Page 74 of Mr. Red

“What does ‘personal things’ mean?”

“A family. There’s a lot of space at my house in Texas.”

“You said you bought a house in Washington. Wouldn’t it be an option to stay?”

“Not really. I want to have a family in Texas. It’s a good spot. Plus, I have my business and family there. There’s not much to keep me in Washington.”

“What if I stay in Washington?”

He stays quiet. His wrist with the watch twitches and Ican see his jaw tense. “Hadn’t thought ’bout it.”

“Hypothetically, if we decided to stay together, what’s your plan?”

“It’s a little soon to say what’ll happen, but I’d hope you’d consider moving to Texas with me.”

“Is that the end of the discussion?” I squint my eyes at him, searching for an answer. “Move to Texas or break up?”

“Listen, this is a deep conversation. You’ve never been to Texas, have you?”

I look away from him. “No.”

“How could you imagine moving to a place you’ve never been? Let’s take a step back and look at the situation rationally. Before you start making plans, maybe you need to see it first.”

“I still have the gym. I have friends and family in Washington I wouldn’t want to leave.”

“Scarlett, it’s not a decision to make tonight. There’s no telling what’s going to happen. Let’s enjoy the rest of the vacation, okay?”

I bite my tongue. I’m not sure what I’m thinking, talking about the future with a man I’ve been with for a whole five minutes. That won’t make him flee or anything.

But I like having a plan. I don’t know what the plans are once Matt leaves. It scares me.

As we sit and then eat later, all I can think about is how much I’d miss Lakebrook if I moved to be with Matt. My stomach twists thinking I might miss Matt more.

Chapter 40

Matt

I thought the spa would be a nice place for Scarlett to relax. It’s our last day here, and I figured a little pampering before returning to real life would be good. Girls love this pampering shit. I hope.

I need her to want to move to Texas so we can still be together. I’m going to do anything to make that happen, starting with spoiling her.

She almost made me spill my plans to her last night. She’s like me, which means she needs time to deliberate on the possibilities. I can’t assume she’ll move to Texas. But if I get her to consider the idea, I think I’ll get my way.

I make some work phones calls while I’m waiting. I’m fuckingwaiting.What has this girl done to me? I don’t wait for anyone; they wait for me. Usually to not call them. Yet, here I am, waiting.

The amount of work I’ve let slip since our vacation started is unheard of. Thank goodness for work right now. It’s the focus I need. I get busy adjusting an order, checking in with the inspector, and then make a phone call to Grant. It’s long overdue.

“Was wondering when I was going to hear from you,” he answers.

“I’m on a little vacation.”

“Yeah, but you always work through your vacations.”

“I’m as surprised as you.”

I mean that. This is the most relaxed I’ve been in a while. I’ve done a little work here and there, usually when Scarlett is still sleeping. Everything is different when it comes to her—she comes first. I like watching her enjoy the moments I make. That means I’m distracted from doing real things, like work.

Fuck me. Any moment now I’m going to be reciting poetry and Shakespeare quotes.