Page 144 of Take My Love

“Will Silas continue doin’ goat yoga with you and Mila?”

“I’m not sure,” I say honestly, but it makes me sad to think he probably won’t. Once he gets his company up and running, he’ll be busy with his own schedule.

“Well, if he doesn’t, can I vote on findin’ a replacement? Preferably someone who’s single, rich, and has an eight-pack?”

“I will definitely get right on that!”

“That’s why I love you.”

By the time my shift ends and Silas gets out of work, I’m bouncing in the passenger seat, ready to explode. I didn’t have time to tell him much of anything since we were both so busy but it’s better to tell him face-to-face anyway.

“Hey, beautiful.” He hops in and immediately pulls me in for a kiss.

“Hello, handsome.” I smirk, grabbing his hat from the backseat and placing it on his head. “There’s my naughty cowboy.”

“You’re butterin’ me up, aren’t you?” He pulls back, frowning. “Your dad’s pissed, ain’t he?”

“He wasn’t thrilled at first, but—” I pause when Silas sighs against the seat. “He came ’round.”

“Really? He’s not gonna rip me outta bed in the middle of the night, kick my ass, and make me goat food?”

“No…” I tilt my head, trying not to cackle. “But he did say he wants to walk me down the aisle and to give my mother grandchildren.”

His brows shoot to the ceiling. “What?”

This time I can’t hold it in and throw my head back, laughing at his wide eyes filled with fear.

“Okay, let me start from the top…”

He pulls out of the lot and drives us toward the cabin while I explain everything in detail that happened over breakfast. As soon as we pull into my driveway, I open the glove compartment.

“He gave me this to give to you.”

As soon as he opens it and pulls out the check with his name, he stares at it wordlessly.

“Now you can start Mathiesen Homes or Mathiesen Builders. Maybe Mathiesen?—”

“He just gave this to you to give to me?”

Dammit, he never lets me tell him my third idea.

“It’s for you, babe. He said it’s a business loan to get whatever you need and the rest is a bonus. We’ll go over tomorrow night to eat and then he’ll go over the contract. After that, you’ll probably go over the blueprints for the childcare center and go from there. He’ll pay you for the work as well. This is just to get your company off the ground so you can book other jobs too.”

“I-I dunno what to say, baby.” He’s still staring at the check as if it’ll disappear into thin air if he looks away.

“He trusts you, Silas. He knows you’ll do a good job. And so do I.”

When his eyes meet mine, they’re glossed over, and I nearly tear up at how emotional he looks.

“No one’s ever been so confident in me before. It’s…” He swallows hard. “It’s hard to accept. What if I fail y’all?”

Scooching closer, I pull him into my arms. “Failin’ at somethin’ you at least tried to make happen doesn’t make you a failure. You only are if you don’t try at all. You’re already goin’ after what so many other people wish they could do. I believe in you wholeheartedly, which means you should believe in yourself too.”

He cups my face and kisses me until my lips go numb.

“I love you so much, Posey. I honestly don’t know what I did to deserve a second chance, but I’m so grateful I got one.”

“Love you too.” I squeeze him tighter. “But now we gotta go tell my brother and the rest of my siblings the news.”