“What about your clothes?” I ask, turning to face her.
“Aaron had picked out practically my entire wardrobe anyway. I don’t ever want to step foot back in that house again,” she says with finality.
“Have you found other housing?” my dad questions.
“No, not yet. I was thinking I’d just get a hotel room until I find something.”
“Absolutely not,” I practically growl out. Not wanting to frighten her, I take a deep, steadying breath. “Stay with me. I’ve got an extra bedroom, hell, I’ve got several extra bedrooms if you need more than just the one.”
“Carson, I couldn’t ask that of you.” She shakes her head, looking down at her folded hands.
Reaching out, I gently lift her chin so she can see how serious I am. “You don’t have to, I just asked you to stay with me. I’ll get on my knees and beg if I have to. We can work this out, Dakota. Just stay with me so I know you’re safe.”
“You Wilder men sure don’t take no for an answer, do you?” She looks from me to my dad, who is staring at me with a quirked brow.
I ignore his weighted stare, instead smirking at Dakota. “We do not. Stubborn as bulls because we’ve got hearts the size of Texas.”
The reference to her home state earns me my first genuine smile from her for the day. And fuck if the sight of it doesn’t nearly bring me to my knees.
“Alright, on that note, I’m going to head to the office to get to work on those filings right away.” My dad stands from his chair and Dakota holds out her hand for him. He shakes his head with a slight smile before shaking her hand.
“I can’t thank you enough for all of your help, Theo.”
“It’ll be my pleasure to take out the trash. In the meantime, be sure to keep my son in line.” He winks at me and heads out the door.
Leave it to my dad to spend fifteen minutes with the two of us and sniff out my infatuation for Dakota.
10
February
One month shouldn’t feel like both an eternity and the blink of an eye. On one hand, it feels like only yesterday that I woke up in the hospital. On the other, each day of trying to heal has felt like time has dragged on at a snail’s pace.
I officially moved in with my boss’s brother the same week she temporarily moved in with her ex, who is now possibly her current boyfriend. Kenna and Cadence are staying with Griffin until he’s healed from his knee surgery and goes back to Colorado. He surprised her with a house he purchased here in Minnesota over Christmas, and they’ve decided to live there together while he’s rehabbing his injury.
I could tell Carson had mixed feelings about it. He assured me he loves the idea of Griffin and McKenna working things out, and for Cadence to have her parents raise her together. But I still felt as though he was anxious about the change.
The first few days I lived with Carson were spent resting, and meeting with his dad when I felt up to it. My divorce has been filed, and my order of protection has been granted, but unfortunately Aaron was released on bail until his hearing for my assault. I can’t help but feel like I’m more skittish than ever, constantly looking over my shoulder and jumping at each and every sound.
“Do you need anything before I head to bed?” Carson’s unexpected question startles me, causing me to let out a yelp.
“I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you,” he says, holding up his hands.
“No, it’s okay. I was just so lost in my book, I didn’t hear you,” I try to reassure him, shaking my head as I take a deep breath.
I’d curled up on the couch in the living room after I saw Carson had started a fire. He’s been doing that almost every night he’s been home since I moved in. It’s almost weird how quickly we’ve fallen into a routine—it shouldn’t be this easy to find comfortable companionship with someone I’ve only known for about six months.
It’s only when I look up from my book that I notice he’s staring at me with that same look of worry he’s had since he answered his front door on New Year’s Day.
“I’m okay, Carson. Thank you for asking though.”
“I’m curious,” he pauses before asking, “What would your perfect day look like?”
I pause to think about my answer. “That depends on the mood I’m in.”
“Okay, I’ll bite. If you’re having a down day, what would be the perfect day to make you feel better?” he questions, and it catches me off guard.
“When I’m feeling down, or having an off day, I like to double down and have a lazy day. Sometimes my favorite days are ones where I don’t leave my sweats, I can hear the sound of the rain hitting the windows, and I snuggle up with a good book.”
