Me: He’s a great dad.
Blakely: He is really grumpy though. I find him kind of intimidating.
Violet: Moody guys don’t intimidate me. I’m sure he’s good in the sack, all grumpy and irritated. He’s probably very dominant in the bedroom.
Me: That was a lot of information. Are we interested in Charlie?
Violet: Hells to the no. Just pointing out the obvious. He’s not my type. I’m not a fan of small children and we all know that I prefer to be in charge, so I don’t need a man who wants to be in control.
Blakely: Because you want to be in control?
Violet: Damn straight. I like to call the shots in and out of the bedroom.
Me: TMI. I’ve got to go. Moneybags is taking me somewhere and won’t tell me where. He just pulled up at my house.
Violet: This might be the weirdest fling of all time. You see him every day. He drops off lunch randomly when he knows you’re working long hours. He’s sent you flowers twice. He’s flown you to a family event. He’s taken you to his office in New York to show you off to his coworkers. And now he’s taking you to a surprise location. I’ve got news for you, bestie ... nothing about this is casual.
Blakely: Agreed. And also, I need to find me a billionaire and have a fling.
Me: We’re just enjoying the time we have together and then we’ll go our separate ways. For all I know, he might be ending things tonight. He was very cryptic in his text.
It had been three weeks since our night together in New York, and we’d been together every day since. I knew the lines were blurring for me,but I was giving this gift to myself. I’d never been happier, and I wasn’t going to spoil it by focusing on the fact that it would be ending soon.
My new life mantra is: Live in the moment.
Don’t think about tomorrow. Or next week.
I knew it would hurt like hell when he left, but I’d deal with it then. I’d always had the ability to rebound and pull myself up by the bootstraps.
Once I slipped into his car, he drove a few blocks away from town to one of my favorite areas on the river.
“You’re being awfully quiet,” I said, and I didn’t miss the tic in his jaw.
He was tense. Maybe even nervous.
Myles St. James doesn’t get nervous.
Oh God. Was this really it? Was he tired of this arrangement and taking me somewhere private to break it to me gently?
I knew there was the possibility that things would end before he left town.
The man didn’t do relationships. He’d been honest about that. Yet we spent every night together. Of course he was over it.
This was too much for him.
This is definitely too much for him.
He cleared his throat. “I want to talk to you about something, and I’m not sure how you’re going to react.”
“You know that I’m not oblivious to how this all ends, right? You don’t have to drive me out to the middle of nowhere and do a formal breakup.” I shrugged. “It’s a fling, Myles. I’m not going to fall apart because you’re ready to move on. I’ve been preparing for it all along.”
He pulled in front of the Murphy Ranch, which had been abandoned for years. It was one of the most beautiful pieces of property in Blushing. But it had been tied up in probate for years—a family inheritance dispute that had left this gorgeous home empty.
“You’re serious?” he said as he put the car in park. He turned to look at me. “You think I drove you out here to tell you that I don’t want to see you anymore?”
“Listen, this is all new for you. And you’ve really embraced the whole ‘ongoing fling’ thing well. And honestly, it’s surpassed my expectations. But I know it’s got an expiration date, and I’m not going to fall apart if it ends before you leave. I’m sure this is overwhelming for you.”
“I’m not overwhelmed, Montana. I told you that I wanted to see you until I head back to New York. I didn’t just make that up. If I didn’t want to see you anymore, I would be honest with you,” he said. “I don’t do what I don’t want to do, Montana. We have a few more weeks together, and I plan to fuck you every which way I can for twenty-one more days. I’m not leaving you just yet, Honey Badger. Even though you seem convinced that I’m going to call this done every other day.”
