Total pages in book: 110
Estimated words: 107803 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 539(@200wpm)___ 431(@250wpm)___ 359(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 107803 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 539(@200wpm)___ 431(@250wpm)___ 359(@300wpm)
Luckily, my cell was in my pocket. I pulled it out and called Gatlin.
“Hey, what’s up?”
“Rachel just showed up at my house, right after Lilibeth and I had finished dinner.”
“Rachel? How the fuck did she get on the ranch?” But I didn’t have to answer; he quickly figured it out. “The gate code.”
“I need it changed ASAP. I’m following her out to the gate now to make sure she leaves. I don’t want her getting back in.”
“I’m on it. I can change it now, then I’ll send out a text to the family and another to the ranch hands, letting them know it’s changed and why.”
“Thanks, Gatlin. Don’t forget to include Lilibeth on the family text with the new code.”
“Okay, next question. What the fuck is she doing here?”
“She said she came back for me. To save me from a terrible mistake.”
Gatlin laughed loudly. “Is she crazy?”
“Apparently. I’m sure Lilibeth is sitting back at the house, wondering what the hell is going on. I just don’t want her to be upset.”
“It’s Lilibeth. I highly doubt she’s worried about Rachel.”
I gripped the steering wheel. “Gatlin, look at it from her point of view. I fought off my attraction to her because I didn’t want my heart broken again. And who broke my heart? The nutcase who just showed up on my doorstep, declaring she wanted me back.”
“Yeah, okay, I can see that now. But surely you’ve told Lilibeth how you feel about her.”
“I have.”
“Then there’s nothing to worry about. Lilibeth knows you love her.”
I briefly closed my eyes. “I haven’t told her that yet.”
“Dude—why not?”
“It hasn’t been the right time. I wanted it to be perfect.”
“Bet you’re re-thinking that move, huh?”
I let out a growl. “Is the code changed?”
“It is. What are you going to do now?”
“The one thing I should have done years ago. I’ve got to go.”
“Wait! What should you have done years ago?”
I hit the end button on the screen and watched as the gate slowly opened. Rachel put her car in park and got out.
“Fucking hell.”
I got out of my truck, slammed the door shut, and marched over to her.
“What the fuck do you think you’re doing? You honestly thought you could just show up at my door and I’d fall to my knees and welcome you back?”
“You love me, Caden!”
“No, Rachel, I don’t love you. I didn’t even know what love was until I met Lilibeth. What we had wasn’t love.”
It was a full moon, so I could see her face screw up in disgust. “That little hippie? You honestly think you’ll be happier with her than me?”
“I’m happier without you, Rachel. Being with Lilibeth is just the cherry on top.”
“This is just because you got her pregnant. I can overlook that.”
I scrubbed a hand down my face. “Jesus H, what part of ‘I don’t love you, I don’t want you, leave me the fuck alone’ are you not getting? Rachel, I do not want to be with you. Not now, not in a year, not ever. I’m in love with Lilibeth. We’re having a baby, and if she’ll have me, we’re going to get married.”
She took a step back. “You’ve asked her to marry you?”
“Not yet, but I’m going to.”
With a hand on her hip, she stared at me for a few moments—then she started to laugh.
“What’s so funny?”
Motioning to me, she said, “You. You and that stupid dream of getting married and having kids. You’re still hanging on to it. Caden, you can come with me! We’ll travel the world together. I finally got my trust fund from my grandparents. Money isn’t a problem anymore. We can go to Greece and Italy, and didn’t you say once that you wanted to go to Greenland?”
It was Iceland, but I wasn’t about to correct her.
“All the money in the world would never make me get back together with you. Honestly, Rachel, I have to thank you. If it wasn’t for you, I never would have realized how unhappy I was for years. How I deserved someone who loved me for me, and wanted to see my dreams come true, as well as her own. Truth be told, you did me a huge favor by saying no to me that day. So thank you for that. It might have taken me a while to realize it, but you leaving was the best thing that could’ve ever happened to me.”
Her mouth fell open. “You realize that if I drive off this stupid ranch, I’m never coming back.”
“That’s the plan. Don’t let the gate hit your ass on the way out.”
“Is this really what you want, Caden? Me leaving you, forever this time?”
I smiled. “Yes. Please leave now, Rachel.”
She stared at me for a good minute before she turned and got into her car. I watched as she drove through the gate, turned onto the road, and peeled out.