Just Say When (Lodestar Ranch, #2)

by Elizabeth Bright

“Top shelf.” His eyes glinted. The audacity. What, exactly, did he think he was offering me in return? Sloppy sex? He couldn’t honestly believe he was worth top shelf. I could do better for myself with both hands tied behind my back.

If I could save only one thing in a fire, it would be Esther Louise Price. Odds were she was the one who started the fire to begin with, but I’d still toss her over my shoulder without a second thought, and give her ass a good, hard smack every time she reached for a flame on our way out.

I was the tide and she was the moon, pushing and pulling me however she wanted. I wasn’t even mad about it.

“I’m talking about you and Essie,” she clarified, like I didn’t know. “You literally pulled her hair.” “Well,” I said, after swallowing my food, “in my defense, it was shiny.”

And all of those mistakes culminated with the biggest one of all: not throwing Essie over my shoulder and getting her the hell out of there the second I realized the bar had a mechanical bull. Because I knew without a shadow of a doubt that Essie was going to ride that fucker before the night was over. And I was going to have to watch her do it.

And my heart did that thing again, that stupid, stupid thing. My wife, it whispered.

It had been a week since I asked her to marry me and she told me she’d rather move to Antarctica. I had figured that was the end of it.

make it a suit.” “Hm.” Her head tilted. “Jeans and cowboy boots on the bottom. Button down and tie on top.” She air circled the items with her fingertip. “It’s the clothing equivalent of a mullet. Business up top. Party on the bottom.” I cocked an eyebrow. “Are you implying there’s a party in my pants, hellion?”

“Essie Louise Price, will you marry me?” She looked to the ceiling, as though awaiting deliverance in the form of fifty thousand dollars landing at her feet. When that failed to happen, she sighed deeply and gave me her answer. “I guess so.”

Because this…this was what Brax had to lose. This was what he wanted. He had probably imagined this moment in his mind. Imagined what it would feel like to bring a woman to Sunday dinner and give them the good news that she was going to be family. Hale men took marriage seriously. Ted had raised his sons in the legend of his own love story with their mother. Of course he had imagined this.

I leaned back enough that the front legs of my chair tipped off the ground so I could reach over and ruffle my nephew’s hair. “I think when you find a woman you want to be with for the rest of your life, there’s not much you won’t say yes to if it makes her laugh like that.”

“Jesus, Brax. You scared me. What are you doing here?” “Marrying you, supposedly,” he said on an extended drawl. “Hopefully I didn’t get the date wrong.”

His fingers tangled in my hair, digging into my scalp. He tasted like honey and strawberry jam from the biscuits he’d had for breakfast. I let it all consume me, the feel of him, the taste of him, the familiar scent of him that made my eyes sting with tears.

When the magistrate truly said “You may now kiss the bride,” I looked at Brax and straight-up panicked. Because now I knew what it was like to have Braxton Hale’s mouth on mine and hell, no, that couldn’t happen again. I wouldn’t survive it.

“Because he’s small, honey. He’s so fucking small. And you…you’re bigger than the whole sky.”

Maybe because for the first time in my life, someone gave me exactly what I needed. Not what they thought I should have. Not something less than I wanted. For the first time, I wasn’t left wondering why I always asked for too much, why I tried to give too much. Brax didn’t make me feel like too much. He made me feel like it was enough.

“Brax,” I said uncertainly. “No,” he bit out. “Don’t…don’t tell me to stop. I’ve waited so long. Tell me yes. Just this once, say yes to me.”

“Hellion, you’ve always been too much for me.”

“So I guess I’ll have to become more, so I can be enough for you.” She leaned back and her eyebrows furrowed with confusion as she scanned my face. “What?” “I told you, honey. You’re bigger than the whole damn sky. How could I ever hope to hold onto the sky?”

In two strides I was next to her, then over her. I grabbed her wrist and captured her finger in my mouth, sucking the taste of her pussy. “Tastes like mine,” I murmured. “Then make it happy,” she demanded.

“Jack!” Essie slapped his bicep, then slapped his other arm for good measure. “Don’t hurt my husband.” My husband. I straightened up so fast I nearly went light-headed again. She had never called me that, not once in our four weeks of marriage.

There was no polite way to say I’m railing your sister every chance I get, and she fucking loves it.

Essie’s cheeks were pink from exertion, her eyes brighter than the sky, her chest rising and falling deeply. Looking at her made me dizzy in a way the height could never do, stole the air right from my lungs. I had to look away to steady myself.

“You said, Essie, I swear to fucking god,” she mimicked, her voice dropping to a deep husk, “when you get up here, I’m going to—what? What are you going to do?” Never let you go. My arms tightened around her. I loved her. Fucking hell, I loved her.

Yeah. According to Mom, spouses are a package deal. Essie: Great, my husband and his enormous package will be there. :) Jack: I hate you.

Or maybe because Brax kept acting like he was my goddamn husband or something. He kept his hand on my lower back when we entered the room together. He pulled out my chair so I could sit down. He was entirely too solicitous to my mother.

caught her hand and dragged it to my chest. To my heart, and the tattoo that claimed it. “This is your mouth, Essie. Your kiss. The one you put there the day you went over the cliff. I have always kept you right here on my heart.”

“I can’t be satisfied with anything less than everything. Not when it comes to you. Back then, I knew we couldn’t keep on like nothing had changed, because everything had changed. If I didn’t walk away from you then, I never would have. I would have tied you to me the first chance I got. I’d do it now, if you let me. Fill you up again and again with my cum until your belly is round with our baby.”

My god, this man. My best friend. My husband. I was so deeply in love with him that I couldn’t find the beginning or the end of it. It had simply always been a part of me, and even when I tried to cut him out, I hadn’t been able to. And now I knew that I had been a part of him, too.

“Fucking Connor McRae,” Brax muttered, and it occurred to me that he had similar thoughts of the boys I had dated. “He’s nice,” I said sweetly, enjoying my husband’s caveman side. “I saw him at the grocery store the other day. He’s the manager now, you know.” Brax glared at me.

“Essie.” He touched his forehead to mine. “I don’t mean on paper. I mean in your heart. Is it a real marriage in your heart?” I closed my eyes. “Maybe it always was.”

“Oh, is she congratulating you because your sham marriage is actually the real thing and now you don’t have to lie to your best friends anymore?” Chloe asked.

And I’ll tell you something, Essie. You might as well try to hold back the ocean as tell Braxton Hale not to care for you. That man would move mountains for you.”

We’ve got some stalls that need mucking.” “I don’t think so,” I said. Adam shrugged. “Suit yourself. Dad said you were to go up to the main house the second you showed your face, so feel free to mosey on over there and see what he wants to chat about.” I didn’t have to think long about that. “Hand me that pitchfork,” I grumbled.

“That’s just where you are now. The story isn’t over yet. You keep getting hung up on all the crappy parts. The imperfect parts. And I get it, because I get you, and you’ve always been like this as long as I’ve known you.

“I thought my story was done. James made me realize how ridiculous that was. I learned the hard way that your story, whatever it might be, doesn’t end until you draw your last breath.

I can only imagine how you felt when you didn’t know if she was going to live or die. But don’t get stuck there, in that memory. It wasn’t the end. This isn’t the end. You have fucking decades left to finish the story. So what are you going to do?”

“There’s no such thing as too much when it comes to you, Essie. That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you. I’ll find a way to become enough. It’s not even hard. I’ve been doing it since the day I met you. Whatever you needed, that’s what I became.

You’ve made my life better in every possible way. You made me better.”

Tag me in, hellion. Let me help you.”

“It would be the honor of my life to stand shoulder to shoulder with you when you’re being a dumbass. It would be the honor of my life to be the one you call to bail you out when you took something a little too far. Because that’s what love is. It’s big and messy and doesn’t follow rules. And you, Braxton Hale, are the love of my life.”