I glanced back at Tess. Her eyes were glued to Weston, widened slightly, her hands steepled over her mouth.
When the crowd got to eight, everyone lost it. People were blowing air horns, ringing cowbells, yelling into megaphones, and shooting confetti cannons. Weston fell to his knees, his face buried in his hands, his body shaking with sobs.
“Jesus Christ,” I chuckled, glancing over at Emmett, who was grinning.
“Fuck yeah!” Beau hollered, high-fiving everyone, me included. Emmett and I high-fived for the sake of joining in. Then, a flash of blonde caught my attention, and I watched slack-jawed as Savannah climbed the bleachers’ fence and ran out into the area, falling into the dirt with Weston, holding him as he cried.
He rested his head in her lap, clinging to her like she was the only thing keeping him afloat. My chest tightened as I watched them, wanting that kind of closeness with someone for myself.
Looking over my shoulder, I found Tess already watching me, something warm in her eyes that hit me like a freight train, making my smile soften.
I was pretty sure I was falling for her, which felt insane to think about, considering I’d only known her for a month, but she was just…everything. Beautiful beyond belief, but that didn’t even compare to who she was. She was sweet and kind and strong, so strong. And she was adorable with her nervous rambling and bubblegum pink shoes.
“Oh myfuckingGod!” Delilah screamed.
I turned, my eyes widening at Weston on one knee, holding a small box between him and Savannah. She nodded and threw her arms around his shoulders, nearly knocking him to the ground.
I cheered them on like the rest of the arena as he slipped the ring on her finger, but I couldn’t help the jealousy I felt knowing the one person I wanted, I couldn’t have. Not yet, at least.
She wasn’t mine yet, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t already hers.
9
Tess
“You can do this,” Delilah murmured behind me, nudging me through the door of Circle M’s barn. “They already know since I texted them you were thinking about it last week, but tell them about the course, it’ll show initiative.”
I swallowed, my tongue thick in my mouth. “Right.”
After Delilah and I talked last week, I found a bookkeeping course online and already started it. I figured, even if Claire and Beau didn’t want me working for them and Golden Circle, I could find a job doing it for another company or a few people around town. But it’d be really convenient if they did hire me, since I only had a hundred dollars left of the thousand I had fled Corpus Christi with.
It’s just, Claire and Beau were intimidating. Especially Beau. He was…massive like Jeremy, and often had that surly, brooding look that I hadn’t figured out how to read quite yet. I knew logically he was harmless—Claire would’ve never been with someone who wasn’t—but I still hadn’t warmed up to him entirely.
So asking him for a job was daunting, to put it lightly, even if he knew it was coming.
Claire must’ve heard us. She looked up from her clipboard, instantly smiling. “Hey! What are y’all doing?”
“Tess wanted to talk to you,” Delilah said, giving me a swift smack in the butt.
I jumped, glaring up at her over my shoulder. “Ouch!”
“Sorry, couldn’t help it.” She chuckled, her nose scrunching with her grin. “You’ve just got the cutest little booty.” She said, lifting her hands in the air and mimicking the act of squeezing something.
I rolled my eyes and faced my sister and her boyfriend again. Beau looked amused by Delilah’s antics, so maybe that meant he was in a good mood. “What’d you wanna talk about?” he asked, his voice a rough timbre that made me tense.
“The bookkeeping thing.” I cleared my throat, shifting on my feet. “I wanted to see if you two had a chance to think about it?”
I forced myself to take a step closer and stand straighter.There’s nothing to be afraid of, I told myself.It’s just bear and Beau. Family.
I lifted my chin, remembering Delilah’s advice. “I signed up for a course and started it already. With the amount of free time I have right now, I should be done in about three weeks.”
Claire’s brows raised a fraction, impressed. “Really?”
“Yeah.” I tucked some hair behind my ear. “I’ll interview for real, and if you think you can find someone better, then I want you to tell me. I don’t want this to be some kind of…charity thing. I want to earn it the right way, so don’t coddle me.”
The couple looked at each other, having a silent conversation, but it wasn’t long before Beau took a step towards me, a kind of fondness in his eyes that softened him. “This is a family business, Tess,” he said. “There isn’t anyone better for the job than you.”
It took a second for my brain to absorb the words. My hands flew to my mouth, a choked sound leaving me. My eyes pricked with tears, looking up at him. “Are you serious?”
