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“Where are we going?” he asked as we headed up the stairs.
I looked over at him, and my tension eased. “I thought we could go hiking around the volcano trails. And when we’re done, I’m taking you to the most beautiful place in Costa Rica.”
“Sounds romantic, Mr. Rowan.”
“It will be. Pack a bag, sweetheart. We’re staying the night.”
CHAPTER 22
AUSTIN
Greer was quiet as he drove us away from his house. Reaching over, I placed my hand on his right thigh. Without taking his eyes off the road, he immediately switched hands on the steering wheel and covered mine with his.
I looked at where our fingers were intertwined. “It just dawned on me this is how we’re going to spend the rest of our lives.”
He smiled. “Running from my sister?”
“No. She’s gonna fall in love with me, just like you did.”
“That would require we stay longer at the house. But I wasn’t in the mood for her bullshit to ruin our day. But I agree. She’ll love you at some point.”
I looked out the window at the passing countryside as we made our way to the national forest where we were hiking today. The volcano was visible in the distance, even though it had a ring of clouds around it. “You aren’t planning to hike all the way up to the top, are you? I mean, we could, and I’m all for exercise, but there are better ways to burn off the tension.”
Greer’s face relaxed where he’d been clenching his jaw. “Are you trying to seduce me, Mr. Wentworth?”
“That’s soon to be Mr. Wentworth-Rowan to you.”
His laughter lit me up inside and I wanted nothing more than to make him do that every minute of every day. “I can’t believe we’re really going to do this. It’s like a goddamn dream.”
I squeezed his hand. “Yes, we’re doing this. You already said yes.”
“I have no intention of backing out. None whatsoever.”
“Good,” I said, looking out the front window, “because I want to do it as soon as possible.”
Greer’s head whipped toward me before going back to the road. “Are you serious? What do you mean by as soon as possible?”
I grinned and looked at him. “Today. How about today? Why wait?”
“I’m pretty sure we can’t do that legally in a day, babe. It would take some real planning.”
I brought his hand to mine and kissed it. “We can do legal at home. But can you think of any other place more beautiful to start our life together? This would be for us. Only you and me. Fuck the rest of the world.”
Greer pulled over to the side of the road under a dense canopy of trees. I released his hand so he could put the car in park. Turning to me, he reached for my hand. “Are you sure about all this? A life with you has always been a dream, and I’m terrified you’re going to change your mind.”
“Do you have any doubts about me?”
He shook his head. “No. But you’re so much younger...”
“Let me stop you there, Mr. Rowan. Are you listening? Because I need you to hear me when I say I love you and have loved you most of my life.”
“But you despised me less than seventy-two hours ago, Austin. You stood in my office and told me I was insufferable and that you more or less hated me. Can you not see how I might be concerned about your sudden change of heart?”
“I do,” I admitted. “But there is a fine line between love and hate, and that was the hurt talking. In all this time, I’ve never been able to forget about you. No matter how much I’ve tried. You’re just going to have to accept that I love you and there’s nothing I want more than you.”
Greer looked down and squeezed my hand, seemingly getting on board with the idea. “I’m not used to getting what I want in my personal life. I’ve lost more than I’ve ever gained, so it might take me some time to get my feet on the ground.”
I smiled. “I can be patient, Greer. I don’t like to be, but I can.”
