honey. It's all temporary." She used air quotes around the word before grinning. "But I know my son and he's head over boots in love with ya, honey. And quite frankly, I'm already in love with my granddaughter, so you better figure out your feelings quick."

"I…"

Gigi squeezed my arm. "You don't have to tell me. Tell Warrick. Now why don't you get dressed and I'll make you some eggs and toast."

"Oh no, you don't have to do that," I began. Gigi waved away my objection.

"You have to get to work and I have all the time in the world these days. Let me mother you, Emmerleigh."

I bit my lip, refusing to let the burn in my eyes turn into tears. I missed my own mother quite fiercely and I certainly missed that feeling of being mothered, knowing that not everything was on my shoulders. Gigi's face softened and she patted my cheek.

"I always wanted a daughter." Then she turned and got busy getting the ingredients out of the fridge while I fought to breathe.

I walked out of the kitchen on stiff legs, gulping back tears. I'd been worried Warrick's mom would kick us out when she came home from her cruise. I hadn't realized I needed to be worried about her knocking down the last of my defenses.

The magnet I'd ordered for the side of my truck was waiting for me on the front porch as I left to go to the jobsite for the barn we were building for Roger. I threw it in the back of the truck bed and headed out, pulling up right on time. Roger was already pacing his property, grumbling under his breath. I gave myself a moment to drill down deep for patience before exiting my truck.

"Good morning, Roger," I called, grabbing my tool belt and walking over.

"Have you ever built a barn before?" He launched into all his doubts about my work experience, something we'd already gone over when I gave him my estimate last week. He'd agreed to the job and I'd bought the material. Now was not the time to revisit my competence.

Pip and Savannah showed up, getting to work while I tried to get Roger to back up enough to allow us to get the job done. He stayed the rest of the day, grumbling about everything and inspecting every measly detail including the type of nails we were using. We barely got two sides of the frame up in a whole day because of all his interference. I'd have to have a talk with him tomorrow. This couldn't go on or this job would take double the time I'd estimated and I already had several other jobs lined up after this one.

Plus I was chomping at the bit to start working on the custom house with Warrick.

Roger finally went inside his house as we packed up for the day, Pip and Savannah shooting me murderous glances.

"I know. I'll talk to him tomorrow," I promised them. I couldn't have my crew quit on me. The two of them left, grumbling about heading to town for a beer. I stayed behind to make sure everything was tidy so Roger wouldn't be calling me to complain tonight. Then I slapped on the new magnet to the side of my truck and stood back to admire it.

M Builds - Sisterhood of the Traveling Tool Belt

Warrick's bonus check was sitting in my bank account, minus the portion owed to my crew, I had enough jobs lined up to last the next few months, and I had a gorgeous man wooing me. I ran a finger over the magnet, pondering how I'd come so far in so little time. I'd dreamed of this day when my world had been in pieces at my feet. Envisioned exactly this moment and wondered if it would ever come to pass. And here I was, living that dream.

I climbed in my truck and headed for home. Or Gigi's house. I sighed, shaking my head at myself. Was that truly home? The practical side of me said that trusting a man I'd only known a month was asking for trouble. Then again, I'd known Cayden my whole damn life and he'd still screwed me over. Was the length of time the determiner of trustworthiness? Or was it actions?

Something Gigi had mentioned really struck a chord with me. Warrick's love language was acts of service. Running on impulse, I swung into a parking spot downtown and ran into the hardware store. Last time I was in here, I saw a barbecue set that would be perfect for Warrick. When we were at the carnival, he'd admitted that he was a bit of a foodie, which was why his line of work was perfect for him. But he hadn't had much time since coming back to Blueball to make the kind of food he liked. I couldn't afford to buy him that egg-shaped grill that was popular on cooking shows these days, but I could get the grill set. I'd love for him to share with me his love of grilling.

"Hey!"

I turned, grill set in hand, and saw Paisley behind me. She gave me a hug, avoiding the tools, and stepped back. "Hey, Paisley. How are you? "

"Good! Just picking up some stuff Gannon needed for the glampground. I was going to text you about getting the girls together for a playdate. Aster has been nagging me. With school out, the poor girls don't get to see each other every day."

I nodded. "That sounds lovely. I'll talk to Warrick tonight and see what our week looks like. Childcare coverage is hard in the summer."

"Oh my gosh, I know. Thankfully Gannon can watch her most days or I'd never get enough hours to stay employed. Hey, maybe we can pool our resources? Like, one day you have all the girls. Another day I take them all?"

"I'd love that," I said, feeling like I'd made genuine friends in Blueball already. That phrase about raising a child taking a whole community had felt so trite and unattainable before. But now I was starting to see that it was possible for me and Georgia too.

She nudged me with her elbow and dropped her voice. "Speaking of husbands, how are things working out with Warrick? You two seemed pretty chummy at the carnival."

"Chummy?" I laughed.

"Don't avoid my question, Emmerleigh."

Her mom-voice made me snicker some more. "I'm not avoiding it, I just don't know how to answer quite yet."

She rolled her eyes. "It's clear you have feelings for the man. And we all have eyeballs. He's hotter than a Blueball summer afternoon and he clearly has lots of feelings for you too."

I tilted my head left and right. Was I the last one to catch on to his feelings for me? "Yeah, he does. I'm just…well, I guess I'm scared to take the leap again."

She snorted. "Of course you're scared. We were all there at one time. Didn't you hear us at lunch?"

I winced. "Honestly? No. I was overwhelmed and not exactly listening."

Paisley just laughed. "I love your honesty. Here's the Cliffs Notes version: we all were scared to fall in love, but what's actually scary is turning your back on true love and having to live your whole life alone. We all decided we'd rather take that leap than to live with regret. You just have to decide too, Em. But be careful. If you wait too long, someone else will decide for you."