Page 41 of Fairground (Whitewood Creek Farm #3)

Fifteen minutes later, we’re back at my family’s place, and I’m kicking the front door open.

The house is empty, just like I knew it would be.

Everyone’s still at the fair, enjoying the cool fall night.

Normally, that’s where I’d be too—tossing a ball to prove I’ve still got the strongest arm in town, riding rides with my nephews, maybe stealing a kiss from a girl under the Ferris wheel lights.

But tonight? All I want is Rae.

I carry her upstairs to my bedroom and toss her onto the bed. She bounces slightly, her laughter filling the room like music.

“It’s still a little bizarre that you haven’t upgraded your bed since you were a kid,” she teases, propping herself up on her elbows to watch me.

I smirk, kicking off my boots and then yank off my t-shirt, tossing it aside, and work on unbuttoning my jeans.

“Smaller the bed, the tighter I get to hold you,” I say, grinning at her like the cocky bastard that I am.

Rae shakes her head, her lips twitching like she’s fighting back a smile. Her eyes follow every movement as I strip down, leaving nothing between us but air and the heat that we always have for each other. I take my cock in my palm, stroking slowly the way I know she likes to watch me.

“What is it, baby?” I ask, still pumping, wishing she’d stop teasing me with all those clothes she’s wearing and get naked too.

Her gaze flicks up to mine, thoughtful and a little hesitant. “You just… the things you say sometimes. They come so easily. Sometimes I wonder if you really mean them.”

That makes me stop. I drop to my knees in front of her, bringing us face-to-face. Her hands instinctively settle on my shoulders, grounding me, but there’s a weight behind her stare that says she’s got something heavy on her mind.

“I’m not your type,” she says softly, like she’s testing the words.

“How the hell would you know what my type is?” I challenge.

She rolls her eyes and starts to flop back on the bed, but I catch her wrists, holding her upright to face me.

“Go steady with me,” I blurt out, repeating Regan's words about her and Declan.

That gets her. She bursts out laughing, her head tilting back as the sound fills the room. “What the hell does that even mean?”

I grin, shrugging. “Regan told me that she and Declan are going steady. Thought I’d give it a shot with you.”

“You’re such a goof,” she says, shaking her head, but the way her lips twitch shows me she likes it.

“I’m serious,” I say, my voice dropping a notch. “Date me. For real. Fuck me. For real. Let me show you all the ways that I'm a good boyfriend if I want to be—for the right woman. And you're the right woman for me.”

She bites her lip, nervous now, her eyes darting to the side like she’s searching for an escape.

My stomach twists a little. That’s not the reaction I was hoping for after sharing my feels for her.

I’m laying it all out here, and she’s… hesitating.

That flicker of fear in her eyes, the way her body pulls back slightly—it guts me.

I’m not used to feeling this way, not with her.

I’ve always been the one in control, the one who knew where we stood or at least I thought I did.

But right now? I feel like I’m standing at the edge of something big, and I don’t know if she’s about to jump with me or walk away.

“The election is on Tuesday,” she says finally, her voice quiet.

“So? You want to wait until after to make things public? Fine. But tonight, I want an answer regarding what you want.”

“Wait.” She holds up her hands, stopping me in my tracks. Her eyes lock onto mine, serious now. “There’s something I need to tell you before we go any further.”

I arch an eyebrow, leaning in closer. “That you finally want me to be inside that pumpkin? Are you propositioning me for anal, baby?”

“Cash,” she groans, her laugh breaking through her mock-serious expression as she shakes her head. “Be serious for a second.”

“Hm?” I murmur, my fingers trailing up her legs, slow and teasing, until they reach the waistband of her jeans. I pop the button and ease the zipper down, revealing black lace underneath. “Black. My favorite color on you.”

She grabs my wrist, holding me in place, and shakes her head. “It’s hard to talk to you when you’re like this.”

“It’s hard for me not to want to get you naked,” I counter, smirking.

“Then should I go to the other side of the room?”

“No!” I shout, a little too loudly, earning an eye roll and a reluctant smile from her. She leans forward, pressing into my arms, and I hold her close. “What is it, Rae? I’ll listen this time, I promise.”

She sighs, and it’s not just a breath—it’s a full-body release, like she’s been carrying something too heavy for too long. I push her back gently so I can see her face, brushing a strand of brown hair behind her ear.

“Hey. You know you can tell me anything. I tease a lot but I'm listening now.” And I’m also nervous because it’s been a while since she’s looked this serious.

She nods, her lips pressing together in hesitation before she finally speaks. “I feel foolish for waiting this long to tell you, and I hope you won’t be mad that I kept this from you while I tried to figure things out in my head.”

My brows furrow, a little knot of unease forming in my chest. I sit back on my heels, still totally naked, my cock softening as I try to read her expression and prepare for her words.

She bites her lip, watching me. “Cash, the mayor of Charlotte’s chief of staff called me last week while I was at lunch with my parents. They offered me a position. Director of Marketing, branding, and social media.”

I blink, rubbing my jawline as I process her words. “Damn. That’s…” My voice trails off as I scratch at my beard, not sure what to say. I certainly hadn’t seen this coming.

She nods. “I know.”

“So, what’d you tell them?”

“I told them I needed two weeks to decide.”

“And it’s been a week now. Have you decided?”

She shakes her head, biting her lip again. “Not quite.”

I stare at her for a long moment, the air between us heavy with unspoken words.

Sure, I’m a little annoyed she kept this from me for so long, wish I would have been there to help her talk things out, but I get it.

Maybe she needed time to work through it on her own.

She doesn’t owe me every thought that she has, and this is a big decision. One that will affect her future.

Still, the thought of her packing up, leaving this town, leaving me—it punches a hole in my chest. I knew how hard I’d fallen for her, didn’t need the thought of her leaving to make me realize that.

“And what happens if you win this whole mayor thing?” I ask.

She looks down, her voice small. “I don’t know.”

“Well, damn, Rae. That’s kind of messed up, don’t you think? You’re gonna let the whole town down like that? Votes are already cast—it’s not like they can take them back now.”

“I know,” she whispers, guilt written all over her face.

“Then why run for mayor of a town you always thought you’d leave if a better opportunity presents itself?”

“It’s not that I intended to leave,” she says quickly. “When I first came here, I didn’t know what I wanted. Running for mayor was… a distraction at first. A way to pass the time.”

“And what is it now?”

“It feels like… more. Like I could actually enjoy living and working here.”

I nod because I believe her. It’s in the way her voice softens when she talks to the folks around town, like she’s speaking to old friends even if they just met.

It’s in the way her whole face brightens when we’re crowded around my dad’s kitchen table or driving down back roads with the windows down, the town rolling past like it’s always known her.

She’s not uncomfortable making small talk anymore and she’s even made friends.

She looks like she belongs here, even if she doesn’t fully know it yet.

I’ve watched Rae fall in love with this place one piece at a time, like she’s been trying to talk herself out of it the whole time, but the town just won’t let her go. Hell, I won’t let her go. And it’s been a beautiful thing to witness.

“So, what’s waiting for you back in Charlotte?”

“Um…”

“You got an apartment there still?” I pry.

“No.”

“A boyfriend I don’t know about?”

“No!”

“Job?”

She rolls her eyes. “No, unless you count this one that they’ve just offered me.”

“So, what you’re saying is, there isn’t anything that has you excited about returning except for this job?”

“Well…” She pauses, searching for the words. “My connections. My career. It’s all been there. Politics has been my life, Cash.”

I lean forward, my hand cupping her face gently.

“Since you don’t have much waiting for you back in Charlotte but this job, let me remind you what you do have here.

You’ve got me. You’ve got a town that’s behind you.

And you’ve got family here—people who care about you.

Your sister, my siblings and their partners, and fuck, Rae, again, you’ve got me . I’m yours and I’m here.”

She blinks up at me, her lips parting like she wants to argue, but no words come out.

“You say I don’t settle down. That’s because I’ve been waiting for the right woman.

You’re it. You’re my type. You’re the only type I want.

” My lips crash into hers in a pleading, desperate kiss.

I don’t know how this ends—whether she decides to stay or goes for her career that’s waiting there for her.

All I know is I’m not ready to let her go. Not now. Not ever.

I pull her into me, tucking her body against my chest, and then ease us both down onto the bed.

She fits there so easily, like she was always meant to.

My arms wrap around her, holding her tight, not because I’m trying to start something—God knows how badly I want to—but because right now, this feels like what we need more than sex.

She settles with her cheek over my heart, her breaths soft and even against my skin. I’m still completely naked, every inch of me exposed except the part of my heart I’m wondering if I should keep guarded. She’s fully clothed, but somehow, I’ve never felt closer to her than I do in this moment.

We lie there in the quiet, wrapped around each other like we can’t get any closer. Maybe this is what it’s supposed to feel like with the right person. There’s nothing to say. Nothing wehaveto do right now. Just this stillness between us, heavy with everything we’re both trying to understand.

What we mean to each other. What’s coming next. What we might lose if she leaves.

Outside the window, the sky fades from dusky blue to deep black, stars blinking awake one by one. The world slows. Breathes. I press a kiss to the top of her head, barely more than a brush of lips against hair, and she doesn’t move, doesn’t stir, just lets out a soft sigh.

Eventually, her breathing shifts. Slower.

Deeper. She’s asleep. Safe. But I don’t close my eyes.

I stare at the ceiling for hours, listening to the rhythm of her breath, the occasional rustle of sheets when she shifts in her sleep.

And all I can think about is how much I love her.

How badly I wanted to say it to her tonight.

To whisper those words into the dark and mean them with everything I’ve got.

They hover right there, on the edge of my tongue, aching to be spoken.

But I swallow them down. Because I can’t be the reason she stays.

Not when she’s got this decision ahead of her.

I can’t be a regret she’ll have for not pursuing her dreams. She deserves the space to figure it out for herself these next two weeks.

So, I hold her a little tighter, keep quiet, and let the silence stretch on. Long and slow and filled with everything I’m desperate to tell her and will. Just not yet.