Page 85 of Owned By The Cowboy

He takes my hand and leads me down a hallway I’ve been in before, but the door at the end was always closed. Now it’s open, and when I see what’s inside, I nearly fall over.

It’s perfect. Better than perfect. There’s a huge cutting table positioned perfectly under the windows, built-in storage forfabric, professional lighting, and not one but two sewing machines—including one that’s way nicer than the one I have.

“Blayne,” I breathe. “You didn’t… this is…”

“You like it?” He’s standing with his big arms crossed, biceps bulging, in battered jeans and a ratty t-shirt. So fucking handsome, he makes my heart hurt. And that quiet, steady smile, his big working hands. His clear blue eyes. The tanned skin, from hours spent working outdoors. The scars on his hands. Inside him. All he’s carried throughout his life. All that’s made him who he is…

“I love it, baby. But how did you do all this in a week?” I’m wiping my cheeks.

He runs a hand through his hair, looking almost shy. “I’ve been working on it for a while.”

“How long is a while?”

“Couple months.”

“Couple months? We’ve only been… we only just…”

“I know. But I was hoping.”

The admission makes my throat tight. While I was still scared to hope for anything permanent, he was building me a workspace. Planning for a future I was too chicken to even think about.

“There’s more,” he says.

“More?”

“MAMA!” Annalise’s voice echoes from upstairs. “COME SEE!COME SEE RIGHT NOW!”

“I think she found her new toys,” Blayne says with a grin.

We head upstairs, and Annalise practically tackles me the second I reach the top.

“Did you see? Did you see my room?”

“Not yet, baby.”

“Come look! It’s the most beautiful room in the whole world!”

She drags me down the hall to a room I’ve never been in, and when I see it, I understand why she’s so excited.

It’s like something out of a magazine. The walls are painted a soft lavender, there’s a reading nook by the window with built-in bookshelves, and in the corner there’s a whole display area for her stuffed animals. But the best part is the ceiling: he’s painted it to look like a night sky, complete with glow-in-the-dark stars.

“It’s like sleeping outside, but inside!” Annalise explains. “And look, all my animals have their own spots. And I have so many new ones!”

“When did you do this?” I turn to ask Blayne. And this time I don’t even bother drying the tears streaming from my eyes.

“When I wasn’t with you guys,” he replies softly, pulling me in his arms.

“Mama!” Now it’s Nia’s turn to yell from down the hall. This man is gonna give my kids heart attacks. “You need to see this!”

We find Nia in what I guess is her new room, and she’s juststanding in the middle looking stunned.

“This is mine?” she asks Blayne in a small voice, so unlike her usual blase self.

“All yours, sweetheart,” he replies with a kind smile.

The room is perfect for my daughter’s tastes. The walls are a sophisticated gray; there’s a huge desk by the window for homework, and an entire wall of built-in bookshelves. But the thing that really gets me is the reading corner: it’s got this amazing hanging chair and perfect lighting.

“I’ve always wanted a hanging chair,” Nia says quietly, eyes glazed over.