Done and Dusted (Rebel Blue Ranch, #1)

by Lyla Sage

but like me, Emmy has ADHD. The differences in the way our brains work can be subtle, but it doesn’t mean that they don’t exist or make an impact on the way we live our lives.

“Yeah?” “You didn’t ask me why I came home.” “I don’t care why you’re here, only that you are.”

When it came to Emmy, I was playing with fire, but I would happily walk into the flames for her. And I’d have a smile on my face the whole damn time.

“You know, if you don’t like the road you’re on, you can always pave a new one.”

Was I stupid to let him walk away tonight? That could’ve been one of those moments. The ones that seem small but turn out to be big. The ones that change the course and alter your path.

I’d never understood the phrase “his eyes darkened” that was in all the romance books Teddy loaned me, until now.

“You’re so beautiful when you come.” He stood up and threw me on the bed. Literally threw me. “I can’t wait to watch it again,” he said.

Being an adult with sensory issues was a weird thing. How could I tell someone that if I touched a piece of chicken while the music was too loud and I could hear somebody breathing, it would send me into a spiral?

“She might not be ready, and that’s okay. Just keep showing up. Instead of telling her how you feel, keep showing her. Actions speak louder than words and all that shit.”

“The things we’re all searching for: love, support, purpose.”

For someone who’d spent their entire life begging for attention from others, he really knew how to make me feel like I was the only person on the planet.

Obviously, the sex was great, but I think the thing that really did it for me was that Luke made me feel like he wanted me, and he didn’t keep it a secret. He made me feel desired and even sultry,

You know in the action movies, when the hero and heroine kiss right before the battle, and all of the sudden they’re ready to take on the aliens or the mutated monster or whatever? I understood that now.

“She asked for you.” Teddy shrugged. “Emmy never asks for anything. She just puts her head down and deals with things in the only way she knows how, by kicking shit around in her own brain. But she asked for you.”

“Thank you,” he continued, “for taking care of my baby girl.” “She can take care of herself,” I said. “I know she can, but you made sure she didn’t have to do it alone.”

It was weird thinking about how I’d known Emmy for nearly my entire life, but we had just been living our lives semi-adjacent to each other. Now, I couldn’t imagine my life without her. I was so caught up in her.

I hate it when she isolates herself like this.” That was Emmy’s go-to when she was upset.

“Some love stories burn hot and fast, but you two are more low and slow,” she said. “It’s a strong and steady kind of love.”