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I let her get the best of me. She already has anyway.
CHAPTER FORTY-SIX
DIANE
We announce we’re engaged a few weeks after Keira and Sovereign’s wedding. I invite them over for dinner and make a roast for everyone. Over dessert, coffee, and whiskey, Westin tells them he’d like to have a big wedding on the ranch.
“I never thought you were the big wedding type,” Sovereign says.
I stare, confused by the ghost of a smirk on his face. Westin gives him a look and pours more whiskey.
Afterwards, Keira and I clear the table, and the men disappear abruptly into the office at the front of the gatehouse. I rarely go in there; it’s where Westin works on business contracts for the ranch. Still, I’m curious, so I crane my neck as they disappear behind the door.
“Sometimes, it’s better not to know,” Keira says quietly.
I frown. “Does Sovereign talk to you about business?”
She nods. “He tries to. When my first husband left the farm to me, I had to run everything, and it soured me on it. Sovereign gave me equal ownership of his shares of Sovereign Mountain and wants me involved, though, so I try to listen to him about it.”
That strikes me as unexpectedly sweet. I didn’t expect that of Sovereign; he’s so gruff and cold.
Keira tucks her hair behind her ear. “Honestly, I have other things to worry about this year.”
Her cheeks go pink, and she shuts the dishwasher. I put the teakettle on.
“What’s going on?” I ask.
She leans against the table, squirming slightly. It’s interesting to me that Kiera’s incredibly shy about anything sex related but wears a submissive’s collar. She must not be very shy in other circumstances.
“We’re going to try for a baby,” she says.
“Really?”
She nods. “Not yet, but soon.”
I think about her and Sovereign—how rough and dangerous he looks and how sweet Keira is.
“Does he ever scare you?” I ask.
Her blush recedes. It takes her a moment, but she shakes her head. “Not anymore, but he did. Why?”
I shrug, struggling for words. “I just… Sometimes, I feel like I should be afraid of Westin, but I’m not. And I wonder what’s wrong with me for that. I was terrified of Avery and Thomas. What makes him different?”
I’ve never said that aloud, and I regret it right away.
“I didn’t mean it like that,” I rush.
She smiles, shaking her head. “I know what you mean. I guess if you think about it, you and I are a lot alike on paper, but we’re so different in person.”
I nod slowly. Maybe on paper, Westin is just as frightening as the Garrison brothers, but…I’ve seen him on his knees, promising to give me everything.
It is so different.
“You know Sovereign best,” I whisper.
She smiles, nodding. “I do. And I don’t mind a little roughness around the edges. I don’t think you do either.”
There’s a twinkle in her eye and a dimple on her cheek.
