Sweet Dreams (Colorado Mountain #2)(202)

“Seal the deal,” he repeated, his hand curling mine back on his arm and his lips went to my neck to give me a kiss.

That neck was bent and I was staring at a diamond glittering dimly in the night.

I simply stared at it, mind blank, stomach hollow, heart stopped as Tate kept talking.

“Seal the deal,” he said yet again. “You talk to him next year, another ring’s gonna be sittin’ at the base of that one.”

I felt my throat get tight.

Tate went on. “We’ll get married in April, anniversary we met.”

I swallowed and couldn’t tear my eyes from the ring.

Tate continued. “You want a big thing, we can do that, but, babe, I’d prefer it small.”

I stood statue-still, fingers frozen clutching his arm, eyes still locked on the ring.

Tate carried on. “Same people there as tonight, ‘cept your family too.”

I finally pulled my eyes from the ring and looked at the lights of Carnal but I still didn’t speak.

This went on for awhile and Tate’s arms, now both wrapped around me again, gave me a tight squeeze.

“Laurie?” he called.

“You spent thousands of dollars on me for my birthday,” I said, my voice rough, abrasive, sounding weird.

His arms squeezed me tight again but they stayed tight this time.

“Yeah, babe, and I get why you didn’t want to make a big thing about it but that shit’s whacked. That isn’t a lesson to Jonas. The lesson he needs to learn is life goes on and we’re lucky enough to be livin’ it so we should do it, as much as we can, while we got the chance.”

It was like he didn’t speak.

“You spent thousands of dollars on me for my birthday,” I reiterated.

He sighed then replied, “Overhead’s reduced, Ace, shit’s not tight. It ain’t even comfortable. We’re good, more than good.”

“Martinis and top of the line appliances,” I whispered.

I felt Tate’s body shift into hardness when he muttered, “Somethin’ like that.”

I stared at Carnal and Tate’s arms remained around me, his body solid behind me.

“Lauren,” he called again but I didn’t answer, I stared at Carnal, a Nowheresville town that looked magical after midnight. “Shit, baby, give me something,” Tate growled in my ear.

“Brad never remembered my birthday,” I told him.

Tate made a move as if to shift me, turn me toward him but my fingers curled deeper into his arm and he stilled.

“When he asked me to marry him, the first thing I felt was fear,” I went on.

“Ace –”

“Fear because I wanted him and I knew, eventually, I’d make it so he didn’t want me.”

“Lauren –”

“And I did,” I continued.

“Christ almighty, Laurie, I thought we were passed –”

“Not once, not once in all the years I was with him did I feel happy.”

Tate was silent.

“Not even a little,” I said.

Tate remained silent and so did I and we both stayed this way for a long time.

Finally, Tate asked, “You happy now, baby?”

“Yes,” I answered instantly and felt his face in my neck. “A small wedding,” I whispered. “Maybe Ned and Betty will let us have a pool party after.”

His head lifted and his voice was a thick growl when he said, “Sounds good.”

“You f**ked up, Captain,” I told him and his arms got even tighter.

“Come again?”

“I’m not drunk anymore. You could have had Drunk Lauren Sex.”

I felt his body moving behind me and I knew it was with laughter.

“I was in the mood to attack,” I informed him. “You could definitely have had it dirty. You could have had anything you wanted.”

“I don’t get that now?” he asked, his voice still thick and now rumbly but with humor.

“Oh yeah, you still get it,” I started to turn, his arms loosened, I faced him and mine went around his neck as I pressed deep into him. “But it’s my birthday and I’m not drunk anymore so now you have to do all the work.”

His mouth came to mine and he muttered, “I’m up for that.”

I pressed my lips to his, opened my mouth and slid my tongue inside. Tate’s head slanted and his hand sifted into my hair, tilting mine the other way as he took the kiss far deeper and made it much, much better.

When his lips broke from mine, he whispered, “Happy birthday, baby.”

To which, I whispered back, “Love you, Tate.”

His neck bent, his lips brushed mine and then slid to my ear, where he kept whispering, “Love you too, babe.”

I melted completely into my old man thinking how could I ever have not wanted him to call me babe?

Chapter Twenty-Seven

December

The garage door was going up, Tate was turning the key in the ignition and I was strapping in when I remembered to ask Jonas, “Did you get the gift for your teacher?”

“Where was that again?” Jonas asked from the backseat.

I twisted to look at him. “On the kitchen island.”

His eyes hit mine and he muttered, “Whoops.”