No, I can’t.
We can’t.
Can we?
I can’t risk my mom losing her house because of greedy venture capitalists in Austin. So that only leaves one other way to punch myself out of this corner.Marriage.
Desperate times call for desperate measures.
CHAPTER 23
Baylor
Pushing through the door,the bell above my head reminds me of Peaches Sundries, leaving me smiling as I start down the sidewalk with the bouquet in my hand.
She should have reached the city by now, so I pick up my pace, not wanting to be late. I round the first block and start to jog to reach the next, cut the corner, and head for the entrance to my building.
“Evening, sir.”
“Evening, Paul,” I reply, entering through the door he’s opened for me. “Good Thursday?”
His arms go wide, and a big smile splits his cheeks. “Always the best here in the city. You?”
I start for the elevator but turn back with a stupid grin. “Good. I have tomorrow off for the holiday, and it’s about to get a whole lot better than that.”
“Ah! Your guest is arriving today. I have it noted. I look forward to meeting Ms. Knot.”
“You’re going to love her. Have a good one.” The doors open, and I step onto the elevator and punch the button for my floor. With no time to waste, I rush to my door and slip inside.
The place is clean, everything tidy and where it belongs, but I still have some nerves for her arrival. I hope she likes my place, and damn, I hope she likes me as much as she does in The Pass.
I look down at my work clothes, then set the flowers on the counter and rush to the bedroom, where I enter the closet. What can I wear? Jeans. Okay . . . fuck. I know she likes me in cowboy wear, but I don’t have that here. I pull on a T-shirt and jeans, deciding to keep it casual rather than being in a suit to greet her.
Rushing to brush my teeth and put on fresh cologne, I fuss with my hair before putting on sneakers, grabbing the flowers, and going back downstairs to wait for her. When I enter the lobby, Paul grins, knowing exactly what I’m up to. “She must be special, Mr. Greene.”
He’s no stranger to seeing a few women come and go over the years, but he’s never judged or made any snide remarks.
“She is.” More than special, Lauralee is different. I’ve never missed anyone like I have her the past ten days.
A black SUV pulls up to the curb out front. Paul goes to open the door, but I’m right behind him and walking through it. The driver opens the back door and there she is. Her smile is the balm I needed to soothe the part of my heart that’s been missing her so much.
Pretty dress. Hair hanging over her shoulders with more curls than usual, charting their own path down the strands. Her eyes brighten when she sees me.
Breathtaking.
She swings her legs out and hops to the ground. She looks short among the skyscrapers but no less beautiful. In fact, she’s more gorgeous than ever. “Hey there, stud,” she says, coming to meet me as I close the distance.
I wrap my arms around her and kiss her, needing this connection to her more than I realized. I was so busy with work that I barely gave myself time to breathe, much less dwell on her absence from my life. Because if I did for too long, I wouldn’t get any shit done. My mood shifted, and it was hard to focus.
The luggage bumps into my leg, causing me to pull back from her and eye the driver. He says, “You’re all set, Ms. Knot.”
“Thank you,” she says, scrambling for her purse. “Wait, I need to give you a tip.”
“No.” I place my hand on hers. “I’ll tip through the app.”
She laughs. “That’s fancy.”
When her eyes slip to the flowers, I hand them to her. “I saw these and thought of you.”
